About Me

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Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Solitude

This word sounds so peaceful to me and makes me feel relaxed. I picture an empty meadow with bright flowers and sunlight. I’m one of those people that enjoy being by myself. The word solitude makes me think of that excitement when I’m by myself working on a story. Without solitude I wouldn’t have what I need to write or to think up my characters and stories.

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As a teenager, I looked forward to those times when I could be alone with a book. The characters and settings in the stories kept me company and entertained me. I still look forward to being alone with my thoughts.

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Sometimes I like some music with my solitude and sometimes I enjoy the quiet. If I’m not writing, I have a book in my hand or I’m working on crafts. Even when I worked outside the home, I liked a job that required as little human contact as possible. The main reason I was drawn to writing was because I liked the idea of working alone. Being alone is essential for me as a writer.

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For me, solitude is a word that conjures up pleasant feelings.

 

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

New Release!

Daughter_of_Night (233x350) (233x350) (233x350)

Two mortals are caught up in the battle between the Titans and Olympian gods.

Buy links for Daughter of Night on author website: http://kelleyheckart.com/daughter_of_night.html

Friday, July 27, 2012

Using weather in a story

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Ominous. This was the first word that came to mind when I saw these thunderheads gathering in the distance from my backyard. I had to take a picture of the scene with tiny houses being overshadowed by the enormous storm clouds.

This sight made me think of how I use weather in some of my stories, of how the storm clouds looming on the horizon are a metaphor for impending danger.

In my Arthurian romance, White Rose of Avalon, a gentle rainstorm reminds Lancelot how the rain cleanses the earth and washes away the bloodstains on the battlefield. In Beltaine’s Song, a thunderstorm creates different scenarios for the main characters. While seeking shelter from the storm, they encounter people they wouldn’t normally be caught hanging out with. For one character this unlikely encounter leads to his downfall. And in my soon-to-be released Daughter of Night, a sudden thunderstorm sends the heroine into the stables and she comes face to face with the hero. What happens in the stables is a key turning point in the story for them. 

Weather can create different types of scenes. A gentle rainstorm can be soothing, even romantic, while a vicious storm with heavy rain and wind can create tension. Weather can be a useful tool to add an extra ingredient to the story.

I’m working on a story right now and considering a scene where, in the aftermath of a rainstorm, the river crossing rises. This river is the only way the hero can get back to the heroine who is in danger. One of the challenges I have with this hero is that due to a curse, he is immortal. I have to create dangers for him that don’t involve dying. He wouldn’t die trying to cross the raging water, but he could be swept away and pushed even further from the heroine. This type of scene also adds some tension to my story.

As with any writing tool, using weather to enhance a scene should move the story forward in some way or work with character motivations or conflicts.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Writing difficult scenes

Being a writer means I can make up stories and the fates of my characters are in my hands, but it also means writing those scenes that are hard the write. I’m talking about the scenes that go against my own beliefs or the scenes that make me squeamish. As a writer, I have to put aside my own feelings and do what is right for the story and the characters.

This is different for each writer. For me it’s difficult to write scenes that involve an animal death. I hate to see animals die. I won’t even watch a movie if I know an animal will die. But sometimes these types of scenes are important to the plot. That still doesn’t make them any easier to write. I would never kill an animal or even a person for no reason. The plot has to be moved forward in some way by the death.

I’ve had to write a couple of these scenes. In one book, a dog’s death brought the hero and heroine closer. In another soon-to-be released book, the animal death was symbolic and also true to the time period in regards to sacrifices made to the gods. This scene was really difficult to write and I almost deleted it, but then decided I had to stay true to the time period and to the story. It was a necessary scene. My editor agreed. This type of scene may upset some readers, but that’s a chance I had to take.
Writing that difficult scene isn’t always easy to do, but a writer needs to put aside his or her own feelings and stay true to the story. After all, it’s our job as writers to move the story forward, not to write what we want or to coddle the reader. Sometimes those difficult to write, heartbreaking scenes are the ones that resonate most with readers.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-189x298
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in Dark Age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.
http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Long Hair Hottie for July!

My pick for July is Judd Birza, the winner of Survivor Nicaragua. I came across a picture of him in a speedo and had to have him on my blog. I wouldn’t mind being stranded on an island with this eye-candy. His hobbies include surfing, skating and bike riding. With all that physical activity, it’s no wonder he has such tight abs.

http://bumpshack.com/2010/08/10/2010-survivor-nicaragua-young-vs-old-cast-photos-bios/jud-birza-survivor-nicaragua-cast-photos/

http://photofantasticmodel.blogspot.com/2011/05/judson-birza-photo-pic.html


Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-189x298
A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in dark age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.
http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Friday, June 15, 2012

Living with a Muse

I’ve heard other writers talk about their Muses as if they actually exist. I never gave it much thought before, but now I’m beginning to believe in my Muse.

The ancient Greeks believed in Muses and even had names for them. The ancient Celts had Brigit, a goddess of inspiration. The Norse god Odin was considered a god of poetry and wisdom. This belief in Muses is evident in every culture so there must be some truth in it, some basis for these beliefs to grow.

The way my writing comes and goes makes me think there might be a force behind my creativity. Some days I can’t think of one word to write, while on other days, I can’t stop the flow of ideas. I think I have a Muse, one that is capricious. Somehow I need to learn to understand him—yes, I am sure that my Muse is male. I gave it some thought and this is what came to me—my Muse is a male faery named Thorndrake. He is happy when I play music and his favorite music is Icelandic or Symphonic metal like Apocalyptica, Nightwish, Sirenia and Evanescence. He prefers female singers but also likes David Cook, one of the American Idol winners.

male fairy muse_Thorndrake

I am living with a Muse. Now I can talk about him as if he really exists. Hopefully, I won’t say anything that offends him or he will give me writer’s block. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and turn on some Nightwish.

Do any writers out there have a Muse? If so, what is he or she like?

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-245x378

A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…

All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in Dark Age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.

http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Friday, June 01, 2012

Long Hair Hottie for June!

My pick for June is actor Jack Huston. This British hottie is the nephew of actress Anjelica Huston. His most recent roles have been on Boardwalk Empire and Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but I found him in a SyFy movie called Outlander where he played Wulfric, a Viking warrior. Click on the slideshow below:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2167848192/nm1658935


Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-189x298
A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in dark age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.
http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Memories of Xena

We lost our female dog on 5/5/12 to Lymphoma. After her diagnosis, Xena went downhill very fast, but like her namesake, Xena: Warrior Princess, she was a fighter to the end.
I usually don’t post about anything other than writing related stuff and my collection of hunky longhaired men, but this seemed appropriate since she was an inspiration to me in many ways. We shared the same medical condition, colitis, but while I complained and felt sorry for myself, she never showed any signs of illness, always happy, enjoying the sun on her face and eager for belly rubs. She also inspired my writing. A white wolf in one of my books is based on her.
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Xena had a special bond with my husband. She shared my husband’s love of peanut butter and music. She was an accomplished singer. When Mike would strum his guitar, she would sit in front of him and sing along to the melody. She also had an awesome wolf howl.
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She loved her stuffed animals and would gather them around her.
At Christmas, she would proudly show off her latest stuffed animal.
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At an outside New Year’s Eve party at my parents’ house, she sampled any plates or drinks that the guests unknowingly placed on the ground by their chairs. She was so stealthy, no one noticed her but me.

When she played with her brother, she would make him do all the work. While he ran around and got tired, she would remain in one spot and lunge at him as he ran by.

I will always remember her playing with White Boy the Chihuahua, chasing him around the coffee table at a high speed at my parents’ house.

She loved belly rubs the most, well maybe after peanut butter.

When she hurt her leg and was walking on three legs for a while, she chased a rabbit on only three legs. Her nickname until her leg healed was Hippity Hop.

Sock wars. Xena and her brother would play in Mike’s pile of freshly washed white socks on the bed.

My husband would leave the bathroom door cracked open a little in the morning and she would burst in on him, eager for the treats he would give her later.

While sitting in his recliner eating something with peanut butter, Mike would see an eye staring at him from the corner of the footrest. It was Xena, hoping for a lick of peanut butter.

Xena was strong to the very end and we will never forget her. RIP, beautiful girl.
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1998-2012

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Long Hair Hottie for May!

My pick for May is an actor named Michael Graziadei. I found him on the CW’s The Secret Circle where he plays a bad boy who likes to play with voodoo, but he is best known for his role as Daniel Romalotti on the daytime drama The Young and the Restless. This hot American actor also plays guitar and writes music.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPl9pQxQQx0AQbqJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dthe%2Bsecret%2Bcircle%252C%2BMichael%2BGraziadei%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D13&w=258&h=387&imgurl=images.wikia.com%2Fsecretcircle%2Fimages%2F2%2F2b%2FCallum2.png&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsecretcircle.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FCallum&size=176.1+KB&name=Callum+-+The+Secret+Circle+Wiki&p=the+secret+circle%2C+Michael+Graziadei&oid=9a0f284fc02f577ef065db0b9bd90afb&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Callum%2B-%2BThe%2BSecret%2BCircle%2BWiki&b=0&ni=48&no=13&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=119l6877a&sigb=143nhlng1&sigi=11l8u3qce&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn



http://secretcircle.wikia.com/wiki/Callum


Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-189x298
A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in dark age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.
http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Writer’s Curse

This is something that continues to confound me and I know I’m not the only one. What I’m talking about is not being able to ‘see’ my own mistakes in my writing. Even after rounds of self-editing, I still miss some things like dangling modifiers or those pesky body parts that insist on taking action. Or the ‘ing’ words that keep popping up despite my best efforts to tame them. This became more apparent to me while working on edits for a manuscript that was contracted four years ago and is about to be published. Eek. I’d like to think that my self-editing skills have improved in that time, and they have, but it was a real eye-opener and made me appreciate my editor so much more.

The really weird part for me is that I can easily spot these things and other editing fixes in other writer’s work, but I’m blind to them in my own writing. This is what I call the writer’s curse. It’s possible that over time we writers can train our eyes to better spot errors, but I think that it is always best to have someone else take a look at our writing. This is why it’s important to have a critique partner and if you self-publish, an editor.

One thing is for sure. As long as writers are plagued by this curse—editors will never be without work.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-189x298
A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in dark age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.
http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Long Hair Hottie for April!

My pick for April is hunky Dustin Clare. This Australian actor is best known for his starring role as Gannicus in the Starz mini-series Spartacu: Gods of the Arena. Of Scottish and Irish blood, he is the image of a fiercely handsome Celt. Who knew gladiators could be so hot? I want one.

http://www.starz.com/originals/spartacus/cast/Gannicus/DustinClare/Pages/DustinClare.aspx

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPespgxQJD0AAk2JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dspartacus%2Bblood%2Band%2Bsand%252C%2Bdustin%2Bclare%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D5&w=640&h=427&imgurl=www.hotpage.ro%2Fimagini%2F2011%2Fianuarie%2Fspartacus%2Fspartacus-gods-of-the-arena-2011-08.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftv-bloggen.bloggo.nu%2FDustin-Clare-till-Spartacus-sasong-2%2F&size=45.5+KB&name=Dustin+Clare+till+Spartacus%3A+Blood+and+Sand+s%C3%A4song+2+-+Tv+-+bloggen&p=spartacus+blood+and+sand%2C+dustin+clare&oid=44e80ac050cc7e12bf96039368d28d72&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Dustin%2BClare%2Btill%2BSpartacus%253A%2BBlood%2Band%2BSand%2Bs%25C3%25A4song%2B2%2B-%2BTv%2B-%2Bbloggen&b=0&ni=48&no=5&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=121ui5npr&sigb=144jde677&sigi=12men2u9h&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn



Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-245x378
A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in dark age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.

Thursday, March 01, 2012

Long Hair Hottie for March!

My pick for March is a New Zealand hunk. It’s no wonder this actor is a hottie—his mother was an Australian bikini model. Manu Bennett once played Marc Antony on Xena: Warrior Princess. His latest series is Spartacus: Blood and Sand, in which he appeared in full frontal nudity.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkIZNpwxQAHgAxgyJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dspartacus%2Bblood%2Band%2Bsand%252C%2Bmanu%2Bbennett%2Bwith%2Blong%2Bhair%26n%3D30%26ei%3Dutf-8%26y%3DSearch%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D25&w=413&h=600&imgurl=karapuca.com.br%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimage-import%2F_LqjTcwHZ1O0%2FTNPZIbKZuiI%2Fcrixus-spartacus-gods-of-the-arena-i2.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fkarapuca.com.br%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimage-import%2F_LqjTcwHZ1O0%2FTNPZIbKZuiI%2Fcrixus-spartacus-gods-of-the-arena&size=92.3+KB&name=Crixus+Spartacus+Gods+Of+The+Arena&p=spartacus+blood+and+sand%2C+manu+bennett+with+long+hair&oid=0b45a2fcce67f3c3ab3c712cc3e45159&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Crixus%2BSpartacus%2BGods%2BOf%2BThe%2BArena&b=0&ni=48&no=25&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=13ibeafrs&sigb=14qnt93vd&sigi=13ippcceo&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn


Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-245x378
A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in dark age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Book lengths—short or long?

I grew up reading books that were long—at least 500 pages. Stephen King’s books were double that length. I loved to make my book last at least a week or more. Finishing a book in a day or two disappointed me because the experience of that fictional world had ended. But that was then and things have changed.

With the rise of ebooks, I’ve noticed that readers prefer shorter novels or short stories to the long novels I grew up reading. I don’t think this is only because of ebooks, but also because of the competition for time with other forms of media like numerous television programs, video games and social media sites. I’m an avid reader and find it difficult to make time to read.

This has me thinking about my future book projects. I’m working on a new book and I’m trying to decide if I should keep it at about 60,000 words or keep going to 100,000 words. If I keep the story as a short novel, then it probably won’t be released in print due to the shorter length. I have to decide if I’m satisfied with having the story only in ebook formats. I also need to decide if the story is complete at 60,000 words without sacrificing the story quality just so I can keep it short. Staying true to my story is always my main goal.

With that being said, I would still like to know if readers like longer novels or is this the era of the short novel?

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverAS_HeckartKelley_BeltainesSong_EB_FinalAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-245x378
A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…
All three books of my Dark Goddess trilogy are available in Print and Ebook. Set in dark age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.
http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Long Hair Hottie for February!

My pick for February is actor Anson Mount. He has been around, but hasn’t been in the spot light until now. This southern hunk from a small town in Tennessee currently stars in the AMC show Hell on Wheels as an ex-Confederate soldier looking for revenge for the rape and murder of his wife. Ladies, he makes one hot cowboy.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkK7XpwxQEngAzc6JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dhell%2Bon%2Bwheels%252C%2Banson%2Bmount%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=352&h=487&imgurl=collider.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FHell-on-Wheels-02-Anson-Mount.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcollider.com%2Fanson-mount-hell-on-wheels-interview%2F125337%2F&size=46.1+KB&name=Anson+Mount+HELL+ON+WHEELS+Interview&p=hell+on+wheels%2C+anson+mount&oid=c8f0c7db2a75e9a5043ab3f8126adfb5&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Anson%2BMount%2BHELL%2BON%2BWHEELS%2BInterview&b=0&ni=21&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=120lkmimg&sigb=13p735m15&sigi=1219a1s3u&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
http://blogs.amctv.com/hell-on-wheels/2011/11/anson-mount-interview.php


Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Winners of the Friday the 13th Blog Hop

I want to thank everyone who participated in our Friday the 13th Blog Hop, all the authors and readers. I especially want to thank author Susan Claridge for putting the blog hop together and making it such a success. We had 201 entrants to win the Kindle e-reader.

Here are the winners:

The winner of the Kindle e-reader is Michelle Bledsoe.

The winner of the PDF copy of my historical fantasy romance, Cat's Curse, is Savannah.


Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly



Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday the 13th Blog Hop! Writing romance—Creating sexual tension

Keep reading until you get to the links to your next blog hop stop.

Most people like sexual tension, the sparks that fly when meeting that special person for the first time. For romance readers, sexual tension between the hero and heroine is necessary for an enjoyable reading experience.

As a romance writer, I have a duty to create sexual tension between my characters. It sounds easy enough, but writing those scenes can be tricky. How much is too much time to wait before the hero and heroine actually sleep together? Before erotic romance, this used to be easier to work with—usually they didn’t sleep together until almost toward the end of the book. Now a lot of romance readers expect sex to happen sooner and they want hotter sex scenes.
  
Another issue is moving the story along and having the two main characters start to fall in love much sooner than people normally would in real life. Unless, of course, you are Kim Kardashian. I had to throw that in. Dragging the story on to fit reality will bore the reader. Romance readers want romance and they don’t want to wait half the book to find it. 
So, what is a romance writer to do? It’s not rocket science—I go with my gut feeling and stay true to my characters and plot. If my characters are the type to jump into bed together, then I go for it. Sometimes it feels right to have them sleep together within the first few pages, but then pull them apart by having something get in the way of their relationship. I am working on one story with a virgin heroine. There are reasons why she can’t lose her virginity until the end of the book. To make up for it, I need to have that sexual tension and at least have them kiss to give the readers something to look forward to.
One of my favorite ways to show sexual tension is to have witty banter between the hero and heroine. I like to create heroines that have a sharp tongue. Gee, I wonder where I got that idea? My husband is familiar with my sharp tongue. Anger turns into passion and well, passion turns into love. It happens all the time, especially in romance novels. Ah, if it could only be as perfect in real life. We can only dream. And I can only do my best to create that sexual tension in my books that romance readers crave. 
************ 
Welcome to the Friday the 13th Blog Hop. For a chance to win a Kindle e-reader, please follow the links to all the author blogs to the end where you will fill out an official entry form.
I am giving away a PDF copy of Cat’s Curse, a historical fantasy romance. It’s the first book in my Dark Goddess trilogy.
Available in Print and Ebook
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print cover
http://kelleyheckart.com/cats_curse.html
Cat's Curse, Book One: Dark Goddess Trilogy, Celtic historical romance/fantasy
Enter Dark Age Scotland—a mysterious, dangerous & exciting place…
Blurb: Cardea is cursed to live an eternity as a blood drinker. Aedan mac Gabrain, prince of Dal Riata, trusts no one after suffering a curse that keeps him from touching any females. Can two tortured souls find love while battling a dark goddess determined to destroy them?

Good luck!

Here is your next blog hop stop             
Click on the link below or on the graphic:
www.harveyle.blogspot.com (Lauren Harvey)
BlogHopNextStopComputer

Please note: In case the link to the entry form doesn't work on the next blog, here it is:
Prize Entry Form: www.authorsrclaridge.com/bloghopprizeentry.htm
BlogHopKindleEntryForm


Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Long Hair Hottie for January!

To start off the New Year, I picked a young guy for all the younger ladies out there. This young hottie is a rising star. Thomas McDonell is best known for his role in The Forbidden Kingdom and is starring in Disney's Prom. He is also set to play a young Barnabas Collins (a younger version of Johnny Depp who stars as the moody vampire) in the remake of Dark Shadows due out in 2012. I can't wait to see that movie. This hunky guy is certainly an actor to watch for in the near future.

Kelley Heckart

'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'

http://www.kelleyheckart.com/

Monday, December 26, 2011

New Year's Blog Hop

I hope you have a great time during the hop. Book mark sites you want to return to, then head out to enter on all the other hops so you get your contest entries in on all the blogs! Good luck everyone!
PRIZE:   One winner - PDF file of my new short fantasy romance titled The Enchanted Meadow!
MY Contest Rules: 3 things to do:
Leave a comment
Include your email addy (santa.claus at yahoo dot com)
You're done!
Nothing difficult and not a bunch of hoops to jump through. (I don't like it when I have to visit other sites to enter a contest either!) Leave your comment here then begin the hop! Leave my window open, right click on the next blog and open in a new tab. Close that window after you've finished their contest requirements, come back here and right click the next blog.
http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=119669




Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
   Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
   http://www.kelleyheckart.com

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Out of touch with modern times

A question I often ask myself is why do I prefer to write historical novels over contemporary ones? Most of the popular books are contemporary so I could probably make more money writing in modern settings. It also seems like it would be easier to write a story in a contemporary setting rather than having to research a historical time period. For most writers that’s probably true, but for me with the weird brain it seems more natural for me to write historical novels.
I can relate to certain time periods—from ancient to about the ninth century. I have a special fascination for Dark Age Scotland and Britain. I think it’s because that was a mysterious time in history. Most people think ‘Dark Age’ means that everything turned into chaos and that people were complete savages. Well, some of that may be true, but the true reason the term ‘Dark Age’ is used is because it was a time when nothing was put in writing or at least no written texts have been found during that time period.

Historians and scholars can speculate what happened and piece together some of the information through archaeology, but the truth is we don’t know what happened. That is a great opportunity for a writer to use his/her imagination.

For me it’s easier to research an earlier time period than it is to try and write a novel set in modern times with all the changing technology. All the technology confuses me for some reason. I can’t relate to texting all the time. I have the cheapest, text unfriendly cell phone and rarely send a text. In a romance novel the hero and heroine need to connect. To me that means that they need to actually talk to each other and spend time together. Modern technology pulls people apart, at least in my mind. What better way to connect to a lover than to sit by a fire and gaze into each other’s eyes?
I’ve come to the conclusion that my body is here in the modern world, but my brain is stuck back in time.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_Cat's Curse_EB_Final_print coverBeltainesSongAS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-245x378
http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html
the enchanted meadow book cover_final
http://kelleyheckart.com/TheEnchantedMeadow.html

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Long Hair Hottie for December!

This Native American Texan, Christian Kane, is an actor and a singer/songwriter. I remember him as the evil lawyer Lindsey in Angel. Now he is kicking butt and making the ladies swoon on TNT's popular show Leverage.

http://www.tntdrama.com/series/leverage/display/?contentId=43179

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkCAcqQxQajUADMyJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dchristian%2Bkane%2Bleverage%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D27&w=400&h=550&imgurl=www.whedonsworld.co.uk%2Fpix%2Finterviews%2F2010%2Fdecember%2Fchristian01.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whedonsworld.co.uk%2Finterviews%2Fangel%2Fguest%2Fseason1%2F2010%2Fchristian%2Fusaweekend.html&size=10.2+KB&name=Christian+Kane+rocks+on+%26%2339%3BLeverage%26%2339%3B+and+on+new+country+album.&p=christian+kane+leverage&oid=062bcfce394fe4d9ef6fb4396c20d16d&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Christian%2BKane%2Brocks%2Bon%2B%2526%252339%253BLeverage%2526%252339%253B%2Band%2Bon%2Bnew%2Bcountry%2Balbum.&b=0&ni=42&no=27&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12rbbs66p&sigb=13k9tccc3&sigi=1231mmggc&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn

Kelley Heckart

'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'

http://www.kelleyheckart.com/

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Romance—Writing those dreaded sex scenes

I must be weird because I write romance, but I dread having to write sex scenes. I’m not a prude. The time I spent in an all girl hard rock band taught me more than I needed to know about, well, sexually related stuff and made it all seem so normal. I think what I dislike about writing sex scenes is I want to avoid making them too stiff (no, I didn’t mean this as a pun) or too laughable (as in purple prose). No matter what I end up writing in the sex scenes, I can’t read them without giggling.
So, what is the best way to write a sex scene? I try to bring the characters’ personalities into the bedroom scenes and sometimes humor. Real life sex isn’t always perfect so I want to add that bit of realism, but not too much realism that it will turn a romance reader off. The key to a good romance is to have some fantasy for the reader to enjoy because that’s why people read romances—to escape reality.

By revealing a character’s personality in a sex scene, a writer can show how a character would act or react. For example, a Pict king in my Dark Goddess trilogy is shown enjoying being bitten by my blood drinker heroine, which reveals his wild side. For some humor, I have an ongoing joke with my hero and heroine in my Dark Goddess trilogy—their enthusiasm in the bedchamber breaks many beds.
My biggest challenge is naming all those pesky body parts without sounding too graphic (who knew that cock was a vulgar term for a penis?) or too flowery (her ‘rose petals of love’ won’t do). I also have to keep my terms relevant to the time period I am writing so I can’t use modern slang.

I don’t want all of my sex scenes to sound the same either. Too much caressing, stroking, entwining, writhing and thrusting can get tedious. A change in scenery can help break up the monotony. Or some honey instead of whipped cream. That just gave me an idea. Maybe this isn’t as hard as I thought. All I needed to do was to experiment a bit. Smile

Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-245x378
Three different women, one ancient curse…
http://kelleyheckart.com/winters_requiem.html

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Long Hair Hottie for November!

This Hawaiian native, Jason Momoa, is an actor who is probably best known for playing the character of Ronon Dex in the TV series Stargate Atlantis. He has been cast to play the lead in the 2011 remake of Conan the Barbarian. Wow, if this is what a barbarian looks like, bring him on.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJke2rqQxQqycABICJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dconan%2Bthe%2Bbarbarian%252C%2Bjason%2Bmomoa%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=864&h=576&imgurl=0.tqn.com%2Fd%2Fmovies%2F1%2F0%2Fh%2FC%2FX%2Fconan-barbarian-jason-momoa-photo.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmovies.about.com%2Fod%2Fconanthebarbarian%2Fig%2FConan-the-Barbarian-Photos%2FJason-Momoa-Photo.htm&size=162.4+KB&name=Jason+Momoa+photo+from+Conan+the+Barbarian&p=conan+the+barbarian%2C+jason+momoa&oid=18171643a45844dad8e3a6b31e2be7c5&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Jason%2BMomoa%2Bphoto%2Bfrom%2BConan%2Bthe%2BBarbarian&b=0&ni=48&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=1300ot84j&sigb=13uqc5kmd&sigi=122ot1sjm&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn
Kelley Heckart

'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'

http://www.kelleyheckart.com/

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Writing fiction—don’t forget the Goal, Motivation and Conflict

The GMC or Goal, Motivation and Conflict are the most important ingredients in storytelling and somehow I started a story and forgot all about the GMC. I had my basic idea and characters, but when I started working on the story, I forgot to pin down the three main points. It didn’t take me long to realize that my story had no where to go because my characters had no specific desires or wanted to gain anything and nothing was holding them back. No GMC = no story.

First, the goal is the one thing the main characters want. The goal needs to be something that they want so badly they will do anything to get to that goal. The goal should be important enough for characters to act against.
The motivation is why the characters want what they want—the drive and back-story. Anything is possible for a character as long as the writer explains why to give the reader enough motivation to give the story credibility. The writer needs to know their characters well so that the actions stay in character and are justified and clear to readers. When a character wants something bad enough, the reader will too.
The last piece is conflict—why the characters can’t get what they want, the trouble, tension and roadblocks that are preventing the characters from achieving their goals. Conflict drives the plot and motivates the characters. There are two types of conflict—external and internal. External conflict can be a person, an intolerable situation or an act of God. Internal conflict is inner struggles within the characters.
I find it helpful to have character charts for my main characters. Here is an example of a character chart that I use to help me get to know my characters so I can define their goals, motivation and conflict:
Character Name:
Sun Sign:
Race:
Age:
Height:
Hair Color:
Eye Color:
Skin Color:
Weapons:
Religion or Beliefs:
Dilemma:
Goal:
Motivation:
Conflict:
His secret:
What would destroy him:
What would help him survive and be better:
Bad Trait:
Good Trait:

Happy Writing!

Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-245x378
Three different women, one ancient curse…
http://kelleyheckart.com/winters_requiem.html

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Long Hair Hottie for October!

This Australian hottie, Chris Hemsworth, plays the lead in the soon to be released movie, Thor. I don't even need to post pics because the name Thor conjures up the image of a tall, muscular man with long blond hair. But here are the pics anyway. Enjoy, ladies. I will be seeing this movie for sure.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPc0qgxQJD0AJ3aJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dchris%2Bhemsworth%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D21&w=1600&h=1200&imgurl=static.go4celebrity.com%2Fwallpapers%2FChris-Hemsworth%2FChris-Hemsworth-004.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.go4celebrity.com%2Fchris-hemsworth.htm&size=583.5+KB&name=Chris+Hemsworth+%281600x1200%29&p=chris+hemsworth&oid=286efefd8f8410a23959d77394356018&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Chris%2BHemsworth%2B%25281600x1200%2529&b=0&ni=48&no=21&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11ftsn96d&sigb=13cremqk1&sigi=12a5fcjqq&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn

http://www.chris-hemsworth.net/gallery/
Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Hanging on to Faith

Faith is something you can’t see or feel. Faith is something that only applies to humans, it's something we all need in order to survive. Or to keep us sane.

I’ve scoffed at faith many times. I’m not a religious person. I’m more spiritual so I don’t belong to a church of any kind. I always thought it silly when I heard someone say they had faith that God would provide. Isn’t it our obligation to make things happen for ourselves? But I’ve also had respect for faith claimers when something remarkable happens to me like the pieces of a puzzle coming together at just the right moment when it’s needed. I guess you could even say that things happen for a reason. Maybe that’s the atheist version of faith.

I’ve always associated faith with large religious groups, but I’ve come to realize that anyone can have faith, even those who don’t believe in God. Faith comes in many shapes and sizes. There is faith in oneself, faith in family and friends, faith in the world and faith in a job, hopes or dreams. Faith keeps us going, grasping on to something to help keep us from falling.
I have come close to losing faith in the world, in our government and people in high places that just let everything fall apart. I’ve decided that I just need to keep having faith in myself and my place in the world, and allow things to happen as they happen.

And I’ve learned one important lesson: You can’t control everything and it’s best to let the things you can’t control slip by. Having faith can make this easier.

Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
AS_HeckartKelley_WintersRequiem_EB_Final-189x298
Three different women, one ancient curse…
http://kelleyheckart.com/winters_requiem.html

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Long Hair Hottie for September!

My pick for September even has a sexy, hero-esque name—Eoin Macken. This Irish hunk used to be a model for Abercrombie and Fitch. He came on my radar when he joined the cast of the popular SyFy television show Merlin as Gwaine. He wears leather and chain mail very well. Ladies, I'm sure you will enjoy this month's pick.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPfqqgxQiToA5f2JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DEoin%2BMacken%26fr%3Dfp-yie9%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=497&h=589&imgurl=trialx.com%2Fcuretalk%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F7%2Ffiles%2F2011%2F04%2Fgcelebrities%2FEoin_Macken-1.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftrialx.com%2Fcelebrities%2F2011%2F07%2F29%2Feoin-macken-images%2F&size=181.1+KB&name=Eoin+Macken+Images&p=Eoin+Macken&oid=e700ac6177429f1f0ff6da98379e6f2c&fr2=&fr=fp-yie9&tt=Eoin%2BMacken%2BImages&b=0&ni=42&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11sik5h29&sigb=137qrkmlm&sigi=12nrgietc&.crumb=3.Kx7Au1.rn

Kelley Heckart
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/