Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Enter a world of enchantment and passion. I am a Historical fantasy/Paranormal romance author, editor, musician, and artist living in Arizona. My latest series is based on my time as a rock and roll bassist. All five books in my Shadow-walkers series are available now on Amazon: Awakening, Awakening the Wolf, Awakening the Vampire, Awakening the Fae, and Awakening the Dragon. This blog is all about writing and other aspects of my life.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
One of my favorite King Arthur movies is Excalibur made in 1981. This is one of the best depictions of the magical King Arthur legend, and introduces a very young and beautiful Helen Mirren as the sorceress Morgana. Highly recommended for fans of Sir Thomas Mallory’s classic.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
adjective \ē-ˈō-lē-ən, ē-ˈōl-yən\
1
often capitalized : of or relating to Aeolus
2
: giving forth or marked by a moaning or sighing sound or musical tone produced by or as if by the wind
1595
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
I finally found a hobby/sport that I really love doing—archery. My good friend, who is also a fellow writer, introduced me to it. It’s something we can do together at least once a week and it gets us out of the house.
We both like more traditional target archery without scopes and pulleys. Maybe that’s because we are fantasy writers and like medieval archery. We both write female characters that are archers. Now I can connect better with some of my characters.
I find something meditative about shooting at targets because you have to slow down and take your time to sight the target. The range we use is out in the desert with ravines and beautiful views of the mountains. Archery for me is about getting back to being close to nature and doing something outside instead of being cooped up in front of a laptop all day. I love writing, but I was beginning to lose touch with the outside world. I needed something to do outside.
This is the first time in years that I’ve been excited about something and it feels great to have something to look forward to each week.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
One of my favorite shows is Nashville and I’m not a country fan. The show is realistic in its depiction of the music industry in Nashville. And of course there is the personal drama that keeps viewers tuning in each week. But for me, it’s strangely the music that draws me to this show. The songs are just great. There’s no other way to put it.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
noun \ˈē-ˌdī(-ə)l, ˈē-dəl\
: an official in ancient Rome in charge of public works and games, police, and the grain supply
Latin aedilis, from aedes temple — more at edify
First Known Use: 1538
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Spring is my favorite time of year. The weather is nice and cool, not too hot like in summer, or too cold like in winter. Even our fall can be a bit too warm to enjoy. Spring is perfect. Flowers bloom, bees hum, the quail look for places to nest and my lizards return after winter.
Blacktail, one of the lizards that hangs out in my yard each year is in the upper right corner on the piece of wood. I call him Blacktail because he has a long black tail, which of course can’t be seen here. He was trying to get away from me.
Here is a better shot of Blacktail with his long black tail.
A male Quail looking out for danger for his female that is foraging somewhere below on the ground.
A bird in our Palo Verde tree.
Our Palo Verde tree in full bloom.
Another view of our Palo Verde tree with the blue sky in the background.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
One of my favorite fantasy artists is Julia Fain. She makes jewelry, phone covers, laptop covers and more with ethereal images of fairies, mermaids, dragons, unicorns, animals and people.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
noun \ˌa-də-ˈnī-təs\
: inflammation of a gland; especially : lymphadenitis
New Latin
First Known Use: circa 1848
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Excerpt from Daughter of Night:
She waited, cloaked in shadows, until nightfall when the king and his queen slept.
As soon as darkness fell and the palace rang with silence, she emerged from the shadows. A round central hearth fire glowed with warmth, pulsing and flickering across the shadowed room, performing an ancient dance along the floors and painted walls. The king lay in his bed, the fierce warlord looking so vulnerable as he lay sleeping without his armor or weapons. His queen slept next to him instead of in her own quarters in a sign of her devotion. Sighing, she tried to remember what it was like to feel love.
She crept close to his bed, staring down at his sleeping face. Even in sleep, he looked like the mighty warlord that struck fear in his enemies' hearts. His brow wrinkled as if he wrestled with a nightmare. Perhaps he fought a nightmare of the battlefield, which usually struck the minds of warriors. Pressing her hand to his hot forehead, she rid his dreams of nightmares and entered his dreams with promises of victory and power. Removing her hand, she backed away, becoming one with the shadows again.
The king stirred, moaning in his sleep as the nightmares returned.
His queen woke from his stirring and brushed his hair from his forehead. “My love, would that I could remove your nightmares with a gentle stroke,” she whispered.
Watching the tender exchange with a wistful heart, she wondered what to do with the Dactyl’s essence.Which body will I choose to hide it in?
Blurb for Daughter of Night:
Their destiny began in ancient Anatolia.
Becuille is a Daughter of Night and a servant to the Great Goddess, created to wield Her vengeance. Callileon is a prince of the Hatti, who may be the one she was sent to punish.
When love finds them, they are cursed by the gods and surrounded by tragedy, which even the Fates are powerless to change.
Can two mortals fight the will of the gods?
Daughter of Night is available in Print, Kindle, Nook and other ebook formats.
Buy links: http://kelleyheckart.com/daughter_of_night.html
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
One of my favorite book series is the Camulod Chronicles by Jack Whyte. This is one of the best historical King Arthur series I’ve read. The author did a lot of research to be able to bring to life the King Arthur legend. Highly recommended.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
: occurring without loss or gain of heat <adiabatic expansion of a gas>
— adi·a·bat·i·cal·ly adverb
See adiabatic defined for kids »
Greek adiabatos impassable, from a- + diabatos passable, from diabainein to go across, from dia- + bainein to go — more at come
First Known Use: 1859
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
I was kind of a strange kid, especially for a girl. I didn’t dream of being a princess getting rescued by a prince. I wanted to be able to take care of myself. My favorite things weren’t dolls or frilly dresses, but swords and forests filled with supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves and shapeshifting faeries and gods. When I was introduced to myths and characters like Artemis the Huntress, Morrigan the Battle Goddess and the real life, fierce Celtic queen, Boudica, I had found what I was looking for. There are no helpless princesses in this group of females.
My first look into the fascinating world of mythology was in English class when the subject was Greek mythology. I still have my well-worn copy of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology of Greek and Norse myths. I was hooked. Later I became fascinated with the ancient Celts and their myths, most notably King Arthur, the Welsh tales of the Mabinogion and the Irish myths of the Tuatha de Danaan and the Fianna.
My fascination with the ancient Celts has to do with their connection to the faery realm and their mysterious nature—since they were an oral society we really don’t know much about them, but archeological evidence points to a superior society. I like filling in the missing pieces, much like a jigsaw puzzle, and bring to life these long ago, magical places and people that fill our imagination.
All of this inspired me to write historical fantasy. I feel a connection to little known time periods—ancient on up to the Dark Ages, time periods that abound in myth when magic was a real possibility. I can mix my love of the supernatural and mythology with my other love for obscure history and it seems like a natural fit. Otherworldly creatures fit perfectly with time periods that are surrounded in myth and mystery. And when modern life gets too complicated, I look forward to escaping into the places I’ve created.
Kelley’s Links:
Website: http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Blog: http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CelticChick
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
Kelley’s Book Shelf/Buy Links: http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html
I’m sharing a favorite band today.
Nightwish
One of my favorite bands is the Icelandic Metal band Nightwish. I like all of their albums with their operatic female vocals and low, rough male vocals. Most of their songs have lyrics related to certain myths, which I like. This is the perfect music for me to write to. One of my favorite songs is Wish I had an Angel. If you like melodic metal then give this band a listen.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
noun \ˌa-jə-ˈler-ē-ə, ˌa-dyə-\
Definition of ADULARIA
: a transparent or translucent orthoclase
Italian, from French adulaire, from Adula, Swiss mountain group
First Known Use: 1798
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
I’m sharing a favorite TV show today.
Bitten on the SyFy Channel
I look forward to this show each week. Based on a novel series, this paranormal romance show is fun to watch. I like Elena—the main female character and only werewolf among a bunch of males. How fun is that? And boy, some of these male werewolves hot, especially Clay. The only thing that bugs me about this series is Elena is the only female werewolf because supposedly females are too weak to survive the transformation process. WTF? Females are too weak? Females were created to survive the terrible pain of childbirth. I’d like to see any male survive birthing a baby. The premise about females being too weak to survive is stupid, but the idea of female werewolves being rare makes for some good conflict.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
adverb or adjective \ə-ˈdä-j(ē-ˌ)ō, ä-, -zh(ē-ˌ)ō\
: in a slow manner
: at a slow tempo —used chiefly as a direction in music
See adagio defined for English-language learners »
Italian, from ad to + agio ease
First Known Use: 1683
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
I’m sharing a favorite TV show today.
Vikings on the History Channel
I love this show. It is fast-paced and compelling to me. Finally, someone who gets what the Vikings were—family men and women, farmers—normal people. Sure, they invaded England and killed people and stole treasure—some of the Vikings were cold-blooded killers, but most of them were not. My favorite character is the Shield-Maiden Lagertha. She stands up for her beliefs and doesn’t let anyone or any man walk all over her. There is a lot of eye candy for me—muscular men with long hair. One thing I really like about this show is how authentic the settings and people look. They look like they make their clothes out of animal skins. The women wear little or no makeup. Highly recommended.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/