Weird Word Wednesday

Aepyornis

ae·py·or·nis

noun \ˌē-pē-ˈȯr-nəs\

Definition of AEPYORNIS

: elephant bird

Origin of AEPYORNIS

New Latin, genus name, from Greek aipys high + ornis bird — more at erne
First Known Use: 1851

aepyornis

 noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of a group of giant flightless birds in the extinct genusAepyornis, found as fossils in Pleistocene and post-Pleistocene deposits on Madagascar. Most were massively constructed (some stood more than 10 ft, or 3 m, high) and had a small skull and a long slim neck. Remains of aepyornis and its eggs (as large as 3 ft, or 1 m, in circumference) are common. Its ancestry is uncertain.

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

Musing Mondays: Moon shots

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Favorite Friday

One of my favorite books is Interview with the Vampire by Ann Rice, which was published in 1993. She created the erotic, sexy vampire well before the sparkly vampires of Twilight. Feel compassion for Louis, the tormented vampire or laugh and fall in love with the capricious Lestat as the author takes you from 1700’s New Orleans to the streets of Paris and then to modern San Francisco. Ms. Rice is a master at re-creating historical settings and what would later become the “sexy” vampire. Highly recommended to fans of vampire romances. The movie was also really good with Tom Cruise and a very sexy, long-haired Brad Pitt.

 

 

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

Tabby's Nocturnal Nights: My biggest frustration as a writer

Tabby's Nocturnal Nights: My biggest frustration as a writer: I think everyone gets frustrated at some point with himself or herself. I’m feeling that way now. After writing and publishing seven books, ...

Weird Word Wednesday

AESTHETE

aes·thete

noun \ˈes-ˌthēt, British usually ˈēs-\

: a person who recognizes and values beauty in art, music, etc.

Full Definition of AESTHETE

:  one having or affecting sensitivity to the beautiful especially in art

See aesthete defined for English-language learners »

Variants of AESTHETE

aes·thete also es·thete

Examples of AESTHETE

1. He regards art critics as a bunch of pretentious aesthetes.

Origin of AESTHETE

back-formation from aesthetic

First Known Use: 1881

 

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

Monday Musings: Arizona sunsets

 

 

 

 

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

Favorite Friday

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Weird Word Wednesday

AEOLIAN

ae·o·lian

adjective \ē-ˈō-lē-ən, ē-ˈōl-yən\

Definition of AEOLIAN

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

First Known Use of AEOLIAN

1595

 

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

Monday Musings: Taking Aim—Archery

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Favorite Friday

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Weird Word Wednesday

AEDILE

ae·dile

noun \ˈē-ˌdī(-ə)l, ˈē-d^əl\

Definition of AEDILE

:  an official in ancient Rome in charge of public works and games, police, and the grain supply

Origin of AEDILE

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Musing Mondays: Spring

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Favorite Friday

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.

 

http://www.juliefain.com/

 

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

Weird Word Wednesday

ADENITIS

ad·e·ni·tis

noun \ˌa-də-ˈnī-təs\

Definition of ADENITIS

:  inflammation of a gland; especially : lymphadenitis

Origin of ADENITIS

New Latin

First Known Use: circa 1848

 

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

Musing Mondays: Excerpt from Daughter of Night, Greek myths, fantasy, PG

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Favorite Friday

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Weird Word Wednesday

ADIABATIC

adi·a·bat·ic

adjective \ˌa-dē-ə-ˈba-tik, ˌā-ˌdī-ə-\

Definition of ADIABATIC

:  occurring without loss or gain of heat <adiabatic expansion of a gas>

— adi·a·bat·i·cal·ly adverb

See adiabatic defined for kids »

Origin of ADIABATIC

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Musing Mondays: My inspiration for writing historical fantasy romance

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

Favorite Friday

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

Weird Word Wednesday

ADULARIA

ad·u·lar·ia

noun \ˌa-jə-ˈler-ē-ə, ˌa-dyə-\

Definition of ADULARIA

:  a transparent or translucent orthoclase

Origin of ADULARIA

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/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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