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.
About Me
- Kelley Heckart
- Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies. Oh My!: The Bear Goddess by Kelley Heckart
Friday, February 20, 2015
Favorite Friday: Favorite past TV series
Xena: Warrior Princess
Storyline on IMDb:
Xena,once known as "Destroyer of Nations," tries to redeem herself by fighting for the greater good. On her quest, she meets Gabrielle, a small town bard hungry for adventure. Together they take down some of the worlds most formidable opponents, even the gods!Written by Willie Nelson Crane Jr
Before we had the kick-ass Buffy the Vampire Slayer, we had Xena, one awesome kick-ass heroine. And she wasn’t the typical heroine; she had a dark past and her story is about redemption. Highly recommended. I’m saving my money to get the complete series.
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!
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
Badinage
ba·di·nage
noun \ˌba-də-ˈnäzh\Definition of BADINAGE
: playful repartee : banterExamples of BADINAGE
1. <the sophisticated badinage of the characters in plays by Oscar Wilde>Origin of BADINAGE
FrenchFirst Known Use: circa 1658
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!
Monday, February 16, 2015
Monday Musings: A word about editing
Editors can do some amazing things. They can make your story shine and find the most impossible-to-find errors. But editors are not miracle workers. They can’t possibly catch every single error, especially in just one read through and especially if the manuscript hasn’t gone through more than one stage of editing.
Most writers don’t understand that a manuscript should go through at least 3 editing steps:
1. Line or content edits
2. Copy editing
3. Proofreading
It’s essential for writers to know what they can and can’t accomplish on their own. Some authors can perform one or two of these steps themselves, but having a professional editor, if only to perform copy editing, is important to have another set of eyes look over your story. If hiring a professional is the best way to complete all the edits, a different editor should perform each of these steps in order to have a fresh look at your manuscript. Most important: you can’t expect to skip steps 1 & 2 and have a proofreader catch all the errors. It’s impossible.
Another issue is that most of the grammar rules are ambiguous and decided based on perception. What one editor perceives to be an error, another one does not. Also, fiction writing is different from formal writing. Rules are more relaxed in a fiction story because creative writing is based on author and character voice/style. You can get away with having some incomplete sentences in a work of fiction to add impact to the story world, but not in a business letter or term paper. Picking a fiction editor for your book is important. Otherwise, an editor trained only in formal writing will suck the life right out of your story.
From my personal experience working with editors, great ones and not so great, I can say that they don’t catch every mistake. Even the best ones can’t catch everything. And I don’t blame them for that. Ultimately, it is up to the author to make sure his or her manuscript is error free.
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!
Friday, February 13, 2015
Favorite Friday: Favorite past TV show
Highlander
Storyline description on IMDb:
Taken from the film, Highlander, Duncan MacLeod, clansman of Connor in the film also finds he is being stalked by not only other immortals trying to kill him before the time of the gathering, but also a secret society of mortals who call themselves 'The Watchers' and also seem intent on killing him but "The Watchers" observe and record and never interfere. Duncan and the other immortals can only be killed by decapitation and often live for centuries. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
I love this show and have the complete series DVD set. Strangely, my husband turned me on to this show because he knew I would like it. And he was right. Duncan MacLeod is the type of hero I love. He’s not an alpha male, he has morals and he respects women. A lot of the episodes deal with moral issues like: when is it okay to kill someone? It’s this kind of depth that drew me in. But hunky, long-haired Adrian Paul also kept my attention. Another thing I loved about this series was a lot of the guest stars were rock stars like Roger Daltrey and Joan Jett. Mr. Daltrey played an immortal friend of MacCleod and some of the funniest and saddest episodes involved his character. The awesome Ms. Jett played a bad-ass immortal that challenged MacLeod. Highly recommended for fantasy fans, especially if you like hot immortal Scottish heroes with long swords.
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!
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
Babushka
ba·bush·ka
noun \bə-ˈbüsh-kə, -ˈbu̇sh-, ba-\
Definition of BABUSHKA
1
a : a usually triangularly folded kerchief for the head
b : a head covering (as a scarf) resembling a babushka
2
: an elderly Russian woman
See babushka defined for kids »
Examples of BABUSHKA
1. <an elderly Russian woman with a babushka>
Illustration of BABUSHKA
Origin of BABUSHKA
Russian, grandmother, diminutive of baba old woman
First Known Use: 1938
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!
Monday, February 09, 2015
Monday Musings: Snow in Lake Havasu, AZ and using weather in fiction
We had snow in Lake Havasu, AZ for the first time in 30 years on New Year’s Eve. It was awesome for me. I haven’t been in snow in years. I ran around filled with excitement taking pictures. From an artistic point of view, it was beautiful, but I guess if you have to drive in it, it’s not much fun.
Just about everyone in my desert city posted about the snowfall that was only about an inch or two. My Midwest and East Coast family and friends made fun of us for sure.
But it made me think of how I use weird weather patterns in some of my stories to add some drama to an otherwise drab scene or to force characters together. I’ve had an unusual, early season blizzard that portended a change brought on by an ancient curse in Winter’s Requiem, the third book in my Dark Goddess trilogy. In Beltaine’s Song, the second book in this trilogy, I had a sudden, dramatic thunderstorm that made everyone run for cover and brought characters together that wouldn’t normally be with each other. This technique worked to move the plot forward and add some twists. And in Daughter of Night, a sudden storm brings my hero and heroine together in the stables where they share a tender moment. The was the defining moment that brought them together. I used storms in Of Water and Dragons and Ravenwolf to make the mood dark and frightening.
To all the other writers out there: Have you used weather as a writing tool?
Readers: Is there a favorite weather scene in a book you read?
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!
Friday, February 06, 2015
Favorite Friday: Favorite cable TV series
Homeland
Product Description
Hailed as TV's best new drama by critics everywhere, the award-winning HOMELAND* delivers compelling characters, thrilling twists and breathtaking suspense. Carrie Mathison (Golden Glober winner Claire Danes), a brilliant but volatile CIA agent, suspects that a rescued American POW may not be what he seems. Is Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) a war hero...or an Al Qaeda sleeper agent plotting a spectacular terrorist attack on U.S. soil? Following her instincts, Mathison will risk everything to uncover the truth - her reputation, her career and even her sanity. Packed with multiple layers and hidden clues, Season One offers something new every time you see it...watch carefully.
I’m watching this with my husband. There are few shows we watch together because he doesn’t care for my fantasy shows with vampires, etc., but both of us like Homeland. One word to describe this series is “intense.” It’s fast-paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. 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
New Release!
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
BABIRUSA
bab·i·ru·sa
noun \ˌba-bə-ˈrü-sə, ˌbä-\
Definition of BABIRUSA
: a large wild swine (Babyrousa babyrussa) of Indonesia
Origin of BABIRUSA
Malay, from babi pig + rusa deer
First Known Use: 1673
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 02, 2015
Monday Musings: Moon pics #6
I happened to catch this jet stream streaking beneath the moon.
A ghost of a moon.
A sliver moon in a sea of blue.
Bright moon sliver among the wispy clouds.
The dark side of the moon is faintly outlined against a twilight sky.
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!
Friday, January 30, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite book
Favorite book: Night Calls by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
Book description:
"When you have the Gift, your life is not your own."
I was born to a family that harnessed the winds and could read futures in fire and water. Yet my mother kept her secrets.
Then the werewolf came, sharing his madness.
Now it's my turn to keep secrets....
Descended from powerful magic-users, but ignorant of her heritage, young Alfreda Sorensson learns magic and wisdom from her extended family in an alternate early 1800s Michigan Territory.
This is Little House on the Prairie with werewolves, vampires, witches and magic. Alfreda is born into a family with special powers and lots of secrets.
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!
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
BABESIA
ba·be·sia
noun \bə-ˈbē-zh(ē-)ə\
Definition of BABESIA
: any of a genus (Babesia) of sporozoans parasitic in mammalian red blood cells (as in Texas fever) and transmitted by the bite of a tick —called also piroplasm
Origin of BABESIA
New Latin, from Victor Babeş †1926 Roman bacteriologist
First Known Use: 1911
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Monday, January 26, 2015
Monday Musings: Overview of Spartacus—Character studies
I just finished watching the final Spartacus series. One thing that struck me was how many coldhearted characters were on each side, but I think the Romans scored more in this department, starting with the House of Batiatus and ending with Marcus Crassus.
If only Spartacus had been able to forgive for what happened to his wife then maybe he could have escaped and lived out his life. I have to wonder if this lack of forgiveness has something to do with serving gods that don’t preach forgiveness. But despite this, Spartacus, a slave and a murderer, ended up having the kindest heart in my opinion. He gave his life so that other slaves could escape to freedom.
I was surprised that the two remaining warriors from Spartacus’s army were the two gay lovers. But after thinking it over, I realized their love was the truest of them all. Spartacus couldn’t find love after losing his first wife; Gannicus couldn’t find peace after losing Melita who really belonged to his best friend; Crixus couldn’t be satisfied unless he was avenging what happened to his love and she(Naevia) couldn’t rest until all the Romans were dead.
The one that bothered me the most was the coldhearted Marcus Crassus and the way he treated his slave, a slave I thought he loved but then realized she was only a possession to him. But to crucify her—that beat all the rest. Even though she did join the rebellion for a time, it was for a good reason. And yeah, she killed his son, but his son brutally raped her. He couldn’t forgive her? No. He could only see in black and white.
With so much treachery going on, it’s hard to find a kind-hearted character in this bunch. Even the ones who started out as innocent ended up with ice around their hearts. And despite all of this, I couldn’t hate any of these characters because they were so complex in their cruelty. We should hate them but instead we are drawn to them and even feel sorry for them in a way. That’s great writing.
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Friday, January 23, 2015
kboards: Book Discovery! (Friday Jan 23)
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite movie
Favorite movie: Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time
A young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time. I really enjoyed the banter between Jake Gyllenhaal’s character ( the prince) and the princess who resents his people for destroying her temple. The mix of magic and some time travel drew me in to the story.
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!
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Weird Word Wednesday
BABA GHANOUSH
ba·ba gha·noush
noun \ˌbä-bə-gə-ˈnüsh\
Definition of BABA GHANOUSH
: an appetizer or spread made chiefly of eggplant, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon
Variants of BABA GHANOUSH
ba·ba gha·noush or baba gha·nouj
Origin of BABA GHANOUSH
Arabic dialect bābaghanūj
First Known Use: 1977
Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author
Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly
http://www.kelleyheckart.com
http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies. Oh My!: Kelley Heckart's THE BEAR GODDESS Spotlight, Guest...
Monday, January 19, 2015
Monday Musings: Thoughts on The Red Tent mini-series
This post came about because I read a scornful review by Neal Justin about The Red Tent, a Lifetime mini-series based on a novel by Anita Diamant about Jacob’s (from the Bible) only daughter. What really struck me is why was a man reviewing this obviously female-oriented series in the first place? How can a man possibly understand what female’s have to endure? Well, it was quite obvious that this man had no clue.
The Rent Tent is about Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob. She is only given one line of mention in the Bible. No surprise there. The female’s of Jacob’s tribe, his many wives and their daughters, meet in the red tent during their monthly bleeding and when someone is giving birth, which happened quite often then. The red tent is more than just a place where “its club members gossip like desperate housewives.” But I wouldn’t expect a man to understand. It’s a place where women can bond and share stories handed down from their mothers, where they can go for comfort in dealing with what women had to endure in a time when life was difficult for females, when they were treated like livestock, when they were nothing but a piece of property.
Another quote from the review that bothered me is: “No matter how much you try to beef up the role of the Genesis gals their stories have a hard time living up to the trials and tribulations of Jacob and his favorite son, Joseph.” Really? Is this guy serious? I’d like to see him try to give birth without modern medicine (most women died giving birth in that time period) or be treated like property by a father and then by a husband, to live in constant fear of being sold into slavery or to an abusive husband, of having no control over his destiny. Or how would he like to live in constant fear of being killed for not pleasing a father or husband and have the killers go unpunished because that was the law—women had no rights. Zero rights. How is that for trials and tribulations?
I did agree with one of his comments in the review, which was “It’s a fairly safe bet to say “The Red Tent” won’t be screened at Sunday schools.” Yeah, and you know why? Because no one wants to point out the reality of life as a woman in Biblical times: women weren’t just treated like livestock, they were treated much worse, and this mistreatment came at the hands of the men who are the heroes of the Bible and who the male reviewer places on a pedestal. I applaud author Anita Diamant, for giving a voice to these beautiful, courageous women who are barely mentioned in the Bible. They deserve much more than that.
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!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Fifty Authors from Fifty States: Kelley Heckart’s Arizona Desert Home
Friday, January 16, 2015
Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite dog breed
Favorite dog breed: Chihuahua
I don’t know why but I love the smaller dogs. I think because they are easier for me to take care of and they can sit on my lap when I work. Chihuahuas are really cool dogs. Ours is a trickster. That’s how he earned his name: Loki.
He waits patiently for me to finish taking my sunset and/or moon pics
He loves to lay in my husband’s lap. It’s so cute. LOL
Our family Christmas pic for 2014.
Christmas morning 2014. He likes his new toy—a frog.
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!