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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.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Review of A Spell Takes Root by Keith Hendricks

A Spell Takes Root: An Epic Fantasy (The Tree of Five Worlds)A Spell Takes Root: An Epic Fantasy by Keith Hendricks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great world-building
Too many long descriptions bogged down the beginning for me, but once I got past that, I enjoyed immersing myself in the world the author created filled with adventure and action. I liked passages like this one: “Which is not to say that the goblin woman laughed like a lady, but with a sharp scowl that would have cut the manhood from Khyte if it could.” This story is for fans of unique fantasy worlds.



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Thursday, March 21, 2019

Behold the Dawn book review

Behold the DawnBehold the Dawn by K.M. Weiland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked the whole redemption theme in this story, and it was a well-written tale. It moved a little slow at first, but I didn’t mind that too much. Sometimes, I like to savor a story. All the brutality of war and life in the time of the Crusades came to life in all the senses. I liked the characters. Annan was strong and true to his warrior nature, and Maired wasn’t a wilted flower. I wanted to learn more about what happened in his past at St. Dunstan, and at times I got a bit confused about some of these characters relating to that incident. All in all, this was a really good read and highly recommended.

I received this book for free and voluntarily wrote an honest review.


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Wednesday, February 27, 2019

This werewolf romance is only .99 for a limited time

Awakening the Wolf is only .99 for a limited time. Grab your copy now!

If you like sexy werewolf heroes and thrilling murder mysteries, plus passionate love stories, then don't wait to get your discounted copy.

This is a standalone love story within my Shadow-walkers world.


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 nowhere to go because my characters had no specific desires or wanted to gain anything and nothing was holding them back. No GMC = no story.



Here is something I came up with to help me know my characters and define their goals, motivation, and conflict.

First off, 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 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 to justify and make the reasons for actions clear to readers. When a character wants something bad enough, the reader will, too.

The last piece is conflict, which is 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:

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
Historical fantasy and Paranormal romance
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Shadow-walkers are here

For my latest series, I decided to draw on my past as a rock and roll bassist for inspiration. It turned out by doing that, I was also inspired to start writing music again with my husband.

My Shadow-walkers series is a mix of Supernatural and Rock Star. The twist is that the girls are the wild rock stars, and they command the supernatural men they love.

This is the only life I know. I never grew up worshiping guys in a band. I wasn't a groupie. I was a musician like them. It would be weird for me to write a series based on bad boy rockers. It had to be about the women of rock. The guys in my series are not wimps, though. They can hold their own against the headstrong females of Hecate's Fury.

Kate, Cyn, Jessie, Dina, and Mickey have come to life in the music I am creating and recording with my husband. Their songs can be found here:

If you like strong, wild, talented women and hunky supernatural men, plus a mix of rock and roll, the paranormal, and hot, passionate romance, then grab the first two books in this series. Each book is a standalone love story in the world I've created.

For more information on Shadow-walkers, click here: 



Review of Dirty Like Us by Jaine Diamond

Dirty Like Us (Dirty, #0.5)Dirty Like Us by Jaine Diamond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story about a hunky, cocky, man-whore rock star and the complicated relationship with the woman who just might capture his heart. It didn't have a HEA or HFN ending, but I understand this is part of a larger series, and I believe Maggie and Zane's relationship is just beginning. I really liked Maggie, and despite Zane's sex addiction, he wormed his way in. The story was well-written and engaging. I look forward to reading more in this series. I recommend this if you like sexy rock and roll stories.


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Monday, January 01, 2018

Monday Musings: New Year's tradition around the world

Here are some New Year's traditions from around the world:

Making a lot of noise seems to be popular everywhere. In ancient Thailand, guns were fired to frighten off demons, and China, firecrackers kept away the forces of darkness.

Food is another popular tradition. In the southern U.S., black-eyed peas and pork foretell good fortune. In India and Pakistan, rice promises good fortune. The Swiss drop dollops of whipped cream on the floors, which symbolizes the richness of the coming year.

Drinking alcohol is probably the most popular tradition. Wassail (Good Health) is a favorite punch-like drink in England. In Holland, toasts are made with hot, spiced wine.

Swapping gifts is done in some parts of the world. In Rome, gifts of gilded nuts or coins marks the start of the New Year. Persians exchange eggs, a symbol of fertility. Early Egyptians traded earthenware pots. In Scotland, coal, shortbread, and silverware were given for good luck.

Scotland celebrates Hogmanay. People visit friends and family. The first foot forward to cross the threshold will predict the next year's fortune.

The practice of making New Year's resolutions began with the Babylonians as early as 2600 B.C.

New Year's folklore:
At midnight, kiss the person you want to keep kissing.
If the old year goes out like a lion, the new one will come in like a lamb.

Happy New Year!

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.
“Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words.”
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Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Weird Word Wednesday

entasis
NOUN

Architecture
A slight convex curve in the shaft of a column, introduced to correct the visual illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft.
Example sentences
‘Not only does this polysemy make it an enigmatic signifier, but the computer-perfected entasis makes it a good example of propositional beauty - the central planned skyscraper with elegant double curves shooting to the sky.’
‘The entasis of this skyscraper, like that of a Doric column, leads to a new kind of propositional beauty, one worked out digitally.’
Origin
Mid 17th century: modern Latin, from Greek, from enteinein ‘to stretch or strain’.
Pronunciation
entasis/ˈɛntəsɪs/



Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

Monday, December 25, 2017

Monday Musings: Yule

Yule was and is still celebrated by pagans around the world as the birth of the Sun God. The Holly King "dies" and the Oak King starts his reign at this time when the days grow longer and are filled with light and warmth.

Both gods are honored during this time by bringing an evergreen indoors and decorating it with light and colorful ornaments that represent the abundance of the coming spring like birds, fruit, and flowers, along with those that symbolize rain like icicles. Gift-giving is also an ancient tradition, although in past times these were mostly handmade gifts from the heart.


I think we lose sight of the true meaning of this time because we sit in our heated homes lit with electricity during these shorter, colder days. We also grab our food from the grocery store shelves instead of having to rely on weather conditions to grow our own. It must have been frightening for people who had a lack of scientific knowledge to grasp on to the idea that spring and summer would return, especially when their food stores and fire fuel started to run low. This truly is a magical time when the shorter days start to lengthen and warmth and sunshine returns.

Merry Christmas and Happy Yule.

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.
“Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words.”
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Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Weird Word Wednesday

entamoeba
(US entameba)
NOUN

An amoeba that typically lives harmlessly in the gut, though one kind can cause amoebic dysentery.
Example sentences
Origin
Modern Latin, from Greek entos ‘within’ + amoeba.
Pronunciation

entamoeba/ˌɛntəˈmiːbə/


Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

Monday, December 18, 2017

Monday Musings: Christmas fun facts

To help put you in the holiday spirit, I've collected these Christmas fun facts.

Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25th the official celebration date or the birth of Jesus Christ in AD 350 even though, due to information in the Bible, this probably wasn't really his date of birth.

An English custom called "wassailing" started the tradition of Christmas caroling. The house-visiting "wassail" is when individuals go door-to-door singing carols and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts.

The Bible never specifically mentions that three wise men visited baby Jesus or that they visited him when he was an infant. They may have visited an older Jesus.

Imagery from Clement Clarke Moore's Visit from St. Nicholas may have inspired the modern look for Santa Claus. This poem was initially published anonymously because the author felt the poem was beneath his talents.

Tradition of hanging stockings--the legend goes like this: There was a poor family that wouldn't accept charity so Santa left cold coins in the girls' stocking hanging to dry by the fireplace.


Origin of Christmas trees came from pre-Christian traditions. At the solstice, the ancient Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes, which symbolized the triumph of life over death in honor of the sun god Ra. Ancient Romans marked the solstice with a celebration called Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. They decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. The mysterious druids, priests of the ancient Celts, decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The Viking believed evergreen boughs were the special plant of the sun god, Balder. Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century.

Merry Christmas and Happy Yule!

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.
“Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words.”
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Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Weird Word Wednesday

ensheath
VERB

[WITH OBJECT]
Biology
Enclose (an organism, tissue, structure, etc.) in a sheath.
‘the axons are ensheathed by Schwann cells’
More example sentences
Pronunciation

ensheath/ɪnˈʃiːθ/


Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Monday Musings: Aerre Geola (Early Yule)

Since it's Christmas, I thought I'd share this bit of history on the holiday. Early Yule, Aerre Geola, is the month before the Winter Solstice. The Anglo-Saxons considered the lunar months preceding and following the solstice as Yule. The shorter days made it difficult to do any kind of work, so they used this time to gather and celebrate with family and friends.



The solstice was called Mother's Night and celebrated one's female ancestors. Burning rosemary and calling out female ancestors by name is one way to honor them.

The oldest Yuletide tradition is the burning of the Yule log, usually the largest piece of wood. Many people today don't have a fireplace, so a Yule candle can be substituted. The candle tradition started way back in England in the early nineteenth century. Light the candle at sunset on the night of the solstice. It's customary to keep a small piece of the candle for luck in the coming year.

Merry Christmas, Happy Yule!

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.
“Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words.”
CTR



Wednesday, December 06, 2017

Weird Word Wednesday

enosis
Pronunciation /ɪˈnəʊsɪs//ˈɛnəsɪs/

NOUN

mass noun
The political union of Cyprus and Greece, as an aim or ideal of certain Greeks and Cypriots.
Example sentences
‘The Turks invaded, in 1974, just as the island was edging towards reunion or enosis with Greece.’
Origin
1920s: from modern Greek henōsis, from hena ‘one’.
Pronunciation

enosis/ɪˈnəʊsɪs//ˈɛnəsɪs/


Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Weird Word Wednesday

ennead
NOUN

rare
A group or set of nine.
Example sentences
‘I think that it goes back even further, to the Ennead, the pantheon of nine gods and goddesses in ancient Egypt.’
‘Ennead refers to a grouping of typically 9 gods.’
Origin
Mid 16th century: from Greek enneas, ennead-, from ennea ‘nine’.
Pronunciation

ennead/ˈɛnɪad/


Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Weird Word Wednesday

enlace
VERB

literary
Entwine or entangle.
‘a web of green enlaced the thorn trees’
More example sentences
Origin
Middle English: from Old French enlacier, based on Latin laqueus ‘noose’.
Pronunciation

enlace/ɪnˈleɪs//ɛnˈleɪs/


Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Weird Word Wednesday

enkindle
VERB

literary
1Set on fire.
‘the glare from its enkindled roof illumined its innermost recesses’
2Arouse or inspire (an emotion)
‘fresh remembrance of vexation must still enkindle rage’
Pronunciation

enkindle/ɛnˈkɪnd(ə)l//ɪnˈkɪnd(ə)l/


Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth, magic & romance.