Signs of spring as Beltaine draws near

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. The hummingbirds are visiting my feeder, the quail babies hide in my yard while their parents stand guard. I love spring and the new beginnings it brings. This is the light side of spring, one I would rather embrace.

But there is a dark side. Spring was important to the ancient Celts. Beltaine was a vital time of the year, signaling the end of a long, cold, dark winter. It was also a time tinged with sadness because battles were fought in the spring.

One of my books, Beltaine's Song, is filled with spring themes, including battles fought between the Irish and the Picts in the sixth century of what is now called Scotland. There were women warriors among the fighters. My heroine was one of them. What puts the warrior in the heart of a woman? This is one of the themes I explored in this trilogy.

Among the beauty of spring, there was the ugliness of death.

Excerpt from Beltaine's Song:

The armies clashed below on the peninsula, staining the green earth with bright red blood. Heartrending screams from the dying broke the calm, silencing the seabirds with fear. War is ugly. Is the Christian Hell like this?

Surrounded on all sides by the churlish sea, islands emerged from the mist, brooding in the distance, witnesses to the horrible bloodshed. Fresh sea air swallowed some of the detestable smells of battle, filling her lungs with the scent of briny air, but the faint scent of blood set her pulse racing. With a heavy heart, she thought this battle particularly ugly because blood fought against blood, dividing the clans.

Domelch sensed something foul in the air around Dunadd, treachery lurking in the darkest corners. She thought back to the day she saw her brother riding hard to Dunadd—from the south. She knew Aedan sensed the foulness of treachery for the archers' positioning had been kept secret from all the commanders. If he suspected Galan, he had kept that to himself.

Gathering her archers, they positioned themselves in the hill's crevices, waiting for Aedan's army to lure the enemy their way and give Domelch the signal from the battle horn.

Crouched in a painful position between two rocks, Domelch nocked her arrow and waited. “Fire at my signal,” she ordered her archers.

Quiet, the archers became one with the craggy hill dressed in gray and green tunics, blending into the gray moss-covered hills. The cold, damp stones pressed painfully into Domelch's sides. Keeping her muscles still, she ignored the pain, her mind focused on the battle array below.

Clashing spears and swords against war shields splintered the air, drowning out the sea tides. War cries and yelps of pain mingled with horses' neighs and bursts from battle horns. She waited for the three short bursts of the battle horn, her heart racing with each passing moment as the battle neared their position.

Three short blasts from the ox-horn echoed through the hills, a fearsome sound like the trumpets of the Underworld calling home the dead. Domelch shuddered at the thought. We will send the dead home, she thought. “Loose your arrows,” she commanded, gathering her courage and battle fury.

Kelley Heckart

Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

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

Erinyes—not your average heroines

Deciding to make my heroine in Daughter of Night one of the Greek Erinyes was a bit challenging at first. After all, these terrifying ladies are vengeance goddesses and their only duty is to punish mortal wrongdoers—not your average women. I had to figure out a way to make a female that looks frightening and punishes people into an attractive, likable heroine. With a little magic, I was able to make that happen.

And when I say magic, I mean that Rhea, the Great Goddess, used magic to turn her vengeance goddess into a human.

That seemed like the best way to turn a vengeance goddess into a heroine, considering that the Erinyes, known as Furies in Roman mythology, felt no remorse while enacting justice to mortal sinners. Punishments ranged from tormenting madness to suffering a terrible disease.

According to Hesiod, the Great Goddess, in her aspect as Night, bore these terrifying creatures. “Night bore hateful Doom and dark Fate and Death, she bore Sleep, she bore the Tribe of Dreams...and the Fates she bore, and the mercilessly punishing Furies who prosecute the transgressions of men and gods—never do the goddesses cease from their terrible wrath until they have paid the sinner his due.”

The Greek poets told of the Erinyes pursuing evildoers on Earth, usually as a group of three—Tisiphone, Megaera and Alecto. These Daughters of Night had a frightening appearance with snakes for hair, eyes that wept bloody tears, bronze or bat wings and sharp teeth. The only way to avoid being punished by these ladies was to live a sin-free life. Sounds easy, right? Apparently not for some people that were punished by the Daughters of Night. There is one bright spot—showing remorse can help end the torment.

In my new release, Daughter of Night, Rhea created another Daughter of Night named Becuille. This vengeance goddess had the power to punish mortals, but her main duty was to punish the other gods, the Titans, whenever they disobeyed Rhea. She also served Rhea as a personal guard and became the Great Goddess’s most trusted servant. Rhea uses magic to make Becuille human and sends her to find the Titan that betrayed her and hiding in a foreign land. Even though Rhea trusts Becuille, giving a vengeance goddess human emotions and sending her out into the world might not be the best idea.

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

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

Buy links for Daughter of Night:

Mundania Press (in ebook formats and trade paperback):

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Daughter+of+Night

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Of-Night-ebook/dp/B008OCANEO/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343182822&sr=1-14&keywords=kelley+heckart

Barnes & Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daughter-of-night-kelley-heckart/1112220212?ean=2940015001952

Buy links on author website: http://kelleyheckart.com/daughter_of_night.html

Other books in my Past Lives series:

Not even the wrath of the gods could keep them apart.

http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Crow and raven women in fiction

A common theme keeps popping up in my stories—crow or raven women. I’m not sure why this is happening, but my fascination with these beings probably has something to do with my love of Celtic myths. The Irish hero Cuchulain had many encounters with the Irish battle goddess, Morrigan. She is his nemesis. Ravens and crows are prevalent in Celtic myths. They are associated with battlefields and death, prophecy and the Otherworld. In some versions of the King Arthur myth, upon his death, Arthur turns into a raven. Crows and ravens play an important part in the lives of the ancient Celts.

Celtic goddesses embodied war and fertility and had a fierceness and danger that other goddesses lacked. Even the serene Brigit had her hand in warfare—she inspired blacksmiths that created farm tools as well as weapons. The aspects of the Celtic goddesses reflect what we know about Celtic women. Roman writers called them more fearsome than even their men.

Since I write a lot of Celtic-themed stories with warriors and otherworldly creatures, the crow and raven women that appear in my tales are important to the story. Though different incarnations of the battle goddess, my crow and raven women have some similarities. They are neither good nor evil, but they are unpredictable and make trouble for my hero and heroine. They can change their shape into a crow or raven or have feathered wings.

I am doing something a little different in a story I am working on with one of my crow women. She is not a Fae or goddess, but was human until dark magic transformed her. This is also the first time one of my crow or raven women is the heroine. And the story is set in ancient Greece, not one of my usual Celtic settings. I draw on Greek mythology for this tale, which also has its share of crow and raven myths.

Authors, do you have a favorite theme that appears in most of your stories? Readers, do you have a favorite theme in the books you read?

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…

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

From My Laptop to The Big, Scary World

Guess what today is? No, it's not a holiday, it's not the anniversary of anything (that I know of, boy, now I've got me worried too), it's not my birthday so you didn't have to get me anything, although I never turn down presents.


It's release day.


It's a combination of woohoo, I did it! and Holy cow, did I just push 'publish'--wait!


It's oh, man I think I'm gonna puke vs. I wanna shout it from the rooftops.


It's look, I have a new puppy against it's a monster that must be hidden in the closet.


 The irony in this is that The Treasure Hunter's Lady was supposed to come out on February 10th when it sold to a publisher (that crashed and burned a mere 23 days after opening its doors). Mortified that I'd announced to the world that THL was coming, I put on my big girl undies and said, "You know what? THL is coming to the world. I promised February 10th, I will deliver February 10th."


And I have. Countless hours of editing, learning the formatting, of arranging photos and trying out text colors to make a cover I wouldn't be ashamed to show around. Hours of ignoring my family, missing meals and probably damaging my eyeballs. But it's something I wanted so bad, I'd fight tooth and nail for.


I'm proud to say: I did it myself. With the help of awesome beta readers on the editing, of course. You guys rock! I feel for real publishing companies that do all this work. Or maybe I don't, I mean, they have a team and no single person takes care of everything. I worked hard. I freakin' deserve a vacation. (Isn't this the most professional promo you've ever read?)


Since that doesn't look like it's going to be happening any time soon, instead I'll give you a little vacation. Into the steampunk romance-y world that I've been buried in for the last year.


Blurb:
Romy Farrington seems to have the perfect life—a world-famous archeologist father and upcoming marriage to a wealthy businessman. But to Romy, her new life in the city is a punishment.

For years, she traveled the world at her father's side, exploring new lands and uncovering ancient secrets. It was everything she ever wanted, until a near-fatal encounter with hostile natives forced her and her father into a life of retirement in Boston and an undesired advance into proper society.

Everything changes again when she's saved from an accident by a brash Texan in a back alley. Abel Courte may act like a care-free cowboy, but he's harboring a secret—he's searching for the Diamond of Uktena, a legendary jewel that can cure any disease known to man. He needs information Romy's father has in order to get to the jewel. When he traces the origin of the Diamond to Dakota Territory, he sets off to claim the treasure, only to find the archeologist's fiery redheaded daughter stuck to him like a bug in sap.

In a race against time, Romy and Abel must learn to trust each other as they undertake a cross-country journey that will expose them to lands uncharted by white men, a deadly battle against the fearsome creature in possession of the Diamond and a fight to return to civilization where they might make the greatest discovery of all—love.

And an excerpt:

Romy’s eyes locked on Abel's necklace. “What's that around your neck? A fossil of some sort?” 

His hand flew to the pendant and stuffed it back down his collar. “Nothing.” 

“As someone who's seen a lot of nothing, I can tell you without a doubt it's something. Full of secrets, aren't we, Abel?” Blue eyes widened then narrowed, as she looked between him and the maps he'd lifted out of the drawer. Her coyness fell away like leaves in the fall. “You're a treasure hunter. You found out that Papa is going to search for the Diamond of Uktena, but you plan to steal it first.” 

“Why would I want to steal a—” He gave up the pretense. “First of all, it isn't stealing if it isn't in anyone's possession. Second, I'm not a treasure hunter.” 

“It is stealing if you're going to sell a priceless artifact to the highest bidder on the black market.” 

Abel frowned. “I don't need a lecture from some little chit whose daddy is the biggest treasure hunter in the world.” 

Romy poked a finger into his chest. “Take it back. He's an archeologist and an adventurer. When he finds valuables he turns them over to the proper authorities.” 

He pushed her finger away. “I'll bet you a thousand dollars he's not going to do it this time.” 

Her eyes narrowed into slits, half-hidden behind a thick fringe of lashes. “You're wrong.” 

“It would be the biggest discovery of our time. Of any time. It's no mere gem, no ornament to put on a shelf.” 

“I have some knowledge of the Diamond,” she defended. 

The admission was too nonchalant. Had mere curiosity led her to follow him? He patted the fang inside his shirt. “I doubt anyone could put a price on its worth, but there are those willing to try.” 

She stared at him dubiously. “Because it's supposed to come from a mythical serpent?” 

He debated telling her. It wouldn't benefit Romy to know what he was doing. After tonight it was unlikely he'd see her again. 

“Ask your father. He might know more than I do. I have to leave now. I'd appreciate it if you kept our little rendezvous quiet.” 

He snatched up the papers, flashed a grin and started for the door. The rustle of skirts alerted him that she was right behind him, but he didn't slow down. Not until a cold metal barrel pressed against the center of his neck. 

“Stay where you are.” Romy's voice was hard and all business. 

Abel raised his hands. She drew the gun back and came around to face him. The pistol was no little thing, not the type a dainty female would carry for protection. Romy was a woman of many facets, like the fabled Diamond. 

“I can't give you the fang.” 

“I have the feeling it's an intricate detail in your mission, Mr. Courte.” 

He sighed. “I don't know for certain.”“Tell me what you do know.”“The fang is solid proof that Uktena exists.” 

She frowned. “And who is Uktena exactly?”

“Uktena isn't your typical serpent. Rumor has it that this sparkly rock stuck in its forehead can bring power and riches to whoever wields it. Better still, the Diamond cures illnesses. Any disease you can think of.”

Want to buy the book? You can get it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. Don't forget to drop by and visit my regular blog on Mondays, Wednesday (when I have guest authors) and Fridays! And you can find me on Facebook and Twitter too.

Escape into Fantasy

I'm a firm believer that everybody needs a little bit of fantasy in their lives. It doesn't matter if you're a writer, reader, or TV watcher. Anything that allows us to escape from our immediate reality into another is a form of fantasy, at least to me.

Take TV shows for instance. Some are sitcoms, others sci-fi, fantasy, or horror (and so many more I haven't named). But no matter the genre or plot line, if you become absorbed in the show, you're temporarily stepping out of your comfy slippers and into the heads of the characters on-screen. Same for reading and writing--and maybe for most any activity where you get that 'flow' going.

Hmm, I think that may be why music speaks to so many of us. Even if we're not stepping into someone's life, we can mentally put ourselves in the same situation whether we've lived through a similar experience or not.

So even if you've never liked fantasy, I believe with my definition, everybody loves a little of it! Of course, I also love the fantasy genre, but that's a discussion for another post!

What your favorite escape from everyday life?


Now on to a little bit of blatent self-promo. This Feb, Bound by the Mist, a full-length fantasy romance, is coming out! I'm self-publishing this one. I'm just waiting to get my hands on the cover art, and then I'm good to go!

Bound by the Mist is a story I truly love, and I hope that any who read it will agree. Realistically, I know that's not possible, but I can dream, right? To learn more about the story and to read snippets and excerpts, drop by http://lisakumar.blogspot.com/ or http://lisakumar.com

Before I go, I'll share the blurb:

A magic that's fading

Relian has lived a life that hasn’t changed in millennia, and he likes it that way. As Prince of the Erian people, he has his conscripted duties. And a human, even one as desirable as Cal, does not fit into them. But as the enemy darkindred knock on the borders and the magic of his people fades, he might just have to find room.

A love that's binding

College Student Cal Weston spends a good portion of her time trying to keep people from thinking she's crazy, including herself. And with good reason. But her carefully constructed reality is turned upside down when she discovers that Relian, the seductive Elvin prince who has been starring in her sensuous fantasies, isn’t merely a myth and his magical kingdom really exists. Now she’s bound to an elf and stuck in a land where no one, least of all Relian, is willing to spill any answers about the truth of her arrival.

Two people, two worlds meet in the mist

Even as love grows between them, can they lay aside their differences to embrace a life together? 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa~

Growing up Paranormal

Now that I think about it I was probably a weird kid. From a very young age I was fascinated with the paranormal, especially horror movies and books. I remember staying up to watch the late night scary movies hosted by various strange hosts like Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. My favorite movies were the classic horror movies, the black and white Dracula and Wolfman, and the 1970’s Dracula movies starring Frank Langella.

My décor in my bedroom included glow-in-the-dark models of Dracula and Wolfman. Not really normal for a girl, right? My collection of books included Stephen King, Robert McCammon, Dean Koontz, collections of short ghost/horror stories and Ann Rice’s vamps and witches. I was into vampires long before they became trendy and sparkly. I still have a fascination with skulls and keep my macabre collection out all year. It’s Halloween all the time for me.

Growing up a horror fan, it would seem natural for me to write horror. Not exactly. I did write some short horror stories way back when I became serious about writing, but they were never published, and for good reason. Somehow I ended up writing romance, which is strange because I didn’t read much romance growing up. I think what changed my mind was Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. It was a romance, but it wasn’t the usual formulaic romance. I decided to try writing romance and adding the elements I like—Celtic mythology, fantasy, paranormal, magic and otherworldly creatures like faeries (not the tiny, sparkly good kind), gods and goddesses, shifters and ancient vampires. All that time spent watching horror movies and reading horror stories was well worth it.

With my love of the paranormal, horror and Halloween, it was natural for me to be drawn to the ancient Celts, the founders of Samhain/Halloween and a people linked with the mystical realm. This is how I came to write Celtic historical romances with paranormal/fantasy elements.

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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.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy 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

My book page at Mundania Press:

http://www.mundania.com/author.php?author=Kelley+Heckart

My author page on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

One Knight in Brooklyn – Who doesn't love a good KISA?

KISA (Knight in Shining Armor) is my new favorite acronym – and there's nothing we romance readers love better than a good KISA.

The KISA is the gold standard in romance heroes. He is the one in every fairytale with a Happily Ever After.

I wondered what would a modern-day knight look like and where might we find one? Could we even find one? And if we did, would we recognize him?

What makes a good KISA? Is it his winning smile and stunning physique? Or is it his attitude and heart? The sacrifices he's willing to make for others? Maybe our modern-day KISA have replaced their shiny armor for other protective gear. But to me anyone willing to risk his life for another is worthy of the title.

That was part of the inspiration for my new 1-Night Stand Story, One Knight in Brooklyn. I wanted to take an idealistic young woman and put her in a situation that, by all appearances, looked like her fairytale fantasy come true. Then I wanted to completely shatter her unrealistic ideas with a heavy dose of reality and see what would happen. What ensues is a fun, zany adventure in Sherwood Forest that forces Marianne to reevaluate her expectations. It leads her to the conclusion that heroes come in all shapes and sizes and actions speak louder than words.

Robert, the somewhat rough-around-the-edges hero, hasn't dated since the death of his wife 3 years before. But at the prodding, cajoling, and general pain-in-the-assin' of his in-laws (That's right in-laws) he books a one-night stand at the Castillo Resort in Niagara Falls.

He doesn't know how it happened, but he ends up in a castle near a forest where he meets a smokin' hot Lady Marianne. According to Robert, "If she was a fire, she'd be a god@#&% 5-alarm ringer! And she's what the guys at the station call a 10/10 – which means on a scale from 1
to 10, she's the top no matta which way she's facin' – if ya know what I mean."

One Knight in Brooklyn is a romantic adventure that will make you laugh out loud and leave you
with a big satisfied smile – if you know what I mean. **wink**

Blurb:
After signing up for a one-night stand through an exclusive matching agency, hopeless romantic Marianne Caldwell is swept away to a medieval land where she hopes to spend the night with a
worthy man of honor.

Unsure of how she got from the Castillo Hotel in Las Vegas to a castle in the English countryside, Mare finds Robert, whose stunning physique and winning smile immediately convince her he's the Robin Hood she's been seeking. But despite his efforts in saving her from a corrupt sheriff, his Jersey Shore accent and coarse ways unravel her romantic visions.

With her fairytale fantasies coming unhinged, Mare must decide if Robert is just a crass car salesman from Brooklyn or the chivalrous knight she's looking for.

One Knight in Brooklyn Excerpt:
“Well, Dallas, what did a pretty gal like you expect from this deal?”

There was no way in hell she would answer that question. So she employed her stellar skills of diversion and subterfuge. “What did a guy like you expect from this deal?” Okay, maybe not the cleverest line she’d ever come up with, but this guy with his mesmerizing eyes messed up her mojo.

He leaned back with his elbow on the mattress and flashed a brilliant smile. She swallowed hard. “To get to know a lovely young woman such as yourself and have a little adventure. You think you
can handle that?”

Could he be any more cocky? His thinly veiled innuendo struck her with the delicacy of a baseball bat. No question he was hot. From a purely physical standpoint, he was perfection, but did anything rattle around behind those blue eyes? She crossed her arms over her chest and
tilted her chin. “What I want to know is, can you handle that?”

Oops, she hadn’t meant for that to sound like a challenge or an invitation, but even to her own ears, it did. He stood, his long legs closing the distance between them in two strides. She braced her legs to hold her ground, but retreated toward a wall. So much for holding my ground. Pressing her head back against a branch, she looked up into his even stare. God, his eyes were Ceylon blue, his lips full and lush. He stopped in front of her, but continued to lower his head
toward hers. Other than the rustling wind, only her ragged breathing sounded amongst the leaves.

Robert braced his hands on either side of her shoulders, effectively trapping her between him and the tree. Every cell in her body buzzed with electrical current, and her gaze helplessly transfixed on him. The lids of his eyes lowered, and his straight nose brushed against hers.
“Can I kiss you?” His whispered request tickled her skin.

Chills swept over her heated body. Her knees gave way, and she sighed out some inaudible response he apparently took as affirmative. He brushed her lips with a kiss.

One Knight in Brooklyn is on sale now at DecadentPublishing, Amazon and all major retailers.

BUYLINKS

You can find me at my blog: http://caseamajor.wordpress.com/ or any of the following places.
FACEBOOK / GOODREADS / THE ROMANCE REVIEWS /
MANIC READERS/ AMAZON
PROFILE

Are angels the new faeries?

I’m seeing a new trend in paranormal romance—angels. I love angels. They are supernatural beings with wings, some are good and some are evil. Fallen angels in particular have my interest because they are more complex than the ones that don’t give in to their dark side. I never thought of angels as kind and gentle. I always thought of them as capricious warriors of God and somewhat dangerous. Just like faeries.

Another popular trend in paranormal romance is faeries, but I am seeing more angels lately. Angels and faeries have a lot in common. Both are supernatural beings, some good and some evil, both have wings. Faeries come in all shapes and sizes though and angels seem to be one size. The faeries I am comparing angels to are the Irish faeries, the Tuatha de Danaan. These are the human size faeries that often appear in my stories. While some faeries have gossamer wings, the Irish faeries have feathered wings like angels.

There are some people that believe faeries are real and possibly related to the fallen angel myths. Before Christianity spread to places like Scotland and Ireland, it’s possible that people mixed up angels and faeries. Or it’s possible that Christian monks, trying to convert pagans, borrowed some of the pagan beliefs and shaped the angels to mirror faeries.

Even in recent artwork, the line between angels and faeries is blurred.

I just think that romance fans like supernatural beings with wings. And who could blame them? There is something mysterious and fascinating about angels and faeries.

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

Three different women, one ancient curse…

http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

Faeries come in all sizes

I tend to forget that most normal people don’t know that faeries can be as large as humans. I just assume that everyone knows all about faeries because it’s something that I’ve got stored in my brain. But thankfully not everyone has a brain like mine filled with odd, and in some cases, useless information like faery lore. As my husband said to me, “Why don’t you learn something useful like how to read a map?” Why not, indeed.

Most of my books have faeries in them, usually the Irish fae, the Tuatha de Danaan (Tribes of the goddess Danu). These are the faeries that J.R.R. Tolkien based his elves on, and as you can see, they are human size fae. I think that’s why I like them so much. The Danaans look human and so I can relate to them. They are also shapeshifters and sometimes appear in my stories with wings.

My favorite quote about the Tuatha de Danaan: ‘Tribes of the goddess Danu are indeed tall and noble, and they can take shapes and sizes that are not their true shapes and sizes.’ W.B. Yeats.

I could write many pages on these faeries, but to summarize it, they are mentioned in the Book of Ivasions as one of the earliest conquerors of ancient Ireland, ruling for many years until the Milesians landed. The Book of Leinster records that they were ‘faery’ peoples, while The Book of the Dun Cow describes them as ‘gods, but not gods.’ After one final battle with the Milesians , the Tuatha de Danaan retreated underground beneath the mounds to the sidhe where they remain today. In the Irish language ‘sidhe’ means faery. I do have a page dedicated to them on my website here: http://kelleyheckart.com/Tuatha_de_Danaan.html

I think people think of all faeries as tiny because the only role model we have for faeries is Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. Another type of faery that appeared in my first books is an Ashray. They are found in Scotland and are water faeries. They can only be seen at night because the sunlight will melt them. They are often mistaken as sea ghosts because of their white skin. Ashrays cannot live on land and it is believed they were cursed to live under water. These fae are smaller than the Irish fae, about 4 1/2 feet tall, but are still human size.

So the next time you pick up a book with faeries in it, they might not be tiny, gossamer winged creatures, but more human than you realized.
For more information on all kinds of faeries, I have a page on faery lore on my website here: http://kelleyheckart.com/FaeryLore.html

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

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Consequences - Deus Ex Machina in Dylan Dog

Consequences – Deus Ex Machina in Dylan Dog

It's Josh again, and I recently saw Dylan Dog. It was a clever little movie, very similar to Being Human. While some parts of it were pretty funny, the end left a lot to be desired. Spoiler alert: I’m going to ruin a pretty lame ending.

The movie is all about an ancient cross that contains the essence of an incredibly powerful demon. Once raised, the demon is strong enough to take over the world. The monster inevitably appears, and it is epic. Jet black, armored, winged, and armed with massive horns and claws, the demon looks very cool.

Visuals aside, there are some nasty problems with how the end plays out.

Throughout the film, various characters establish the demon’s rules. Basically, once the demon is summoned, there is a symbiotic relationship between the demon and its creator. They must work together. If the summoner dies, then the demon gets trapped again in its artifact (an epic looking cross). But while it’s out, the demon has to obey the person who released it.

The movie’s villain summons the demon only to learn that it isn’t subject to the summoner’s will. The demon can do whatever it wants. The demon is able to break the summoner’s hold; it’s a surprise, and there’s nothing wrong in that.

It’s a pretty good moment except for one problem. Okay, the rules everyone expected are wrong. There’s nothing inconsistent there. Except the demon seems to forget about its symbiotic relationship to the person who summoned it. He goes back into the cross if that person dies, yet he attacks the summoner and flies away.

From there, Dylan—the main character—fights the demon and basically gets his ass kicked. He doesn’t stop the demon. He doesn’t even hurt it or slow it down. And while he fights, the summoner rushes out—and is eaten by a pack of werewolves. Summoner dead, the demon is trapped once again in his artifact. Yay, happy ending.

So Dylan accomplished nothing. If he hadn’t been there and if he hadn’t valiantly battled such a powerful enemy, literally nothing would have been different. The demon would have flown off and the summoner would have still died. The werewolves are way more important.

But this all raises another question. The demon is intelligent. He mocks the summoner, pointing out how he doesn’t need any help and how he can do what he wants. And yet, if that person dies, then he goes back to his imprisonment. He talks. He seems to think. So why doesn’t he understand this obvious vulnerability? Seriously, he knocks the summoner into a wall and flies off gloating about how evil he’s going to be.

If I were a reasonably intelligent demon bound to the world by one person, I would work really hard to keep that individual safe. Even if I didn’t care about that person’s happiness, I’m definitely worried about their safety. Sure, I might lock the summoner in a cage, but I’m going to make sure nothing bad happens. I don’t want to get sucked back into an artifact because this one person got hit by a car.

Right?
Writers set the rules of their supernatural worlds. That’s part of the fun, and yet it implies a responsibility to be consistent. Readers, especially those of the nerd breed, tend to be very judicious in tracking those rules. When writers break their own rules, readers get annoyed and lose any faith they might have had in the story.

Genres in Practice

For those of you who don’t know, my name is Josh, I’m a fantasy romance writer, and here are some of my ideas on writing and literary genres in particular.

At first glance, genres seem pretty simple. Genres are categories. Some basic examples include science-fiction, young adult, women’s, and horror. They tell us what we’re about to read before we turn to page one. Genres are supposed to be the labels we use to figure what kind of story we’re about to read or write, but this simple idea gets messy. It gets messy fast.

For writers, it genres can get particularly annoying. Whenever you approach a publisher, you include the genre of your novel. Again, this should be easy. We think of our favorite books or movies and they routinely fall into very easy and obvious categories. Star Wars is science fiction. Lord of the Rings is fantasy. The Outsiders is young adult. It all seems so easy.

It’s not much easier for readers. Last week I went to Borders and noticed some strange placements. A copy of Pride and Prejudice was next to Twilight. Little Women had been placed beside Hunger Games. So what made those books young adult? What made those books young adult when they would probably be off in the literature section too?

Nothing really. As near as I can tell, genres attract particular kinds of readers and the bookstore guessed what those readers would like to see. Pride and Prejudice, for all of its literary merit, is basically a romantic comedy.

And what do you do with books written with the sole purpose of messing up genres? Look at books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Jane Slayre, or any of the other new hybrid books which start off as literary classics and meld into horror, sci-fi, or fantasy.

One solution is to get more specific. We can combine genres, so we are now reading young adult romance or romantic comedy, but those get kind of strange when we look at some of the possibilities. We might start off with teen literature, but then it goes to teen romance, then paranormal teen romance. It spirals out pretty quick.

A lot of it just comes down to marketing, but I think of my own books, and classification gets a lot harder. My first book, Infinite, was the story of an incubus who falls in love with a vampire. This should be fantasy? Horror? Young adult? Action?

Any of those genres would work. It is a fantasy story insofar as we get lots of supernatural creatures. Some of the scenes are pretty scary too. One of the main characters, Kylie Colt, is desperate for blood and faces the possibility of starving to death. Both characters are in high school, so hey, young adult could be logical. And there is a lot of fighting, so action makes sense.

When I approach publishers with a new book, I try to be honest, but it’s hard. So many books could fall into so many categories. I recently heard one character on TV say something about how Twilight is the lamest horror book ever written. Horror? Really? Well, it does make sense. Edward is a vampire. We expect vampires to be scary.

If you’re a reader then, just be open and recognize that genres are loose labels. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. If you’re a writer, employ genres when you have to and don’t let a label box you in. Mysteries have romantic subplots. A horror story might include some sci-fi.

Even if they don’t always work, genres are useful. Sometimes. You head to one part of a bookstore and you get a sense of what you might find. Still, there is always the potential for a surprise. This is what makes bookstores so awesome. You can never be completely sure what you’ll get.

Love and the Ultimate Sacrifice

Hey, it's Josh again.

Last week, I saw Tangled for the first time. This was a great little movie complete with a blond princess, amusing animals, and a clever romance. But after I left the theatre, one moment in particular keeps resonating in my chest. This movie illustrated my favorite part of romance, the most profound and meaningful part of any relationship: sacrifice.

Spoilers: I’m about to give away the ending to this movie.

At the end of this movie, Flynn Rider is about to die. As he clutches his fatal wound, he listens to Repunzel as she tries to get her captor to let her heal him. If she does, she will lose her freedom. After a few tense moments, Repunzel is allowed to go to him. She will give up everything for him. She will spend her life in captivity to save this boy.

I find this moment intense and fascinating. So much of romance is about sacrifice. In the smallest sense, it’s letting the guy or girl you love pick where you’ll go to dinner. Or maybe it’s about taking on an extra shift so you can get her something nice for her birthday.

If you want to go more epic, sacrifice is the moment when one character will give up what she wants most to save the a loved one. In Tangled, our princess hero craves her freedom, but she’ll give it up for the boy she loves. She goes to him, ready to sacrifice everything until he slashes away her hair, removing her magic and condemning him to death.

She will give up everything for him; he’ll give up everything for her. It’s beautiful, it’s wonderful, and it’s painful because this is love.

In our culture and life in general, love gets messed up with a bunch of other concepts. Love might get confused with friendship or sex. Love might be about meeting someone else’s expectations. But throw in some sacrifice, and it gets simple pretty quickly.

Are you willing to suffer or die? This combination simplifies the questions of romantic love. These people care about one another in a meaningful, fundamental, and nearly primordial way.

The same question of sacrifice arises in both of my upcoming novels. In Poisoned Star, Treya ultimately has to choose between her life and the boy she’s come to love. She knows that defying her masters will result in her death. For her, there is no question. There is no hope, so her decision nearly impossible.

Nick, the main character from Angels in Disguise, puts himself in the position where he will die for the woman he loves. He is part-demon and an angel’s light will kill him, but he exposes himself anyway because he must if he wants to save Jenny.

Love and the ultimate sacrifice, together they simplify a lot of questions whether it’s in one of my paranormal romances or an awesome Disney movie like Tangled.

Older Heroine, Young Hero

I realized that all of my heroines so far have been older than my heroes. I’m not talking about a 40-year-old woman and a 25 year old man. My heroines so far have been supernatural creatures like faery women, goddesses and vampires so they are usually hundreds of years old. My heroines so far are also experienced sexually so they usually do the seducing. I guess they would be super cougars.

Why did I do that? I wasn’t even aware of what I was doing at first. I’m not older than my husband and I don’t go out chasing younger guys. Younger guys are nice to look at, but I like older men. I was thinking that maybe an older woman and a younger man might be a fantasy of mine. At 40 something, I could be a cougar. It does kind of sound like fun even though I wouldn’t act on it. It would even be a better fantasy if I were an ancient vampire hunting for young prey. Why not? There are weirder fantasies.

I was wondering what readers thought about the older woman/younger man scenario. A lot of romances have virgin heroines. And oddly, the book I am working on now has a virgin heroine. I wanted to try something different. It is kind of fun reliving my virginal days to create this heroine.

So what’s your preference? An older, experienced woman or a virgin?

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

Romance vs. Reality

Hi all, I am a new blogger here at Nocturnal Nights and will be posting on the 28th of each month about writing romances in the genres of fantasy, paranormal, historical, mythology, and whatever else comes to mind.

A little about me: I write Celtic romances for Awe-Struck, Freya's Bower and Noble Romance. My lifelong passion for Celtic mythology and storytelling inspired me to write novels with fierce warriors, bold women and otherworldly creatures. I also edit for a small press publisher. 

My current home is Arizona with my husband and two dogs. Three of my favorite things are men in kilts, sunrises and anything dipped in chocolate.

I look forward to getting to know the other authors and readers at NN. Now, on to my post for today:

Writing romance can be tricky, at least for me, when it comes to deciding how far to take the fantasy and where to draw the line at reality. Usually when I tell someone I write romances, I either get a snicker or a big smile. The big smile almost always comes from a man. And I understand why some people snicker at romance authors—some romances are trite and too ridiculous to be believable. But what makes a romance trite and ridiculous to some is appealing to romance readers. They yearn to escape from reality by reading about a hero and heroine that fall in love, and despite obstacles, have a happy ever after or happy for now ending.

The trick is to find that balance between romantic fantasy and gritty reality to write a compelling romance. How does a romance author write a romance that isn’t too realistic or too unbelievable?

I thought about this when I saw a commercial for the online dating site called Zoosk. With sexy music playing, two half-dressed lovers run to each other in the bedroom and smack heads, then the woman bumps her head on the bed frame and they fall over a chair. Not the ideal romance scene, but in real life romantic moments aren’t perfect. I try to bring some of that realism into my sex scenes. In one book my hero and heroine break the bed frame. This adds some humor and realism to the romance. Moments like that can also reveal something about the characters, how they act in an embarrassing situation. 

I also avoid using purple prose, especially in my sex scenes. (Purple prose is a term of literary criticism used to describe passages written in prose so overly extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw attention to itself). Every author should avoid the purple prose lure.

Another way to prevent a romance from being ridiculous is to avoid writing situations that are too unbelievable and can cause readers to roll their eyes. The one that bugs me the most is the virgin heroine who feels no pain and climaxes with ease her very first time having intercourse. No way. And this comes from experience. 

By keeping a balance between fantasy and reality, a romance can be convincing without losing the romantic fantasy aspect for the reader. After all, imperfect characters are more interesting and they can still have their happy ending.

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

Wicked Word Wednesday - Episode 2 – Fantasy

Falling doesn't hurt, landing does. No matter how prepared you are, landing impacts you. In flight, you don't register the blows. The euphoria of falling hangs around a while to mask a laundry list of bumps and dings you you collected along the way. Your head was in the clouds. Each collision left a mark. When you land, you'll feel them.

Safer than falling in love, is falling in fantasy. You never land. You keep falling-falling-falling, no landing in sight. Close your eyes; see his face. Lick your lips; taste his kiss. Search your mind; his name is in front.

Slow motion intensity of a first kiss never fades into the boredom of a ten-thousandth peck. It's fantasy. It's all yours. Reality can never take away what's in your head. You decide where you go, how long you stay, and when you will step out of your comfort zones. The boundaries are fuzzy when they aren't real, infinitely easier to hurdle.

Electricity tingles under your skin, ignited by his touch. Desire explodes when his body is near, and he's as close as your imagination. Fantasy doesn't have any use for self-consciousness. Embarrassment won't exist in fantasyland. Kickin' curves pressed against rock hard proportions that flip all of your switches simultaneously. Every caress sizzles. Every glance rocks. Every encounter blazes. Always.

Fly with Mr. Fantasy; kiss him. Embrace him. Lose yourself in sensation. Memorize the paths his caresses engraved on your skin. Savor his essence. Give him your lips, your touch, your body, your mind. Fall, and keep falling. If a landing approaches, raise the sky. Soar back up, and go explore.