Kelley Heckart Interview

1. What inspired you to write about Greek Mythology with a twist to one of the most famous fairy tales?

I have loved Greek mythology since high school English class. Artemis was always my favorite Greek goddess because of her independence and refusal to wed any of Zeus’s brothers. I had this idea about writing a series based in her homeland—the wild forests and mountains of Arcadia, home to all kinds of supernatural creatures. Lycaon, the first werewolf, is the former king of Arcadia. Because of his beastly appearance, I thought I could also throw in a Beauty and the Beast theme.

2. When writing a character like Lycaon, how were you able to keep true to “Beauty and the Beast”, but add a unique twist?

Lycaon isn’t the typical hero because he’s not handsome in the normal sense and everyone hates him. Until the heroine tames him, he is kind of a jerk. He’s been living a terrible curse for 300 years and very bitter about it, so it didn’t make sense for him to be a nice guy. He’s more of an anti-hero. Even though it was tempting to make him more likable and less a beast, I wanted to stay true to his character and make him “beastly.” Then as I was working out the story, I thought it would be cool to add a twist to the beauty part of the fairy tale.

3. Why did you want to become an author?

I’ve always been a creative person and an avid reader since I was four, but I never thought I would tackle writing novels. I was a musician before becoming a writer. Writing stories happened after I got sick and used writing as a form of therapy. I think writing song lyrics and poetry helped me get started with story writing and after doing it for some time, I decided I really liked it.

4. If you could pick your top 10 book boyfriends/crush. Who would they be and what book are they from?

I tend to like non-alpha male heroes like Jamie from Outlander, Louis from Interview with the Vampire, and all of my heroes (lol). I also liked the hero from this book called The Goblin King, but I can’t remember his name. And I liked Magnus from The Snow Bride. He was a battle-scarred warrior.

5. Do you have a favorite Myth from Greek Mythology?

Yes and it’s not one of the myths from my Arcadia series. It’s the myth about Ceyx and Alcyone. They loved each other so much that neither death nor the gods could separate them. I wrote a short story based on this myth called Birds of Calm. It’s a free read that can be found on the homepage of my website.

6. We hear Authors talking about all the characters chattering away in their heads. Which character of yours is the loudest?

All of them when I’m working on a book. I hear random dialogue in my head at the most inconvenient times and have to keep a notebook and pen with me.

7. What are some of you favorite books to read?

I will read just about anything from horror to romance. I like unusual stories and tend to read off the best-selling list. One of these gems I discovered was a werewolf tale set in 16th century Prague--Werelord Thal.



8. What’s your next book going to be about?

I have to complete The Crow Maiden, the third book in the Arcadia series. It will be out in November 2016. I’m not sure if that’s going to be the last one in that series. I do have some unfinished stories waiting to be finished. I started a couple of paranormal romances, and I have a series with cursed druids. I finished the first draft of the first book. I will have to see where my muse leads me after The Crow Maiden.

9. When you are writing, what do you think is the most difficult process?

I think self-editing and doing revisions are the most difficult. It’s so hard to see errors in your own work. That’s why working with an editor is so important.

10. How do you keep your characters in line, or how do you keep your world straight without losing your story?

I have to know my characters really well and take a lot of notes. I try to make sure I stick to what a particular character will or will not do. Sometimes it means that readers might not like a character if they do something they don’t approve of, but I think it’s important not to make a change that will be out of character just to please readers.



Book Title: The Wolf Queen

Author: Kelley Heckart
Author website: http://www.kelleyheckart.com
Genre: Greek myths/fantasy/paranormal/werewolves/romance
Release date: 12/17/15
Page Count: 246
ISBN-13: 978-1519606242
ISBN-10: 1519606249
ASIN: B019HML564

Kindle Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019HML564?ref_=pe_2427780_160035660

Trade Paperback Buy Link on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Queen-Book-Arcadia/dp/1519606249/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=



Blurb

The Wolf Queen
Book 2: The Arcadia Series

A new twist on Beauty and the Beast and the Greek myth of Lycaon the werewolf. A Bronze Age fantasy, adventure, and romance set in Arcadia, the wild forests of the goddess Artemis… Game of Thrones meets The Iliad…

A tormented wolf man… A mysterious girl with a terrible secret…

Alara, a princess from a foreign land, is forced to wed the sorcerer-king Aramon, a power-hungry warlord, who discovers her dark secret and wants to use her to create an invincible army. When she meets Lycaon, she must decide if she should trust the cursed, tormented half-man half-wolf who might be her enemy or her true mate.

Lycaon, once a great king until he was cursed by Zeus to be a werewolf, is drawn to the mysterious princess. He is torn between helping Alara escape and using her to gain power over those who despise him.

Secrets abound and old enemies are reunited to battle Aramon before his terrible plan is unleashed. Time is running out as the dark moon approaches. Soon, Arcadia will be overrun with an unstoppable, vicious army unless Aramon can be defeated. To prevent his victory, the cost is high. As Lycaon’s affection for Alara grows, it becomes more difficult for him to decide which to save: Arcadia or her.

****

Multi-published author Kelley Heckart lives in Arizona with her musician husband, dog, and a number of backyard “pets.” Her stories reflect her passion for ancient and medieval time periods, storytelling, and the supernatural. Inspired by the ancient Celts, her tales are filled with fierce warriors, bold women, otherworldly creatures, magic, and romance. When not writing, she works as a freelance editor and practices target archery. She can be found online at http://www.kelleyheckart.com/


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

Rena Marks Interview

1. What inspired you to write about Vampires and Werewolves? Which race do you like more? 

Vampires and werewolves go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly. The race I prefer depends on the actual character involved. I like the bad-boy violence of the werewolves, but the mystique of the vampire. So I guess the answer is: it depends on my mood!

2. Why did you want to become an author?

I've always tended to live in fantasy-land, and I knew I could do this during a brief dry spell when I couldn't find anything to read. Like anything, the craft of writing is a learning curve, but the stories themselves just burst from inside me.

3. If you could pick your top 3 vampire books and top 3 werewolf books what would they be?

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, North Wolf by M.A. Evereax, and my own Shared By Wolves. (Warning: it's erotic) As far as vampires, I still love the Sookie Stackhouse series for Eric. The books, not True Blood. The Carpathians, and the tortured Dark Hunters.

4. We hear Authors talking about all the characters chattering away in their heads. Which character of yours is the loudest?

Right now, it's Cesar from the Stargazer Series. He keeps interrupting incessantly and making me laugh!

5. Is there a part of you that you wrote with the main character?

Definitely. Anjelia battles a dark side that threatens to take control of her soul. I fight to keep mine at bay. A bit of that battle bleeds over into my heroine Afton from Kiss Me Before I Die. In fact, there's even a little in the psychic Sara from Born Again. And the three Demon heroines in my Wanton Sins series, Keara, Natalya, and Holly. Apparently it's an issue with me, LOL.

6. What’s your next book going to be about?

I'm working on my Stargazer Series right now. In 1692, a starship comes to planet Earth to see if humans are compatible with Stargazers. It lands near a small town called Salem, Massachusetts. The long journey across many light years caused the female inhabitants drastic memory loss. They had no memories of who and what they were, and were as helpless as newborn lambs. The goal was to breed with Earthlings to keep their own race from dying out. If they were successful, more Stargazers would be sent out years later to co-exist with humans. Instead, the females were slaughtered. As an apology, the American government has given parcels of land to the Stargazer species so they may form their own communities. Each stand-alone tale is that of a titled Stargazer, who had once dedicated his life to protect other species, given a reward by having the first shot at traveling to Earth to take his chances at falling in love. Currently, I'm about to release the fourth book in the series and have book 5 halfway through.

The Hunter

The Enforcer

The Defender

The Protector

The Guardian


7. When you are writing, what do you think is the most difficult process?

The end. I write out of sequence, so when I'm at the end, I have to string scenes together like puzzle pieces. It's an enormous, confusing project! I wish I could right sequentially, but it doesn't happen. I still end up moving scenes around.

8. How many books will be in the Forgotten Kisses Series?

Right now I'm almost done with the third book. Whether or not there's a fourth depends on supply and demand. The demand is for my Stargazer series right now, so I am focusing on that.

9. How do you keep your characters in line, or how do you keep your world straight without losing your story?

I don't. I let my characters be or do whatever they wish. That's the beauty of paranormal, there are no rules. If my character changes from the original story, that's growth! I'm not the same person I was in my twenties, and Anjelia shouldn't be the same person after she discovers her memory loss. One of my pet peeves is bending too many rules in the paranormal realm. I hate when an immortal dies, because it breaks the rules. And I really hate when a person is killed and resurrected without any good cause. It breaks the believability of the world.

10. If you could choose are you Team Julian or Team Leo?

That is a tough one. Originally, Leo was the villain in the story, and I killed him off. My critique partners were in an uproar over it, so I had to bring him back. Since then, he's gained a soft spot in my heart, especially since he was the one who lost the most. (Anjelia should have been his mate only.) On the other hand, Julian's whole motivation for wiping Anjelia's memories and tricking her into becoming his human servant was for love. He loves her so much, he's willing to share. He loves her so much, he's willing to accept Leo's child as his. (Book 2)

As the author, I'm going to have to reserve the right to be Team Triangle. :) Sorry for the spoiler!

Kassandra Lynn Interview & Freebie day!

Kassandra Lynn: Author of Demon Princess. Which will be free on Amazon 4/16/2016! In celebration of the release of book three in the series!

1. When did you realise you wanted to be an author, was it a life long dream or was there something else that influenced your career choice?

I have always loved to read. In school, I was that girl who carried a novel with her all the time and read a page or two in between classes. I started writing my own stories when I was in middle school, and I managed to complete a couple full-length first drafts before I graduated middle school. High school, college, and life got in the way, and so I stopped writing until a couple years ago.

2. What inspired the Demon Princess Series?

Demon Princess series (or Demon Kingdom Fairy Tales series) was inspired by several Japanese animations and Chinese novels. I used to watch anime and read comics all the time when I was younger. There were some ideas I loved, but the storyline didn’t go in the direction I wanted. I wrote Demon Kingdom Fairy Tales series to include the themes I love the most—female king, summon beasts, a forbidden love interest who is supposed to be the enemy, and another love interest who is a bodyguard/subordinate.

3.I hear other authors talking about all their characters voices rambling on in their head. Do your characters reach out to you like that? If so who's the loudest?

They do. Adriana is the loudest.

4. Do you have a favorite character in your books? Or a least favorite? ( I know authors love their characters, but is there one you want to smack even as your writing them? *cough*PrincessSalvene*cough*)

Hahaa! My favorite characters are Keldrin and Sadi. I don’t have a least favorite, because, to me, all characters serve a purpose. If I don’t have antagonists, then no one might want to read the story.

5. Are any of your characters based on real life friends and family? If so can you give us an example?

I didn’t intend to base any characters on real life friends/family, and I think none of my characters is like anyone I know.

6. The world you've built is of two factions human and demon. Will we get to explore them a bit more in the books to come? Are there many differences between the two, other then inhabitants?

Yeah. Book Two and Three explore more of the worlds. There are some subtle differences, but they are similar in many aspects.

7. You definitely gave us a male lead to love. If you could pick your top 5 book boyfriends from other series' who would they be and what book are they from?

Ryn from Rachel Morgan’s Creepy Hallow series

Er Lang from Yangsze Choo’s The Ghost Bride

Mikza from Kaitlyn Davis’s The Golden Cage

Edward from Aya Ling’s The Ugly Stepsister

Jovan from Kelly St. Clare’s The Tainted Accords series

I tend to like the good boys more than the bad ones.

8. What made you decide to write in the Paranormal/Fantasy genre?

To me, books are tickets out of reality. The fantasy genre, in particular, has no limit to confine my imagination. Although contemporary and modern stories might be more relatable to many people, I’ve always loved the ancient and mysterious times and places.

9. When you are writing, what do you think is the most difficult process? 

The most difficult process is editing. While writing the first draft is fun, editing is a tedious job. I don’t like to reread books—because I already know what’s going to happen—but I have to read my own book many, many times during editing.

10. And last but not least, what do we have to look forward to from you in the future? Anything exciting cooking?

I’m working on A Second Chance at Life, a time travel romance. This story follows a daughter of a duke back in time, before her life was ruined by her half-sister and an unhappy marriage. With this second chance, she’ll have to avoid the events that lead to her misery and her death.

Rachel E. Carter Interview

1. What inspired you to write The Black Mage Series?

So the original idea came in middle school for me –I was obsessed with the idea of where a prince and princess from opposing countries go to school learning monarchy during a time of peace only to become rival kingdoms when they grow up… Then I forgot all about that idea for years. Then in 2007 I heard a song that was super epic, you could just tell it was dramatic and sad and I immediately saw those two in the #1 scene I’ve been waiting to write this whole series… which happens to be the BIG MOMENT of Last Stand. Let’s just say it’s I realized the boy & girl were fighters, and that they needed awesome magic. So I knew how I wanted the series to end, I just needed to work up to that moment. I immediately decided to start where it all began, when they met. Oh, and I realized I didn’t want Ryiah to be a princess, I wanted her to be a commoner and make everything difficult because I really admire characters that aren’t automatically good at anything (BIG pet peeve of mine). That’s the whole point… Ryiah literally spends the entire series building to this epic point and I know a lot of people were pissed that she didn’t win the Candidacy but let’s just say that duel wasn’t the final one….

2. When writing a character like Darren, how were you able to bring him to life? Was there anyone from your life that inspired him as a character?

No one in real life. Gosh, I would punch him out if he ever treated me how Darren treated Ryiah in that first book. I always pick the nice boy (aka Ian) in real life because I don’t like drama and douche bags… That said Darren was initially derived from the character Julian in The Forbidden Game series by LJ Smith. If you read that series you will be like “what the hell, Darren is nothing like Julian” and you are right. But I wrote fanfiction about TFG’s Julian for YEARS all through middle and high school with my best friend. He was the reason I WANTED to write because his character was so compelling. Pretty early on, though, I realized that while I was calling that character “Julian” he was morphing into someone else. A lot of Darren’s dialogue and general attitude was like that guy, although when I wrote the first draft of First Year it was a huge change –he ended up being a lot darker/meaner than I initially imagined. I remember reading the first draft and thinking “god, Darren is such a douche (but great tension!)” because compared to my fanfic for TFG he was really mean, but my heart knew Darren had a terrible backstory (which we find out in Candidate and I expand on it from his POV in the novella Non-Heir I’m working on), and I just had to pray readers would give him a chance to grow. You get the real Darren in glimpses and then finally see him in Candidate when his dad dies and then taking care of Ryiah when her brother is murdered. That’s the true Darren. But we all know he has a dark side, this series is all about shades of gray, and I think everyone’s big question for Last Stand is what is going to happen if he finds out what Ryiah is doing….

3. Why did you want to become an author?

I have wanted to be one since seventh grade when I started writing fanfic, but I never thought I could be one because I have this issue called NEVER FINISH A BOOK SYNDROME. Seriously, every time I would start a book I could never finish it. It was like a disease. I used to cave into every shiny new story idea that popped into my head. So it depressed me because I had all these ideas (1000’s) and no finished book. Finally post-college I got a great paying corporate job that I absolutely hated. We are talking serious depression because I wanted to do something with my life and now that I was finally done with school I thought it would all be over. But money isn’t everything, and so I started writing as a way to cope with that depression (I hadn’t written at all in college because I was too busy between classes and a job). I got about halfway through the first-draft of First Year and finally made a decision to follow my dream. I quit, sold my car, walked to a part-time job by my house and wrote the rest of the week. It was tough, it was the scariest thing I have ever done, I used up all my savings and made a lot of sacrifices, but guess what? This May it will be 3 years since I made the biggest decision of my life and I’m now a full-time writer (yup, that happened!) and I wake up every day with a smile on my face and have the best readers in the world.

4. If you could pick your top 10 book boyfriends/crush. Who would they be and what book are they from?

Warner from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Julian from The Forbidden Game by LJ Smith (top two ULTIMATE). Noah from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins. George from The Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce. Professor Snape from Harry Potter by JK Rowling (hells to the yes, SO HOT). Lord Wyldon and/or Neal from Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce (apparently I have a thing for mean teachers???). Paddy from Titanic: The Long Night by (forgot author name). Michael from The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. Ash from Night World by LJ Smith. Gabriel from Dark Visions by LJ Smith.

5. Last Stand is the final book in the series. What has it been like writing the conclusion to a story that had touched your readers and leaves them wanting more? Will this be the best book in the series? (Do I need to have a tissue box handy?)

Sooooo you are catching me before I have technically finished (I’m about 75-80% done) but I can say it’s been the biggest honor of my life. I wasn’t sure anybody would ever buy my books, let alone read them. I have an incredible fan base of readers and reviewers who have made being an author a dream come true. I love hearing what everyone thinks and I am so READY to see what people think of this book. I can’t say what the outcome will be (I know everyone is scared, hehe, I love the fact no one trusts me to write a happy ending or a sad one, no one knowwwwwwsssssss). Seriously, though, this conclusion (I wrote a rough draft of it) has brought tears to my eyes (not saying which kind). It’s the ultimate ending for me and I think everyone will understand when they read it. This whole series has been emotional but this final book is dark & emotional & real & everything. This book to me is EVERYTHING. This book is the story I have been waiting to tell the whole series. To me it is the best, no doubt. But I can’t say what readers will think. But you will need a tissue box. Book four is nothing but a constant string of emotions and I want to leave my readers battered and bruised the way any good book does where you FEEL SO MUCH that you can’t bare to open a book the next day. If you do, I have failed. Doesn’t matter if the feeling is good or bad, I just want you to FEEL.

6. I know we have talked previously and you talked about a song that inspired your books. How did a song help inspire your story? What was the song?

So the song is Red’s “Lost” >> it’s a religious band, I guess, I didn’t realize that initially but I always interpreted the “you” like any love song where they are singing about another person. That song is epic and amazing and I can’t mention what scene I inspired because that’s the big scene of Last Stand.

7. We hear Authors talking about all the characters chattering away in their heads. Which character of yours is the loudest?

Darren. Definitely Darren. Just because I love writing his dialogue so much. I may think like Ryiah but Darren is just so much fun to write.

8. What made you decide to write in the YA genre?

It’s all I ever read; I never grew up!

9. When you are writing, what do you think is the most difficult process?

Writer’s block. Some authors never get it, but I get it all the time. I also have no steady word count. Some days I write nothing staring at computer all day, other days I could write 6k (2 chapters).

10. How do you keep your characters in line, or how do you keep your world straight without losing your story?

I have a million folders on my computer and subfolders and more subfolders all dedicated to world building and character lists and magic and history and maps, etc., etc.. The sad thing? My world isn’t even that complicated. What I want to know is how the greats like JK Rowling did it!