Interview

Hi Kelley and welcome. I am so glad you could join us here at RomanceJunkies. To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current projects?

 

Hi Brooke, thanks for taking the time to interview me. Right now I am working on edits for the second book on my DARK GODRESS trilogy (BELTAINE’S SONG), but I am also working on a couple of short stories for anthologies. I can tell you that one of them involves spanking and the other one involves an Amazon warrior and a blacksmith. Both are erotic romances, paranormal, and set in historical time periods. I hope I finish them on time. My Amazon warrior story may turn into a novel. I'm not sure yet.

 

Please visit me at my websites:

 

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

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

http://www.king-cart.com/Awe-Struck/category=Kelley+Heckart/exact_match=exact

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjT_r-ZEEGEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5dhDIf42Ls

 

When beginning a new project, what is the first thing you do:  name your characters, decide on the storyline?  Do you outline and then write, or just jump in and begin?

 

I usually have my two main characters and a rough plot with a beginning and ending. The middle is always subject to change because my stories are character driven and my characters like to take over.

 

When did you first know you just had to be an author?  Do you remember your first writing project?

 

I started out writing song lyrics/poetry and then I wrote some short stories before trying to write a novel. I can't remember my first short story, but I'm sure it was pretty bad. I also have a fantasy novel that will never see the light of day. LOL

 

Every writer dreams of getter "the call." What were you doing when yours came?  Who got to hear the good news first?

 

Oh, wow. I don't remember what I was doing when I got the email from Awe-Struck saying they wanted to publish my first story. I think I was in shock. My husband was the first one to hear the good news.

 

What do you like most about being an author?  What do you like least?

 

I love the creative part of writing—developing the characters and the story. I even love doing research. My least favorite part of being an author is the editing process.

 

Who are the pooches in the family?  Who do they like better:  you or your husband? 

 

I have two fur kids. I think they like us both equally, but I am the nurturer—the one that feeds them, grooms them and takes care of them when they are sick. I'm the only one who can put a pill down their throat. My husband won't even try to do that. LOL The dogs run to my husband when they are scared of something like a thunderstorm.

 

Have to ask since it seems so very exciting to me:  how did come about joining a rock band?  Did you guys tour?  Release a CD?  Were you ready for it to end?

 

I grew up on music and always dated guys in bands so I learned to play guitar/bass. Then I answered ads in a newspaper specifically for musicians looking for bands. I didn't really think about it, I just did it. The best part of playing in a band is when everyone comes together on a song and it just sounds awesome—the groove, the power of the music. It's hard to describe, but I miss that part of it. We did tour some marine bases in Southern California and played on the Strip in Hollywood. We released some demo tapes and one professionally recorded tape. I think we have a couple of videos on youtube. The links are on my website. The band was called Driven Steel. That was a great part of my life. At the time I was ready for the end because I was just so burned out, but I miss it.

 

If you had to choose between a beach, jungle or desert vacation which would you choose and why?

 

I like the beach because there is something so magical and calming about the sound of waves hitting the shore. I remember vacationing in Hawaii. We stayed in this condo right on the ocean and I went to sleep to that sound every night for a week. It was awesome.

 

How did you and your husband meet?  Who fell for whom first?

 

We met in a rock club. I wasn't looking for a boyfriend so when he talked to me, I was kind of bitchy to him. I told him I would talk to him if he bought be a drink—and he did. He told me later he was fascinated that I would talk to him like that because he was kind of cocky back then because he was in a band. When he found out I played bass he was hooked. I think we just kind of fell for each other at the same time. We didn't really date. We just hung out together and were soon living together. It was weird. I wouldn't recommend that to anyone else, but it worked for us. It was like we knew each other pretty fast.

 

What is the best way to spend a quiet evening at home?

 

Sundays are movie days here at the house. We have Netflix so we all gather around (dogs too) and watch a movie.

How do you describe Kelley Heckart?  How does Kelley Heckart’s husband describe her? I would say I am a dreamer. My husband would say I am neurotic. LOL I can be a bit paranoid and have a touch of OCD.

 

MORE FUN…

 

Who is the person who has had the biggest influence on your life? Whom will you pass this “influence” on to?

 

I think I am lucky because my family and my husband have always supported anything I do and never tried to tell me how to live my life. Having that freedom really shaped me as a musician and a writer. I don't have any kids to pass my influence on to, but I try to support other aspiring writers in my writers group.

What is the best appliance ever invented?  Why will you defend its worth to one and all?

 

The microwave is the best appliance ever invented. I cook pretty much everything in the microwave. It's quick and easy. What can beat that?

 

If you could be beamed up to any planet for a day, which one would you choose to explore, and why?

 

Venus, the planet named after the Roman love goddess. I want to see if Venus lives up to its name.

 

And lastly, no interview of a writer would be complete without this question:  what is your favorite comfort food?

 

My favorite comfort food is chocolate candy with caramel in the center. It's sweet and gooey and melts in my mouth.

 

Thank you, Kelley, for spending time with us at RJ.  It has been fun.  Continued success with your writing!

By Brooke Wills

Romance Junkies Publishing Editor

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