Kelley Heckart's Blog, page 26

Weird Word Wednesday

carabineernoun  car·a·bi·neer  \ˌker-ə-bə-ˈnir, ˌka-rə-\Definition of carabineerPopularity: Bottom 30% of words:  a cavalry soldier armed with a carbine
Variants of carabineeror car·a·bi·nier play \ˌker-ə-bə-ˈnir, ˌka-rə-\Origin of carabineerFrench carabinier, from carabine carbine
First Known Use: 1672


Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604 http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Monday Musings: Arizona Jet Stream photos

Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604 http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Weird Word Wednesday

carabineronoun  ca·ra·bi·ne·ro  \ˌker-ə-bə-ˈner-(ˌ)ō, ˌkär-, ˌka-rə-\Definition of carabineroPopularity: Bottom 20% of wordsplural ca·ra·bi·ne·ros1:  a member of a Spanish national police force serving especially as frontier guards2:  a customs or coast guard officer in the Philippines
Origin of carabinero
Spanish, from carabina carbine, from French carabine

Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604 http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Monday Musings: Moon shots

Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604 http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Weird Word Wednesday

carabinernoun  car·a·bi·ner  \ˌker-ə-ˈbē-nər, ˌka-rə-\Definition of carabinerPopularity: Bottom 30% of words:  an oblong metal ring with one spring-hinged side that is used especially in mountain climbing as a connector and to hold a freely running rope
Variants of carabineralso kar·a·bi·ner \ˌker-ə-ˈbē-nər, ˌka-rə-\Origin of carabiner
German Karabiner, short for Karabinerhaken, literally, carabineer's hook


Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604 http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

Monday Musings: A Beltaine's Song excerpt in honor of Beltaine

Prologue“I give you the branch (of victory),Said the crow to the old woman;You are as old as the old grandmother,Long ago, who ate the apples.”‘From Legends of Saints and Sinners’
Eireann, AD 559
Beltaine.The word rang through her mind like a beautiful melody. It was all she remembered.Under cloudy skies, she stood inside a circle of stone giants, the earth vibrating beneath her feet. Touching the weathered stones sparked a familiar sensation inside her, and she knew this place meant something special to her once. Light mist swirled around the powerful stones like restless serpents. In her mind’s eye, she saw cloaked figures moving and chanting inside the circle. Their rich, joyful voices were lost to her now, the once sacred stones abandoned.Sighing, she moved on, wandering the countryside. The clouds parted and summer skies greeted her with a smile. In the distance, puffy white and gray clouds floated against a bright blue sky the color of a robin’s egg. A gentle breeze tousled her hair and the fresh scent of summer, of things fresh and new, brightened her spirits. Swallowed by rolling green hills clothed in a light mist, she walked without knowing her destination, pausing when she came to a break in the hills.Below her sat clusters of roundhouses and fields surrounded by raths. The earthen walls surrounded the homes in a protective embrace. Farther away, a jumble of forest and pasture land rolled to the horizon. Beyond this stretched mixed landscapes of low mountains, vast bogs, and dense woodlands. She descended the hills, passing families moving their cows and sheep to the summer pastures high in the mountains.All around her, the earth sang of life. Milk and honey flowed freely in the summer months. Shimmering fields of wheat sprouted from the well-tended earth, its green grass-like stalks gradually changing to a ripe golden color.It was all familiar and yet foreign to her.She watched all of this taking place around her, the men, women, and children going about their summer chores, smiling, grateful for the blessed time of rebirth. They passed by her with nary a glance in her direction.It was as if she did not exist at all.
While everyone around her exuded happiness, sorrow filled her heart, and she wandered the countryside without purpose, lost and alone.
Beltaine's Song is the second book in my Dark Goddess trilogy, set in Dark Age Scotland. A mix of history and mythology, it is filled with spring themes of new beginnings and loss.
For each of them, spring's song has a different meaning.
Now king and queen of the powerful kingdom of Dal Riata, Aedan and Domelch have more than just Cailleach's wrath to contend with. Aedan struggles with being a king and being a husband. Domelch struggles with her beliefs, trying to be the Christian woman Aedan wed, but her heart still thrums with the voices of old gods. They must battle earthly foes—enemy kings and traitorous allies. For the first time, the arrival of spring heralds the sound of a harsh battle horn as their foes close in. Through all this turmoil, can their love survive?  
Gartnait, the first-born son of Aedan and Domelch, has lived in secrecy most of his young life to escape Cailleach's wrath. Fostered in Fortriu, he has earned his first mark of manhood and on his way to becoming a formidable warrior. He grapples with the awakening of his true destiny and the meaning of the appearance of a beautiful maiden in spring only he can see. Does she mean to harm him? For him, spring brings with it the promise of new love and the thrilling sound of the battle horn, putting those he cares about in danger.*** “Even those who can see the future cannot be certain that the future they see will not change. One small ripple can change the future.” –from Beltaine’s SongThe story of Cardea (now called Domelch) and Aedan mac Gabrain continues…Reading this book makes me ask, again, why humans inflict such suffering on each other, and why we cannot stop fighting each other. Why is it so difficult to truly forgive someone? The ending of Beltaine’s Song is a tear-jerker (my mind decided to play the theme song from Braveheart). And I wonder: can one really find peace in death? I’m looking forward to Book 3, Winter’s Requiem. Review by Jane Li
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/
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Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604 http://www.goodreads.com/kheckartKelley's books on amazon.com:
www.amazon.com/author/kelleyheckart

Tabby's Nocturnal Nights: Signs of spring as Beltaine draws near

Tabby's Nocturnal Nights: 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 parent...

Weird Word Wednesday

carabidnoun  ca·ra·bid  \ˈker-ə-bəd, ˈka-rə-, kə-ˈra-bəd\Definition of carabidPopularity: Bottom 10% of words:  ground beetle
Origin of carabid
ultimately from Greek karabos horned beetle
Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604 http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
Beauty may be the real beast
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Monday Musings: Arizona Cloud Formations #19

Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604
http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
Beauty may be the real beast
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Weird Word Wednesday

capaciousadjective  ca·pa·cious  \kə-ˈpā-shəs\Simple Definition of capaciousPopularity: Bottom 50% of words: able to hold or contain a lot : large in capacity
Full Definition of capacious:  containing or capable of containing a great dealca·pa·cious·ly adverbca·pa·cious·ness noun
Examples of capacious
Origin of capacious
Latin capac-, capax capacious, capable, from Latin capere

Kelley HeckartOtherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.http://www.kelleyheckart.comhttp://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/CelticChickhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604 http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
Beauty may be the real beast
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