Kelley Heckart's Blog, page 46

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

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 28, 2015 03:00

Monday Musings: Overview of Spartacus—Character studies

I just finished watching the final Spartacus series. One thing that struck me was how many coldhearted characters were on each side, but I think the Romans scored more in this department, starting with the House of Batiatus and ending with Marcus Crassus.

If only Spartacus had been able to forgive for what happened to his wife then maybe he could have escaped and lived out his life. I have to wonder if this lack of forgiveness has something to do with serving gods that don’t preach forgiveness. But despite this, Spartacus, a slave and a murderer, ended up having the kindest heart in my opinion. He gave his life so that other slaves could escape to freedom.

I was surprised that the two remaining warriors from Spartacus’s army were the two gay lovers. But after thinking it over, I realized their love was the truest of them all. Spartacus couldn’t find love after losing his first wife; Gannicus couldn’t find peace after losing Melita who really belonged to his best friend; Crixus couldn’t be satisfied unless he was avenging what happened to his love and she(Naevia) couldn’t rest until all the Romans were dead.

The one that bothered me the most was the coldhearted Marcus Crassus and the way he treated his slave, a slave I thought he loved but then realized she was only a possession to him. But to crucify her—that beat all the rest. Even though she did join the rebellion for a time, it was for a good reason. And yeah, she killed his son, but his son brutally raped her. He couldn’t forgive her? No. He could only see in black and white.

With so much treachery going on, it’s hard to find a kind-hearted character in this bunch. Even the ones who started out as innocent ended up with ice around their hearts. And despite all of this, I couldn’t hate any of these characters because they were so complex in their cruelty. We should hate them but instead we are drawn to them and even feel sorry for them in a way. That’s great writing.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

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

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 26, 2015 03:00

kboards: Book Discovery! (Friday Jan 23)

kboards: Book Discovery! (Friday Jan 23): It's Book Discovery Day! Twice a week we bring you a selection of books that are newly-published, or that have been overlooked. Every ...

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 23, 2015 17:59

Favorite Friday: Sharing a favorite movie

Favorite movie: Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time

A young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time. I really enjoyed the banter between Jake Gyllenhaal’s character ( the prince) and the princess who resents his people for destroying her temple. The mix of magic and some time travel drew me in to the story.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

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

New Release!

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 23, 2015 03:00

Weird Word Wednesday

BABA GHANOUSH ba·ba gha·noush

noun \ˌbä-bə-gə-ˈnüsh\

Definition of BABA GHANOUSH

: an appetizer or spread made chiefly of eggplant, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon

Variants of BABA GHANOUSH

ba·ba gha·noush or baba gha·nouj

Origin of BABA GHANOUSH

Arabic dialect bābaghanūj

First Known Use: 1977

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

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

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 21, 2015 03:00

Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies. Oh My!: Kelley Heckart's THE BEAR GODDESS Spotlight, Guest...

Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies. Oh My!: Kelley Heckart's THE BEAR GODDESS Spotlight, Guest...: Sexy Centaurs Guest Post by Kelley Heckart When deciding on a romantic lead for my nymph in The Bear Goddess, I knew he had to...

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 20, 2015 14:02

Monday Musings: Thoughts on The Red Tent mini-series

This post came about because I read a scornful review by Neal Justin about The Red Tent, a Lifetime mini-series based on a novel by Anita Diamant about Jacob’s (from the Bible) only daughter. What really struck me is why was a man reviewing this obviously female-oriented series in the first place? How can a man possibly understand what female’s have to endure? Well, it was quite obvious that this man had no clue.

The Rent Tent is about Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob. She is only given one line of mention in the Bible. No surprise there. The female’s of Jacob’s tribe, his many wives and their daughters, meet in the red tent during their monthly bleeding and when someone is giving birth, which happened quite often then. The red tent is more than just a place where “its club members gossip like desperate housewives.” But I wouldn’t expect a man to understand. It’s a place where women can bond and share stories handed down from their mothers, where they can go for comfort in dealing with what women had to endure in a time when life was difficult for females, when they were treated like livestock, when they were nothing but a piece of property.

Another quote from the review that bothered me is: “No matter how much you try to beef up the role of the Genesis gals their stories have a hard time living up to the trials and tribulations of Jacob and his favorite son, Joseph.” Really? Is this guy serious? I’d like to see him try to give birth without modern medicine (most women died giving birth in that time period) or be treated like property by a father and then by a husband, to live in constant fear of being sold into slavery or to an abusive husband, of having no control over his destiny. Or how would he like to live in constant fear of being killed for not pleasing a father or husband and have the killers go unpunished because that was the law—women had no rights. Zero rights. How is that for trials and tribulations?

I did agree with one of his comments in the review, which was “It’s a fairly safe bet to say “The Red Tent” won’t be screened at Sunday schools.” Yeah, and you know why? Because no one wants to point out the reality of life as a woman in Biblical times: women weren’t just treated like livestock, they were treated much worse, and this mistreatment came at the hands of the men who are the heroes of the Bible and who the male reviewer places on a pedestal. I applaud author Anita Diamant, for giving a voice to these beautiful, courageous women who are barely mentioned in the Bible. They deserve much more than that.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

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

New Release!

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 19, 2015 03:00

Fifty Authors from Fifty States: Kelley Heckart’s Arizona Desert Home

Fifty Authors from Fifty States: Kelley Heckart’s Arizona Desert Home: I have lived in Arizona since 2001 after living in Southern California for most of my life. I never thought much about the desert, dismi...

It is 12:28 pm and I still haven't worked on my new book, the sequel to Of Water and Dragons, which I was supposed to do today. I keep getting side tracked on the internet-setting up this blog is the reason I haven't written one word today. Does this blog count? I will say "yes" and feel good that I am at least writing something today. The good news is I am finding more sites that will review my book, the most recent at www.midwestbookreview.com. Today I sent off one of my books to New Zealand for review on www.loveromances.com. I feel good that I have accomplished something besides the grocery shopping.