Multi-published author Kelley Heckart lives in Arizona with her musician husband, dog and a number of backyard “pets,” including Godzilla the desert iguana. 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.
I am inspired by the supernatural world and mythology. I like to take these stories and weave my own tales. My latest book is based on Beauty and the Beast and the Greek myth of Lycaon the werewolf.
I start out with a general outline with some story ideas, but it always changes. So I think I kind of mix the two writing processes. I do make character charts so I can keep track of physical traits. There’s nothing worse than having your main character’s eyes change color midway through the story. LOL I also make maps sometimes so I can visualize the settings. I keep notebooks full of information on each story I write. There are bits of dialogue and setting descriptions. Anything I think of I write down so I don’t forget it. I do post some of this in my computer, but sometimes the ideas flow better with a pen and paper.
I hear dialogue in my head probably more than I’d care to admit. 🙂 I don’t talk to them. My characters talk to me. I’m not sure if it’s a gift or a curse.
Write from your heart. Trying to keep up with trends will only drive you crazy and if your heart isn’t in the story, that will show in your writing.
I started out as a published author with Awe-Struck, an ebook publisher. Awe-Struck was bought by Mundania Press and my titles moved over to them. After a few years, I decided to try self-publishing. I hired my own editor and cover artist. I’m discovering that self-publishing isn’t easy and it can be expensive. I appreciate more now what my publisher has done for me. Self-publishing gives you more freedom, which I like, but a publisher does all the work for you, which is really nice. I learned a lot by working with different editors through my publisher, so I would advise new authors who want to self-publish to make sure they work with critique partners and editors before slapping that book up on Amazon.
Thank you for posting my interview.