Interview with Kelley Heckart – Kate Hill's Romance, Writing, and More Blog

khthebeargoddescover_small_final Hi Kate, Thank you for having me as a guest on your blog today.

Would you tell us about your latest release?

My latest release is The Bear Goddess, a retelling of the Greek myth about Callisto, the nymph who betrayed Artemis. In my story, the nymphs aren’t the typical benign nymphs seen in classical Greek paintings or described by classical Greek writers. My nymphs are the Oreades, or mountain nymphs, fierce warriors and shapeshifters who guard Artemis’s forest and serve as her hunting companions.

Do you have an excerpt from your latest release you would like to share?

Sure, here is a short excerpt:

She hurried to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He bristled at first, and then he welcomed her into his arms. The rest of his anger disappeared. Callisto had a calming effect on him, and having her body against him awakened his love for her. He understood she had never meant to hurt him. “I am so sorry that our time together was so short.” He embraced her as tightly as he could without hurting her, fearful she had met with him to say a final farewell.

“And I am sorry I cannot give you what you want,” she whispered, laying her head against his chest.

He smelled the alluring, flowery scent of her hair and skin, a scent that would forever remind him of her. “How much time do we have?”

“We have the night.”

He loosened his embrace, sensing their reunion came with a price. “Did Maia send you to finalize the terms with me?”

She met his gaze. “Yes.”

“She cannot give me what I want so she thinks you can persuade me to accept her terms?”

A grave look darkened her eyes. “They are my terms.”

“Then what are your terms?”

“Do you want to do this now? We have time to…”

“To what? To worsen my pain since we only have this short time together? To push the blade deeper into my heart?” His throat tightened against the anguish he fought. He knew exactly what she was going to say to him. Losing her would bring back the grief he had put behind him. He would suffer a terrible loss all over again, and this loss would be worse because he loved Callisto more than he’d loved anyone else.

What makes the hero of The Bear Goddess hot?

Kasin is a centaur who can take human shape so he is a mix of dangerous and forbidding in his pure black horse body and handsome and strong in his muscular human body. Since he has such unusual parentage, he isn’t ill-mannered and savage like the other centaurs and treats Callisto with respect.

Would you share a favorite quote from your latest hero, heroine or villain?

Here is a quote from my hero, Kasin, a centaur who can take human shape: “Yes.” He rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “I cannot bring you unclothed into a village full of lusty centaurs.”

What three words would the hero of your story use to describe his love interest?

Beautiful, stubborn, courageous.

What three words would the heroine of your story use to describe her love interest?

Powerful, respectful, fiercely handsome.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?

I like to practice target archery using a traditional recurve bow at least once a week with an author friend who shares my passion for medieval traditions. I thought it would be a good way to connect with some of my female characters who are archers. Also, archery is a great way to get away from the computer and enjoy the outdoors.

Name three fictional characters (not your own) that you find hot. They can be from books, movies, or TV.

Duncan MacLeod from The Highlander TV series, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and most recently, Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow. As you can see, I have a thing for British/Scottish accents.

Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

I find inspiration in myths, the supernatural world and ancient and medieval history. I like to take a character, for example a nymph, mentioned in a brief passage either in a history text or legend and bring that character to life, give her emotions and real dilemmas, or take a savage creature like a centaur and turn him into a likeable hero.

khkel-author-pic_book-exchange-2012 Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romances