Heather Kuehl: How I learned character development

Dear Reader,

Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just finished season five and I’m starting season six. I’ve watched this show and its sister show Angel over and over again more times than I can count and it has taught me so much. And not just life lessons. It’s taught me now to create awesome characters.

My favorite Joss Whedon character, development-wise, would have to be Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. When he first stepped on the scene in season three of BtVS, he was a pansy of a Watcher who didn’t have a clue how the real world worked. After Faith went crazy he was fired from the Watcher’s council, and the character transferred from BtVS to Angel. From there, his evolution is just amazing. By the time Angel concludes Wesley is like a bad-ass Giles, carrying a gun and wielding magic in a way no one thought possible back in season three of BtVS.  Seeing this character’s development over the course of the show has taught me how a character should be written. It’s showed me that change takes time and it has to be believable. If a character changes too much over night, readers will never identify with him or her.

Now I can’t write about BtVS without gushing about my favorite character - Spike. I love Spike; I can’t get enough of him. Yep, I’m a Spuffy fan. I think it’s because I started watching BtVS at the end of season three, so I never really cared about the whole Angel and Buffy relationship. But Spike…yummy, hilarious, and a bad boy with a romantic middle. Oh and he writes poetry. Gotta love a bad boy who can wield a pen.

If you are a fan of Joss Whedon, please feel free to tell me who your favorite character is and why. Mal? Echo? Willow? Dr. Horrible? I’m curious.

And, of course, it’s time for my shameless promotion. :o) Please check out my new releases, Dream Lover and Epiphany.

Dream Lover blurb: Denna Rainerd has dreamed about Warren Connelly for the past ten years, their relationship in the dream world hot and passionate. Pity he isn't real...or is he? Warren wishes that Denna was in his real world, but a human in his world would be a liability. He's a Hunter shapeshifter; sworn to protect his world from the darkest of creatures while he's focused on revenge for the death of his brother. Their worlds collide when Warren saves Denna's life, setting up a chain of events that will change their lives forever. Will Denna be able to accept Warren's supernatural secrets?

Buy link: http://eternalpress.biz/people.php?author=273

Epiphany blurb: Everlena doesn't usually go out to clubs, but one night she decides to, on a whim. She meets Mika, a man who is as mysterious as he is delectable. Everlena doesn't know that Mika has plans for her, or that dark forces are out to get her. Mika is the Fey-King of the Unseelie Court. He's trying to find the princess of the Seelie Court, and is shocked to find her living life as a human. Even more shocking is that this human has no clue Mika’s world even exists. Mika must get Everlena to safety while convincing her that a union between her light court and his dark court is the only way to end the violence. With danger around every turn, will Everlena be able to leave her human life behind and take her place as a princess of the Seelie Court? Or will the feelings blossoming between Everlena and Mika get in the way?

Buy link: https://sites.google.com/site/heatherkuehl/epiphany

And don’t forget to check out my other books at http://www.heatherkuehl.com

Heather Kuehl's Top Ten Paranormal Hotties

Dear Reader,

Please welcome Heather Kuehl!

There is nothing readers love more than a super sexy hero or heroine. Here’s a list of my ten favorite paranormal hotties in no particular order; it was way too hard to choose just one favorite.

Eric Northman (Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris; True Blood) – He’s yummy and a real Viking. While he’ll lie and omit details to get his way, it shouldn’t come as a surprise since this is the type of person he is. But even then, a girl could be happy with a guy like him (and let’s not forget that sexy shower scene in Dead to the World).

Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) – The fan fiction books and the season eight comic (published by Dark Horse) has led me to adding Spike onto this list. Even before he won back his soul, Spike was a teddy bear hiding behind his bad boy exterior. Heck, not even Buffy could resist the purr of his British accent in her ear. What makes you think anyone else could?

Rachel Morgan (The Hollows series by Kim Harrison) – It’s no surprise that this ginger witch made it on to my hottie countdown. Not only is she bad ass, but she does so while wearing the sexiest clothes ever described. While she hooks up with almost every eligible bachelor she meets, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she hooks up with Ivy at least once. They’ve been going at the cat-and-mouse game since Dead Witch Walking. It’s about time to give readers what you’ve been hinting at, Ms. Harrison.

Mercy Thompson (Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs) – She’s Native American, turns into a coyote, and works as a mechanic for a living. How is she not hot? Even after finding out that the cover art took liberties with her looks (Mercy only has one tattoo, not the full body artwork the covers depict), I still love her attitude.

Adam (Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs) – He won me over in Iron Kissed. Originally I thought that he was going to be another Richard (from Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series); a tortured werewolf who wants to be nothing but human again. Happily, I was wrong. Adam turned out to be a strong alpha wolf who’d do anything for the woman he loves.

Spade (Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost) – Do you want a tortured vampire in need of some love? Read First Drop of Crimson to see why Spade fits that request easily. While scrumptious Spade can be a bit over protective. To me that is the only down side with this mysterious vampire. I can deal with from protective issues if it means getting to be in his arms for the night.

Zarek (Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon) – If anyone ever needed a hug, Zarek would. Trusting no one, Zarek does his best to stay away from everyone. Because of his inability to follow orders, Artemis has him isolated to Alaska where he can be closely watched. Reader can’t help but pull for him in Dance with the Devil, hoping that Astrid will be able to see the man beneath the monster and make him whole.

Micah (Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton) – Kind, understanding, and loyal…what more can a girl want? With yummy chartreuse eyes and tawny build, this wereleopard could keep me warm on any night of the week.

Jane (Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer) – While I’m not a huge Twihard fan, I must say that Ms. Meyer had a stroke of genius when she created Jane. Jane has no good side to get on, and loves using her ability to inflict pain whenever she can. To me, there’s nothing sexier than a dangerous bad ass in sheep’s clothing.

Pam (Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris; True Blood) – As Eric’s right hand woman, Pam is one not to underestimate. She may like pastels and dress like a girly girl, but she’ll throw down with the best of them. But she has a soft side too, one that comes out when she’s around Eric or Amelia. I wouldn’t mind having Pam at my back during any situation.

This list was harder to compile than I first thought it would be. I wanted a variety of authors, but quickly discovered that the hottest paranormals in fiction were usually created by the same author. And with the hundreds of paranormal hotties out there, I knew that I had to leave some out. So tell me, who would you have on this list and why…

Check out some of my other favorite hotties (a biased opinion…I know) in the Sarah Vargas Series. Books one and two in this series, Fade to Black and Malevolent Dead, are available now from Eternal Press. Book three, Blood Moon, is due out on March 7, 2011.

Fade to Black blurb:

Werewolf bounty hunter Sarah Vargas has only one goal in life; to kill the Were that attacked and changed her. However a slew of werecreature murders send Sarah and her partner, Jared Fontaine, on the mission of their lives, ending with a discovery about Jared’s past that might destroy them both.

Malevolent Dead blurb:

Werewolf Sarah Vargas thought all she had to worry about was the Blood Moon Corporation's retaliation. She never dreamed that another vampire would arrive, disputing Damian's claim over the throne to Charleston, SC. To make matters worse, he is no ordinary vamp; he's a vampire necromancer. He's exceptionally hard to kill, and Sarah will have to do what ever she can to keep those that she loves safe... Even if it means doing the unthinkable.

Blood Moon blurb:

After she broke her contract with the Blood Moon Corporation, Sarah Vargas knew that it was only a matter of time before they came for her. What she didn't know is what lengths they would go to make sure that she had no where to run. Everyone Sarah has every relied on is in danger during a time when friends become enemies, and Sarah quickly realizes that the Blood Moon Corporation will never give up until she is dead. The Blood Moon Corporation is coming, and even Sarah doesn't think she can make it out alive.

Buy Links

Malevolent Dead: Book Two of the Sarah Vargas Series, Eternal Press

Fade to Black: Book One of the Sarah Vargas Series, Eternal Press

Promises to Keep, Eternal Press

Coming Soon

Blood Moon: Book Three of the Sarah Vargas Series, Eternal Press (3/7/2011)

All proceeds from Blood Moon will be going to MUSC Children's Hospital. Please visit http://www.musckids.com/ for more information about this wonderful children's hospital.

Visit Heather Kuehl online at http://www.heatherkuehl.com/,http://www.heatherkuehl.blogspot.com/ or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Heather Kuehl Presents; Promises To Keep, Character Interview

Hello everyone! I’m Heather Kuehl and I have a special treat for you today. T.D. Drake from Promises to Keep is here to talk about being a witch, playing with guns, and her personal reasons for helping Starlette DeFore.

HK – T.D. thank you for being here with me.

TD – The pleasure is mine.

HK – First I have to ask, what does T.D. stand for.

TD - *laughs* That seems to be everyone’s first question, Heather. T.D. stands for Tabitha Desdamona, which is kind of a mouthful for a child to say so my parents cut it down to T.D. Besides, I think T.D. strikes fear in the hearts of nasties everywhere. Tabitha…not so much.

HK – I have to agree with that. So, what exactly are you? And what do you do that requires you to deal with “nasties?”

TD – I’m a witch. The Covenant calls my type of witch an Enforcer because I take out the trash. I also do the odd job for those that require my type of services…for a fee of course.

HK – The Covenant? What is that?

TD – I had forgotten you’re human. The Covenant is a group of witches that govern over other witches. They make the rules, and send me out to “enforce” them.

HK – Is that how you met Starlette DeFore?

TD – That was an interesting set of circumstances. I was hired to take out a sorcerer in Verella…

HK – Take out? What’s Verella?

TD – Patience. I’ll get there. I took care of him and earned me the wrath of his mother, the Dark Lady Dreashae. She came into our world and attempted to kill me. Starlette’s father saved me. In exchange for that deed, he was kidnapped by Dreashae and taken to Verella. I feel that it’s my fault he’s there, and I have promised myself that I will assist Starlette in any way to get her father out of Verella.

HK – And Verella is?

TD – It’s a separate world. Within it lives dragons, centaurs, and other mythical creatures. Go to your library, pick up any high fantasy book, and that is the world you’re stepping into when you travel to Verella.

HK – That sounds, pardon the pun, magical.

TD – Oh it is, until some super powered nasty tries to kill you. Then, not so much.

HK – What type of weapons do you use when dealing nasty things?

TD – In Verella I tend to go medieval since modern weaponry works differently there. When I’m here, I tend to favor the finer things, like my two FN Five-Seven semi-automatic pistols. Now those are bad ass. I also have an FN P90, but I only pull that out on special occasions.

HK – Sounds to me as though you like your guns.

TD – Like? I love them! Have you ever taken out a vampire at 400ft with a wooden stake? I don’t even think Buffy could do that? But with my P90, I can do that and much more.

HK – Vampires? Wow that’s some world you’re immersed in.

TD – It’s your world too sweetie. I just take care of the baddies so you can sleep well at night and pretend the things that go bump in the night aren’t real.

HK – I don’t think I’ll be sleeping too well tonight. Well, that’s all the time we have here today. Thank you again T.D. for taking the time out of your harrowing schedule to answer some questions.

If you want to know more about T.D. and to see whether or not she helps Starlette save her father grab your copy of Promises to Keep, available now from Eternal Press.





Blurb:
Starlette is on a mission, and nothing will get in her way. Starlette DeFore knows that her father is alive, even though her family buried him ten years ago. When a faerie confirms this she travels to Charleston, South Carolina to hunt down Sivad Night, the only person to have ever escaped from the hands of a powerful sorceress, the Dark Lady Dreashae. With help from a witch, Starlette travels into Verella, a fantasy realm filled with centaurs, dragons and magic. She is very close to finding her father, but first must defeat Dreashae. Will Starlette, a mere mortal, have the strength needed to finish her quest and save her father?

Want to read an excerpt? Check out Chapter Seven

Heather Kuehl was born near the Great Lakes, but made her way to South Carolina where she lives to this day. While working at her local library, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and worked on her writing. She is the author of Promises to Keep and Fade to Black (#1 Bestseller in fantasy eBooks on Fictionwise.com) as well as numerous short stories and poems. Visit Heather online at http://www.heatherkuehl.com/, http://www.heatherkuehl.blogspot.com/ or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Welcome Heather Kuehl, and Fade To Black

Hello all.

I’d like to start off by thanking Kayden for letting me be a guest on her blog. My name is Heather Kuehl and I write a lot of paranormal fantasy, a bit of horror, and the occasional sci-fi piece. I’ve published over 40 short stories and one novella entitled FADE TO BLACK.

In fall of 2004 when I started writing FADE TO BLACK, I knew I didn’t want to write about vampires. At least, not make them the good guys. A good author can sense trends before they happen, and I knew that with authors like Laurell K Hamilton and Charlaine Harris getting popular it was just a matter of time before vampire mania struck literary gold. I also knew that there was no way that I could write a book and get it published in time to jump on this. I was hoping that, with the emergence of vamps in literature, other supernatural creatures would become popular too.

I had my own thoughts about vampires and werewolves when I started to write FADE TO BLACK. I’ve always preferred Weres over vamps. I guess it’s just something about getting down and dirty with someone who’s cold, dead, and brooding that doesn’t appeal to me. I hate the cold, first off. Second off, wouldn’t a vamp smell dead? And wouldn’t their skin get all rubbery and nasty? Finally, I had my fair share of emo men in my life at that moment. I didn’t need another one. I know, I know, I was thinking too much into such a simple thing but I have to be attracted to my character’s love interest. I can’t do that when I’m having ew! moments. Weres though…they are warm, so not dead, very strong, and protective of those they love. All of the qualities I happen to like.

I choose Weres because I felt that they would be more likely to fall in love. After all, they have human life spans. A vamp that’s been around forever has fallen in love before. They have been there, done that. They know how to lie and what to say to make a human swoon. A human’s life is nothing but a blink of an eye for them. Would a vampire really fall so deeply in love with a human? I didn’t think so. Jared was created to be Sarah’s love interest, and he is everything that I would want in a Were. Strong. Loyal. Sexy as hell. He has his secrets, and one of them is a doozy.

While doing some research, I realized that Weres had a much more interesting back story than vamps. I mean, of course there’s Dracula and Vlad the Impaler, but relating anything to those myths has already been done in vampire literature. I discovered hundreds of children that had been raised by animals, dating as far back as Romulus and Remus of ancient Rome. How interesting, that a wild dangerous animal can raise a human from infancy. Is it instinct, or something paranormal? Would these children be given any “gifts” to help them cope with their primal life, such as the ability to change into an animal form? That “gift” would create my shapeshifters, but what about Weres? The more I thought about it, the more I decided the origin of Weres would be derived from a curse. After all, the change is painful and Weres are not born. They are made, and being made into a Were is a very painful process. Just ask Sarah.

I had so much fun learning about my creatures, and they had a back story that wasn’t already formed in literature. I could make up whatever I wanted! I didn’t have to worry that someone else had done it first. It was a freeing experience, and was what made writing about Weres come so easily.

I don’t hate the vamp literary trend. I loved the Edward, Bella, Jacob love triangle and I want Sookie to fall in love with Eric. I wish Richard would forgive Anita and get over his emotion baggage and I love Adam’s patience with Mercy. Vamps play a large role in all of my favorite book series. But, like I said earlier, they just didn’t do it for me when I was writing FADE TO BLACK. Maybe when I write its sequel (it looks like Damian is going to play a large role in it).

And speaking of Damian….here’s a little peak at FADE TO BLACK:

One of Damian’s vampires meets me at the door. He’s tall with dyed blue hair falling down his back. His eyes perfectly match his hair and I wonder how he’s able to do that. Contacts? A labret piercing shimmers from his bottom lip. He was wears jeans and a Metallica t-shirt, looking very human. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed he was a vamp if I passed him on the street.

“Damian’s expecting you,” he says as a greeting and leads me into the same sitting room where Jerrikin died. It’s already redecorated. Purple velvet curtains cover the walls, while polished marble replaced the previous floors. The same couches remain, while large pillows on the floor are big enough to be used as seats. The mirror that shone onto the dance floor has already been replaced and I wonder how they were able to fix everything up in such a short amount of time. After all, Jackilin died just hours ago.

Damian was speaks to another vampire when we enter. He smiles and nods his head at me in greeting. The blue haired vamp escorts me to one of the plush chairs and I sit down. I feel like an intruder. I don’t know what makes me think I can be safe here, surrounded by vampires. I admire Damian’s taste in décor in the room. Very nice.

I’ll be with you in a minute Sarah, says Damian in my mind. We are just finishing up some business.

I smile slightly and feel my phone vibrate. Checking it, I see that Jared is trying to get a hold of me. He must be back at Haven, realizing I’m gone. I ignore his call and turn off my phone. My hand shakes with anger and I growl a low warning when Damian touches my shoulder. He doesn’t move his hand, but squeezes slightly.

“Let’s go somewhere more private,” he says in my ear. Damian grabs my suitcase and leads me through a hidden door behind one of the many curtains into a room decorated in nothing but blue and white. A white four-poster bed occupies a corner; the blue silk sheets are embroidered with white. The walls are blue with white trim. Everything matches completely. Once again, I admire his taste. Damian leads me over to a white sofa next to a fireplace. I sit down with Damian across from me.

“How did you know I’d come here?” I ask before I think not to.

“I’d like to think it’s because you trust me.” He smiles at the expression on my face. “But I know that isn’t so. Now, what is your problem?”

I tell Damian about Jared. Damian’s eyes remain impassive through out my speech. By the time I’m finished, I shake uncontrollably on the verge of tears. I take several deep breaths. I need to control myself.

“What will you do?”

“Kill him.”

I hope you enjoyed this little excerpt from FADE TO BLACK. It is currently available as an e-book from Eternal Press: http://www.eternalpress.ca/fadetoblack.html
Or in print at Amazon.com.

~**~Heather Kuehl~**~