heathersmithstarr

[heathersmithstarr]

“Having a mate isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s a rare occurrence nowadays. For most, it’s considered just another fairytale. A story for mother’s to tell their pups, instilling the belief of true love and love at first sight. Of course, everyone knows what a mate is. Each pup has heard the tapes and could recognize the signs. The great bond of Ezekial and Rhea, the first mated pair that began the werewolf race, is legend.” - Shadow of Twilight, Prologue

Below is a picture of Amelia. My fiesty, head strong, kick ass female lead.

[heathersmithstarr]

A tease

Mingling with the dancers, she moved her hips with the beat of the techno music. She felt the music take control of her body, her hips rocked harder, her fingers gripping the roots of her hair, raising them in the air and back down her body. She could feel the pressure of the bodies around her, their energy, their minds. Most of them were pleasantly numb from alcohol, others enjoying the thrill of the chase and the music. She moved her hips in a circular motion, her fingers tapping against her hipbone with the tempo of the pulsing base.

The music began to slow down, turning into a soft sultry sound. She looked around trying to find Beth. She finally spotted her with Brian in the back of the club among the shadows and knew what they were up to by the tone of their thoughts. As she tried desperately to remove the sounds of grunting from her mind she felt herself turn her gaze to a guy, not far from where Beth and Brian were, leaning against the wall among the shadows where the strobe lights didn’t reach. The only thing she could make out among the them were his eyes. They were the lightest shade of blue she had ever seen and they were staring right at her. She could feel herself gravitating towards him but kept her feet firmly planted where she was.

She could sense his presence in her mind but for the first time in her life she could not read it, she could only catch a glimpse of his emotion. She could sense he was anxious and eager, which seemed odd to her. She felt something darker lie beyond, she tried to push her way in but stopped as she noticed him pushing himself off the wall, making his way through the crowd straight for her. The corners of his mouth twitched up, she could feel her heart flutter wildly inside her chest. His hair was a black unruly mess that made her want to run her finger through. He had high cheekbones, thick neatly trimmed eyebrows and full kissable lips.

He finally reached her, stopping just a hand space away. She noticed he was fitted in all black, not like Brian who looked rustic, but more formal. He had a charcoal dress shirt fitted to his body, she could make out the curves and dips of his bicep underneath the thin fabric and his solid chest. The top two buttons were open to reveal a patch of cool, creamy skin.

She could feel his eyes wandering over her body just as she was doing with him. Heat rushed to her face, feeling slightly self-conscious at the scrutiny, but she refused to let it get the best of her. She could only imagine what she looked like after whipping her hair about, her guess was a wild animal. She looked up into his face and realized he was a good six inches taller than her even with her heels on. She met his cool gaze with her own and gave him an alluring smile.

Surprised by her wild beauty that captivated every part of him he seized her hand. He felt static electricity race up and down every part of him and from her expression he knew she felt the same. He pulled her in closer, their bodies touching. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest, his heart picking up speed as their bodies swayed to the music, or maybe it was just her heart he heard. His hand rested on the small of her back, his thumb brushing against her skin giving her gooseflesh, keeping her body pressed up against his.

She rested one hand on his bicep, hard muscle flexed under his cool skin, the other resting on his waist. She was nervous to meet his gaze, afraid to break whatever spell they were both under. The air around them felt charged and electrified. Their breathing was deep and heavy as their bodies moved faster together, her heart matching the quickening tempo of the music. He dipped her body backwards, her hair grazing the ground, bringing her back up in a slow arch until their chests were touching once more. Her hair fell around her, covering her shoulders, back, and both of their chests. She risked it all by looking up into his eyes something she’d been desperately dying to do. They didn’t do him justice looking at them from across the room. The inner iris was made of thousands of diamond facets reflecting every shade of blue possible.

“Who are you?” She asked finally finding her voice.

He seemed startled by the sound of her voice but quickly composed himself, his lips twitching, forced into a smile. “Donnie.”

Carolynn grabbed a fistful of his shirt and lowered him down to her, she rested her cheek against his. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck, the scent that came off him was of fresh pine on a crisp winter morning making her insides shiver as she licked her lips lightly. She whispered softly just loud enough to be heard over the music. “It was nice to meet you. Donnie.” She untangled herself from his arms and left him standing on the dance floor, alone.

[heathersmithstarr]

Anyone else psycho like me and started outlying an entirely different book series while still writing another series. Totally different theme, characters, plot. All of it. Yep call me crazy but I have such ideas I gotta get em out. Going from demigods and angels to werewolves...yep only silently different right?

[heathersmithstarr]

I’ve started watching Poldark and omg. On one hand I’m glad I waited cause now I can binge all the episodes, but damn it’s good. I just finished season 2 and did anyone want to scream at Ross through the television? Like bro! I never once heard you apologize and show any type of regret to your wife. She’s in pain and you just pretend like nothings happened! I’d back hand you too...maybe worse lol

[heathersmithstarr]

I love Heidelberg! Is that where you’re stationed?

We were lucky enough to be stationed there back in 2012 for a year before they closed the post. Now we live about an hour west. I still try to visit it as much as possible.

[heathersmithstarr]

Yes i’m a little late to the party, BUT, I just finished Medici, the Netflix series, and omg it was amazing. First of all, makes me want to fly straight back to Florence ASAP. Yes I knew of Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, but man Cosimo and Lorenzo were something else. 

Richard Madden did an amazing job in the first season. How off putting he was, so cold and stone faced, yet so emotional all the time. His eyes say it all and damn is he gorgeous. Did anyone else find it ironic that his father in law was Walter Frey????? Anyone? No? Just me? I kinda yelled at the TV when they shook hands. “He kills you!” Then I laughed. Of all the actors to hire. 

If you enjoy period drama shows, Medici is not one to skip.

[heathersmithstarr]

This song is seriously the theme song for Book 1: Stars Ascending.

When words fall short, Music speaks.

[heathersmithstarr]

A little snippet from the beginning of my Book.

18 Years Ago

Crashing through the brush she held the bundle tight to her chest. Her legs were shaking with exhaustion, sweat dripping down her neck on the cool fall night. The full moon over head was stained red making the forest around her appear more sinister than it had right too. She leaned against a spruce tree gasping for breath. She had no idea how far she ran or where she was, but the sound of pursuit was distant, yet still present.

Normally she’d be able to outrun them with ease but exhaustion was threatening to take her over. She felt a warm wetness spreading down her thighs making her leggings stick to her skin. Yet another reminder of why she had to keep going. She must be getting closer. For a brief moment she remembered the one she left behind. Quickly she shook her head banishing the thoughts. She couldn’t be distracted now, she knew he could handle himself. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself making sure her hood was snug over her head. She couldn’t risk them realizing who she was. She felt the bundle begin to stir against her chest causing her heart rate to accelerate, her breast tingling with warmth.

She pushed off the tree and continued running through the woods, narrowly avoiding exposed tree roots and ducking under low hanging branches. The weight of the long sword strapped on her hip was beginning to weigh on her. Luckily, she remembered to grab it before fleeing knowing she would need it soon. Noticing the trees changing from spruce to pine she veered left deeper into the wood directly onto a path carved out among the greenery. She slowed her pace from a run to a quick paced walk, the bundle in her arms stirring more as it began to wake up.

The woman could feel the blood loss taking its toll on her body as her movements became less subtle and more forced. Her stomach was beginning to cramp tightly, definitely not a good sign.

“Shit!” she exclaimed as she stumbled over a fallen branch.

Her voice startled the baby causing her to jump in her arms. She held tightly onto her, the voices were catching up. She could hear their yells for her getting closer, along with the noise they made tearing their way through the wood startling creatures from their sleep. She hummed to the baby in an effort to calm her as well as her own nerves. Her eyes were frantically searching her surroundings looking for any sign.

She stumbled for a second time, this time over a gnarled tree root she failed to see, and fell landing hard on her knees. She gripped the baby tighter praying hard not to lose consciousness just yet. Her knees were screaming in pain sending sharp jolts up her thighs and into her back. She sat back on her heels and tipped awkwardly to the side cradling the baby against her chest. Bending her head down towards the baby she breathed in her sweet smell.

She snapped her head up at the sound of leaves being crushed into the earth, shrubbery crunching as it was being pushed aside. The sound was coming from ahead of her, not behind her, even though her pursuers were getting closer and closer by the second. She didn’t have much time left before they would be on top of her. A very large shape came into view, she gasped as a large black bear was moving slowly towards her. As the creature got closer she realized it wasn’t a bear but an extremely large wolf. The wolf was completely black, all except for his back left paw, which was snow white, and his gray blue eyes that stood out against the night.

“Crap, Kai. You scared me.” She said sighing with relief. She had made it.

The wolf approached her steadily, stopping just in front of her, sitting back on his hind quarters. She looked back over her shoulder, the men chasing her couldn’t be more than two hundred yards away. They’d be here any moment. It was better this way. She didn’t think she could live through a drawn-out goodbye.

She looked down at the baby she carried. The baby she felt growing inside of her for months, the child that she loved and cherished and still had to give up. She knew she was doing the right thing. If she wanted her to live, this was the way it had to be, but that didn’t stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. The baby opened her eyes, the very same eyes as the child’s father, a startling light gray color that would make even the hardest of men uncomfortable. The baby looked at her with such clarity it was unsettling. Her skin shone under the moonlight giving off a silver hue. The power rolling off the babe, only an hour old, was coming off her in alarming waves.

Unraveling the baby from her cocoon of blankets, she rewrapped her in them, creating a sling of sorts that would easily be able to be gripped in the jaws of the giant wolf. Making sure she was completely secure she began tugging on the wrappings ensuring they wouldn’t loosen. Satisfied with her work she laid her hand on the wolf’s shoulder and bowed to the alpha.

“Thank you.” She whispered. Quickly she bent down to her child now dangling from the jaws of the wolf and quickly brushed a kiss on her forehead. “I love you so much. We will see each other again.”

Her heart tearing itself to shreds as she forced herself, turning her head away from them. She could hear the wolf, not waiting a moment longer, moving briskly through the woods the way he came. The last bit of energy that she clung to escaped her as she collapsed on the forest floor. She wanted desperately to reach for her sword but she knew better. She couldn’t hold it up even if she wanted too, let alone carry her own body weight. Her body was giving out, she could feel it. Her blood loss was significant and darkness was fast approaching. She gripped her empty womb as the sobs raked through her body, her vision blurring as the darkness overcame her. She prayed for the babys safety as she thought she heard wings flapping hard against the air nearby. Darkness swallowed her whole, a blinding white light filled her with warmth.  

[heathersmithstarr]

I don’t know if many of you know where my cover photo is from, but if you’ve ever visited Germany, you may have visited the romantic city of Heidelberg. Back when I was twenty I got the amazing opportunity to live in Germany with my husband for three years. For our first year in the great country of giant pretzels, beer feasts, and schnitzel, we got to live in Heidelberg. If you ever get to visit Germany, Heidelberg is a must see city.

Now the reason I am sharing this is because Heidelberg, Germany is one of the main locations I am using in my second book. The city is rich in history with its perfect location on the Rhine Neckar river, the old castle ruins, and every summer the city holds a giant firework show the first weekend every month to commemorate the burning of the castle.

Heidelberg is a place of awe inspiring beauty and captivates the soul. I am living in Germany for my second round of three years now. I live a little over an hour away from the best city in Germany but I think of it often. I get to relive its winding streets, lively atmosphere, and fantastic food every time I write about it.

*Not my photo

[heathersmithstarr]

What drives an author?

Sometimes I think about the different elements to a story that acts as the driving force. Whenever I’m reading a book or even watching a show or movie, the number one thing I always connect with is the web of relationships built within a story. Not everyone shares this view. Some are in it for the adventure, the fantasy, or even the darker side of life. Whatever it is each writer is different and each reader interprets the material differently.

When I write a book my main concern is, am I conveying these characters connections enough? I want a reader to laugh at their bad jokes, shy away from embarrassing moments, or feel their chests go full and heavy during an intimate moment that was built up over time. Those moments are important to me, because that’s how I connect to everything I do. Some stories are different. For example, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, his series is all about Eragon’s journey to becoming a dragon rider. Yes, of course I care about the main character over the arch of the story but the main telling in the book is about his journey, his adventure to discovering the legacy of dragon riders and his own past. Harry Potter is about friend ship, love being more powerful than evil. There’s a message in every one of J.K. Rowling’s books.

For me, anytime I write I am reminded of a behind the scenes clip I watched for Charmed. Not the new garbage released by the CW, the original badass sisters. Yes, Charmed is and always be my all-time favorite television series, Buffy coming in a good second. Anyways back to what I was saying. One of the Charmed creators discussed the creating of the show and he said, “It’s about three sisters who happen to be witches, not three witches who have to be sisters.” Ever since I saw that interview, something clicked. I finally understood why I had such an understanding with Charmed. Why nearly every episode made me cry. Why every time Leo and Piper fought, I got so emotionally invested. Because it was about the people, not the magic. The sisterhood always came first, their relationships are what hooked us all in.

You can call me a hopeless romantic or whatever you like but relationships to me are one of the most important parts to a story. Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments, Dark Artifices, and Infernal Devices, does an amazing job at this. Each book, no matter how many characters, she makes you fall in love with each and every one of them. You instantly become attached and concerned for each of the characters in her book. She string’s each of her characters, weaving them all in tightly together into such a tangled web of love, friendship, and loyalty, that makes you stay up till 3 in the morning trying to find out what happens next.

Now I know I’m not gonna win any points for this, you may hate me, mind you I am obsessed with the show, yes even the last season, but Game of Thrones books ... I can’t stand them. Too many characters and not enough fluidity in the chapters to draw me into each one. They felt choppy and disconnected. The show had a better time connecting the characters than I feel the books did. I was totally that person who skipped through the book only following a handful of characters throughout the bookseries. I just couldn’t get invested in some of them, no matter how hard I tried.

An author’s story language is what keeps them coming back for more. There are about four authors that I follow religiously, buying up each new book as soon as it hits the shelves. What keeps me coming back? The relationships. The way the author is able to weave a story through people, not an epic journey, not on some mysterious quest, but the people we experience those journeys through. That’s what I hope to convey with my own writing.