Kelly Heckart - Of Water and Dragons

Tell us about your heroine - the female lead in your book.

What's her name?

Nemu.

Why did you pick that name?

I wanted something exotic sounding because she is half-human and half-faery. Actually, that is a shortened version of her real name. Her real name can not be pronounced by mortals. Give us a brief description of how she looks. Long black hair, green eyes, translucent white skin and white feathery wings. She is under five feet tall.

Is there anything unusual about her appearance?

Yes, her white wings.

Who does she love? Why?

She loves a human called Ambiorix. They were fated to meet so it was destiny for them and in the next book, we find out that she has known his soul before. Does this person love her? Yes, but it wasn't always easy for them. It seems as much as they were destined to meet, there are obstacles trying to keep them apart.

Tell us about her family.

Her father was human, a Greek sailor whose ship washed up near what is now called Skara Brae. One day he was fishing and caught Nemu's mother in his fishing net. After Nemu was born, her mother had to return to the sea so her father raised her. Nemu's mother and the rest of her kind were once human and were cursed to be faeries that had to stay under the sea. Because Nemu was half-human, she was able to stay on land.

Where is she from?

Nemu was born in Scotland (Alba) around 916 BC.

Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?

I think so. She hates the Romans and sympathizes with the Celts. What does she want out of life? She is lonely, having lived most of her life in the thick forest near the highlands so when she meets Ambiorix, she is smitten with him. She also wishes she were human so he will love her.

What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)

Nemu has a lot of secrets, some she is not even aware of yet. She is not perfect and did something that caused thousands of people to die. Of course, the Roman legions were involved.

Did you write more than one story about her?

Yes. The next book, Ravenwolf will be released on September 7, 2007 and I am working on a prequel to the series. Nemu turned out to be one of my most prolific characters so far.

How would she describe you?

She would probably think I was a weak mortal, but I think we would get along. There are some things we share. Nemu has a hard time opening up even to the one she loves. I have a tendency to do that and not realize I am doing it. We also share a love of music, but she has a beautiful singing voice. Alas, I was not given that gift.

It was wonderful to meet her. Thank you for bringing her to meet us.

Kelley Heckart
Author of Of Water and Dragons

"an appealing amalgam of magic, erotica, military history, and romance that will leave readers breathless in its wake." Ellen Tanner Marsh, NYT best-selling author
http://http://www.kelleyheckart.com/