Fangtastic Friday – Interview with Donna Grant

Please welcome Donna Grant, multi-published author.  Donna Grant has been praised for her “totally addictive” and “unique and sensual” stories.  She’s the author of more than twenty novels spanning multiple genres of romance – Scottish Medieval, dark fantasy, time travel, paranormal, and erotic.  Grant’s newest series, Dark Sword, promises to be her most addictive yet.  Don’t miss this intoxicating series with Druids, primeval gods, and immortal Highlanders that are dark, dangerous, and delicious.

She lives in Texas with her husband, two children, a dog, and three cats.  To learn more about Donna and her books, please visit www.donnagrant.com and www.donnagrant.com/blog.

ETS – Tell us a little about yourself.

Anyone that knows me knows I love anything Scottish and Celtic.  I’m an animal person who just can’t say no to strays. J  I love Italian food, good wine, and good conversation.   I love to travel, read, watch way too many movies and too much TV. 

ETS – First off, congratulations on your CAPA nomination! 

Thank you so much, Dawn!  It was a complete surprise.  There are always so many wonderful authors nominated for the CAPAs.

ETS – Dangerous Highlander just released on the 29^th of December.  Can you tell us about this book?  Is it a part of a series?

Yes, DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER is the first in my new historical paranormal Dark Sword series.   In the first book you’ll meet Lucan MacLeod.  He’s one of three brothers who battle a primeval god inside them, unbound by a Druid intent on taking over the world.

Lucan and his brothers have hidden away in their castle for three hundred years.  That is until Lucan meets Cara.  And his world is turned upside down.  Now, Cara is pulled into Lucan’s world of Druids and magic, and a love that will stand the tests of time.

ETS – Your world is based on magic and Druids.  How did you decide on this environment for your characters?

Britain itself is steeped in mystery and lore.  It’s easy to imagine that land once felt the magic of Druids.  I chose Druids because there is so much history on them, but no one can say for sure if they sacrificed humans or if they were the scholors and healers of the times.  

I knew I needed a strong legend for this series.  What better way to begin that legend than with Rome?  For whatever reason Rome wasn’t able to take northern Britain, no matter how hard they tried.   Of course, my imagination as a writer went into overdrive.  Magic, Druids, Scotland, and legends.  What better way to begin a series?

ETS – Coffee or chocolate for the rest of your life, and you can only choose one…

Since I’m highly allergic to chocolate, I’d have to take coffee.

ETS – You’ve combined two of my favorite things…Dudes in kilts and paranormal elements.  :)  How much research goes into your books?  Do you research during or before you write?

My genre of choice is Medieval Scotland, so I’ve done research for several years as I’ve written.  I still love to crack open those books and see what new kernels of information I can find though.

Because I’ve done so much research over the years, I don’t have to do a lot before I begin writing.  There are times I do have to stop and check a few things to make sure I’ve gotten it right, or as correct as I want/need it to be in my series.

ETS – What DO they wear under those kilts?  (Please say nothing…please)

Lol.  Trust me – nothing.

ETS – Can you tell us what you’re working on now?

I’ve been lucky enough that my publisher asked for three more Dark Sword books.  I just turned in the fourth and I’ve begun the fifth book.

ETS – What piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Never give up.  Listen to advice given to you, but always follow your heart.

ETS – Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today!

Thank you!  I’ve enjoyed it immensely.

ETS – You can learn more about Donna and her books by going to her website.

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Donna is giving a copy of Mutual Desire away to one lucky commenter.  The winner will be announced tomorrow.

Happy 2010!

Thursday’s Treat

What shall I pull out of my inspiration folder this week?

 

How about this to warm us up?

 

 

Enjoy! <G>

Life in the Rear View Mirror

Imagine your life as a car.  You are the driver.  The car is your life.  The road is your destiny which will fork and split depending on your decisions.  Sometimes destiny is well marked as a good map.  Other times, you may take a few wrong turns but will eventually find your way once more.

Regardless of the route you take, the one constant is the past, staring back at you in the rearview mirror.  Why is this significant?  Because only by keeping an eye on the past can you move forward with any kind of certainty.

This past weekend, I sat down and wrote out my goals for the 2010 writing year.  Am I dreaming big?  Probably.  Am I shooting for possibly unrealistic goals?  Most likely.  But where would anyone of any kind of success be if they merely dreamed in mediocrity?  I’m planning 4 full length (75K or over) books for 2010.  At this point, only one novella is planned.  Which is not to say I won’t write more or meet those goals but I’ll try.

That’s part of the challenge and all of the fun.

2009 was my debut year as a published author.  To say it was crazy is a vast understatement of how it felt to live through the chaos.  Yes, book releases for 2010 are stacked up like taxing planes in Charlotte’s airport but that is because I had a mess of “banked” work.  I now need to refill the bank and wait for a lull in my release schedule—in 2011.

Why was 2009 important?  Name recognition.  As a new author, one of the toughest jobs you have is convincing folks to buy your books over someone who’s been tried and true in the industry.  Have I accomplished this?  To a certain degree but not nearly as much as I would have liked.  With each new day, I make a tiny bit more headway in the crowded waters.

But 2009 taught me a hard lesson.  Slowing down in 2010 is a must.  Yes, those in my inner circle know I just cranked out a short story in one day.  It was a one off sort of thing because my muse nearly strangled me.  She was a bit miffed to be on hiatus for awhile.  Not she’s been appeased and has flown off for the islands.  I hope her bitchy self gets a sunburn.

My point in this ramble?  Set a list of goals for yourself.  You may meet all of them.  You may meet none of them but at least you’ll have a road map to guide you through the pitfalls that will come your way on life’s highway.

As Kasey Kasem once said “Keep your feet on the ground but keep reaching for the stars.”

Power on and here’s to a successful and happy 2010.

Crafting your New Year’s Resolution…pantser or plotter?

Alright, it’s that time of year again where you step in front of the mirror, take the cookie between your teeth and use both hands to press your tummy in and think, “I’m gonna lose twenty pounds this year”. Yep, it’s New Year’s resolution time.

And isn’t there just something so alluring about a fresh start? Like a do-over without losing anything you’ve accomplished over the past year.

The start of a new year is like being poised to write a new book…

Everyone approaches it in a different way.  There are your plotters;  those whose resolutions find their way onto a sheet of paper ( or spreadsheet. wink wink ) with prioritized detail for each upcoming chapter in their coming year. For those people, you can almost bet getting better organized ranks in the top ten.   You know I’m right. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Then you have your people like me…the pantsers.  We New Year’s Revolutionists (no that is not a typo) don’t have a specific path set out before us. We are the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants types, thus the name.  Yeah, I could use to lose…the pounds, the attitude, the clutter…you know, the usual. Believe me, I’m more than aware of how my story needs to end but I’m more inclined to let the events of the year help decide how I get there.  I’m as reactionary in my life as I am in my writing. Why limit my imagination by what I know now?  Who knows what I will learn tomorrow that may change my goals?

So what kind of New Year’s Resolutionist are you?

Ultimate Cover Clash Continues…last week!

All month we are have voting fo the Ultimate Cover Clash. Stop by and vote for your favorite! In January, we will announce the winners. The cover artist and author will each receive a “Best of 2009″ Thorn button and a sterling silver charm, courtesy of all of us at Embrace the Shadows. Vote soon, the poll will be closed this Sunday and we will announce the winners on Monday morning, January 4th.

Have a great New Year everyone!!!

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Embrace the Shadows. 

Thursday’s Treat

Hmmm… It’s so close to Christmas. I should be able to find something to put in everyone’s stocking…

 

 

How about waking up to this Christmas morning?

<G> Merry Christmas everyone!

 

Ho, Ho, Ho

If you’re my friend on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/#/barbarajhancock?ref=profile ) then you already know about my fascination with a certain Belk commericial that I first caught a glimpse of a couple of days ago.  Um, that’s putting it mildly.  The commercial came on and everything I was doing came to a screeching halt! lol

Of all the paranormal romance heroes I have dancing through my head, I never once considered the Jolly Old Elf himself in that light…not at all!

Today, to wish you all a Merry Christmas, I’m sharing the commercial with you.  It’s called Santa’s Secret.  Enjoy!!

My Identity Crisis

As I’ve been going around the internet to promote my latest novella, certain questions have been circulating in the back of my mind. Exactly what does it take to become a published author? And how do I know when I have arrived at this goal?

You would think the answer is obvious, but it isn’t. With the recent advances in technology, the definitions have become blurred. One person’s view of what it means to be published isn’t the same as another’s.

Case in point: I wrote a manuscript and wanted some feedback. So, I started looking at the rules for various Romance Writer’s of America (RWA) chapter contests and found that the criteria for both the published and unpublished categories varied. While my 30k novellas make me published in some eyes, in others I am still firmly in the unpublished category. So what am I?

Maybe it isn’t just me who’s confused. Recently, Harlequin announced the winners of their annual Presents Contest. Many writers were shocked to learn that the top two winners were published authors — one of them already published with another Harlequin line. This contest was marketed toward unpublished authors, and many felt betrayed by the results. Unpublished, according to their rules, meant anyone not contracted by Harlequin Presents. Following those guidelines, an author such as Sherrilyn Kenyon would be considered unpublished and eligible for the contest. Confused yet?

The line between published and unpublished was further blurred when I went to set up an author page on Amazon. You see, I can’t. According to them, I’m not published because none of my books are in print. This is despite the fact that they sell my books on their site (Kindle edition).  So Amazon makes money off my books, but won’t give me the recognition of being a published author, or help me set up a community for my fans on their site.

Then there is this whole PAN and PRO subgroups of RWA (Romance Writers of America). If you write and finish a manuscript, then you are considered serious about your writing and can enter the PRO group of RWA, a group geared toward unpublished writers seeking publication. In order to graduate to PAN (Published Author Network), not only do you have to publish, but you need to make $1000 in advances or royalties, effectively excluding a lot of epublished authors out there — like me.

And finally there is the whole quagmire of ”self-published” vs “contracted” through a publisher. If you are self-published, are you really “published”? Some say yes, others… not so much.

With no clear lines defining published vs unpublished, it seems like everywhere people are confused. I know I am. It doesn’t look like the definitions will clear up anytime soon, either. 

People like to put things in categories and label them. It’s in our nature. In December, I make it a habit to write a list of everything I have accomplished in the past year. Seeing this list helps me to put things in perspective and gives me a sense of identity. So you see, how other people define me really shouldn’t matter. Quite often it doesn’t. Every once in a while it does become a little frustrating, however. Especially when these labels exclude me from accomplishing some of my personal goals.

So how about you? How do you define yourself? Are you a parent? A teacher? A writer? What were some of your accomplishments in 2009? What do you hope to accomplish in 2010?

The Ultimate Clash of the Covers Continues…

All month we  have voting fo the Ultimate Cover Clash.  Stop by and vote for your favorite! In January, we will announce the winners. The cover artist and author will each receive a “Best of 2009″ Thorn button and a sterling silver charm, courtesy of all of us at Embrace the Shadows. Feel free to comment here what it is about a good book cover that makes you pick it up.

And Happy Holidays from everyone at Embrace the Shadows!!!