Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Donna Grant ~ Interview and Giveaway



The fabulous Donna Grant is here today with an interview and a giveaway! 


Hello Donna! Thank you so much for being here today.

Thanks so much for having me. :)

Why don't we start off by you telling us a little bit about yourself.

I'm a Texan, born and raised. I grew up a dancer and wanted to be a professional ballerina. I made it to New York and did a bit of dancing there before I realized big cities weren't for me. I returned home and became an accountant. lol. Married my husband, and turned my attention to being a writer. I have two kids, four cats, and a long-haired Chihuahua who thinks she's a cat. I love books, anything Scottish, and I love to travel. 

What is your normal day like?

A typical day is getting the kids off to school, reading emails, playing on FB for a bit, then I pull up the current WIP and get to writing. I write 20 pages a day (Mon - Fri). Sometimes I get lucky and I finish those 20 pages before lunch. Other times, after lunch and a workout, I get the rest of my pages done before I have to get the kiddos, and get home to do the Mom thing. :)


What are some of your favorites ~ music, movie, drinks, foods, etc

Music - I'm eclectic in my taste. I love movie soundtracks, classical, 80s, and even some hard rock.
Movies - I love movies. If its historical or fantasy, you know I'm watching it. I also love adventure and drama. Some of my favs are Lord of the Rings, The Mummy, Love Actually, Clash of the Titans (new one), Thor, and Sherlock Holmes.
Drinks - lol. French Martini! I also love wine.
Foods - Italian, Cajun, seafood

Tell us one unusual thing about yourself.

I'm short. Very short (4'10"). People mistake me for a kid all the time. :S

Since it is the start of the holiday season, what is your favorite thing about the holidays and which holiday is your favorite?

I love the merriment of the holidays, the family time (even when I want to strangle them VBG), the decorating, and the food. I start my yearly baking during November and I bake tons of stuff. :) Christmas is my favorite holiday.

Do you have an traditions that you follow?

We do. We open our presents and have breakfast before my folks and brother arrive. We then have gumbo for our Christmas lunch, and once my family leaves, then we get ready and head out for our annual Christmas movie.

Ok so now onto the book...

SHADOW MAGIC is the first book in this series. Mind telling us a little about it? What made you want to re-release it?

Shadow Magic is the first in the Sisters of Magic series about a dying race of witches. It's also one of the few books I set in England instead of Scotland. It was an idea I had that after the first book turned into something so much more. I re-released it because I really enjoyed writing the trilogy and wanted to share it with my readers again. :)

Where did the character and plot ideas come from for this series?

It's been so many years (and books ago) that I don't really remember. I just knew it was an idea I had to write, and I began it the very next day.

What was your favorite part of this book, without spoiling it for your readers of course?

Hmm...I think it would be when Drogan and Serena are traveling alone. Before that they are with their friends and didn't have much alone time. It helped the sexual tension, but I couldn't wait to get them alone. :D

Thank you so much for being on my blog today. It was a pleasure having you!!

Thank you!


With a past soaked in sin and darkness slowly closing in around him to claim his soul, Drogan only wants to live his life in solitude. Years in the king’s service and his numerous deeds directed by the crown have left Drogan with horrendous nightmares and immeasurable guilt...
Serena is a witch, cursed and forever alone. She accepts her future. Until she meets Drogan. With Drogan a passion deep and unyielding awakens inside her. She is willing to sacrifice herself for his love, but can he put his past to rest and embrace the future?
Excerpt:

Hawthorne Castle
Central England, 1127

Jealousy, if left unbridled, could turn a good soul as black as Satan.

And so it was the first time Serena of Hawthorne saw Lord Drogan of Wolfglynn with another woman. The jealousy was instant and sharper than any needle that could pierce her skin. The fact that she hadn’t even met Drogan and so shouldn’t have noted the beautiful woman on his arm did not go unnoticed by Serena.

She was a bana-bhuidseach, a witch, cursed and forever alone. ‘Twas because of what she was, men rarely caught her attention. Except for Drogan.

Her always sure footed feet faltered and then stopped as the excessively crowded great hall allowed her an unobstructed view of Drogan for a heartbeat. But in that moment, his image would be etched in her memory for all time.

People teemed around her, but Serena didn’t notice. She closed her eyes and let her mind’s eye looked over Lord Drogan of Wolfglynn at her leisure. What she saw made her break into a sweat and her soul stirred for the first time.

Dark auburn hair fell straight and thick, with a slight curl at the end, to his broad shoulders. He had a high forehead with gently arching brows over eyes of a rich golden brown. His nose was straight and aristocratic, and his mouth wide and full.

He wore a brown leather jerkin over a deep green tunic that didn’t hide the rippling muscles in his arms and chest. Her eyes moved lower to his thick legs encased in tight leather. Boots, worn but well cared for, encased his feet and calves.

Serena caught of glimpse of something shiny from the top of his left boot, alluding to a hidden dirk. The broadsword and dagger strapped to his waist let all know he was a warrior.

She opened her eyes and found Drogan staring at her. For the briefest of moments, Serena found herself starting toward him before someone bumped into her. 'Twas all she needed to break away. She turned her back on Drogan and the longing in her heart.

Duty called.

Buy it today!!!


For a chance to win an ebook copy of DRAGONFYRE just comment below and tell me what your favorite thing about the holidays is. Do you have a tradition that you follow?




16 comments:

  1. Sharing the holidays with family and friends. On Christmas Eve we open our home to people who have no family close by or have no family left to share the holiday with. Everyone who comes gets a small gift. It's a great time.

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  2. Good morning,Donna and Leagh. What an interesting post, Donna. I love Christmas. The family,friends,cooking,my daughter and I cook homemade candy,butter,cakes,made teas,chocolate.
    The decorating,and decoration. I so enjoy Santa,would love to see another white Christmas.
    Thanks for sharing.
    AprilR

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  3. Hello Everyone! Just wanted to say Thanks to Donna for being here today :) My favorite holiday tradition is every year we meet with my side of the family on Christmas Eve and have a big dinner where we make our own homemade pizzas. My grandma was born and raised in Italy so she started the tradition and we have continued it. After we all eat we have all the kids help with putting the chairs away in the basememt and Santa comes with bells and presents. We then open presents and have a fight with the wrapping paper. It is always a really good time :)

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  4. Thanks for stopping by Rose and April! :)

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  5. My favorite thing about the holidays is spending time with family. I have 5 nieces and nephews (aged 4 to 17) and love spending time with them along with the rest of my family.
    When I was growing up, the whole family would go to my grandparents on Christmas Eve. When you added all their 11 children, in-laws, grandkids, and even a few great grandkids in the mix, it was always crazy. Now that everyone is grown and even more great-grands are thrown in, it is a complete mad house. Since I have panic attacks when in crowds, I stay away, going to see my grandmother when not so many people are around, lol.

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  6. * Family gatherings: for our "branch"
    of the family tree, Christmas dinner
    with our immediate family, it's not
    Christmas if we miss these special
    get-togethers.
    * Singing with our choir at Midnight
    Mass.
    * Presenting a birthday cake and singing "Happy Birthday" to Baby
    Jesus on Christmas Day!
    * Sharing our parish's annual party
    for the Magnificat House residents.

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  7. I am like many people and enjoy the family time. We always have a good time.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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  8. I love the holidays. We have a few traditions. We open up one gift on Christmas eve, then open the rest in the morning. Thanks.

    Areeths at new dot rr dot com

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  9. Before I launch into my Christmas rant, let me say that I love this book and can't wait to read it. Up next - The rant:

    I am a self-admitted Scrooge during the holiday season starting with Thanksgiving. I'm not sure why I've ended up including this holiday unless it's the childhood trauma. LOL!

    I've always felt like I had to defend why a Jew would not celebrate Christmas even though I am not religious. They seem to get a pass. I don;t know how many tiimes I've had to say, "no I don't celebrate Christmas and, no, it is not the same thing as Chanukah."

    I do know folks who really do embrace Christmas as a time for family and not a time to see who got what from whom and did they spend more or less than Aunt Jane. If the consumerism wasn't the focus, I wouldn't be so cynical and bitter. Although, a friend pointed this out to me the other day: if there wasn't the shopping frenzy, our economy would really tank!

    Anyway, that's enough from me. I would love win this book and enjoy it on Thanksgiving when the rest of Amercia are stuffing their bellies and watching football!!

    MJB
    msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com

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  10. I love hearing all the traditions! Thanks all for stopping by. :)

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  11. Hi ladies. The only real tradition that I have kept up over the years (kids are grown and gone, so the days of putting toys together at midnight are over) is my sister and I have exchanged Christmas ornaments every year since forever. Cant remember when we started. It's fun every year to find the perfect ornament for her and to see what she cooked up for me.

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  12. Eh anymore I am a scrooge. Christmas has lost it's appeal to me and became my least favorite holiday. I blame it in part of my in laws and hubby diminishing the spirit. Plus, in the past, my grandmother was like the glue and infused the spirit. It was her favorite holiday and it jsut does not seem the same without her.

    The only joy I get is seeing the boys rip through their presents. The only tradition the hubby and I do is we focus on the boys, forgoing on buying each other stuff until January or income tax.

    Though I do go to see my mother and get my step father's honky rolls he makes just for me. LOL!

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  13. Black Friday is my family's tradition. We love to go out at crazy hours of the morning and shop, shop, shop until we literally drop back home around 8am:) I know it's crazy, but we make it fun and there's alot of people in my family.

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

    yadkny@hotmail.com

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  14. A family tradition is going to the in-laws for family fun on Christmas Eve. They always put out a buffet of food and family and friends will drop in/out throughout the evening...bringing even more food. Folks will play cards, visit, eat...kiss babies. My favorite thing...has always been watching the kids open (tear into) their presents on Christmas morning.

    barbbattaglia@yahoo.com

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  15. My Christmas tradition now that I am married includes listing as many items as I can on ebay of the stuff I have picked up at garage sales all summer long while working long hours at the post office as a window clerk. I love seeing the extra people coming in to mail out packages and being able to help them get it all done. The season just brings out the Santa in me and I have a great ole time with the customers. I wear my santa hat as we get closer and my postal tee shirts that have holiday themes on them which the customers get a kick out of seeing. Then each night I come home list new items on ebay and pack up those that have paid that day to mail off myself the next day when I go into work. I just love being able to offer something that someone else wants to give as a gift. Carolyn
    j-coverholser at sbcglobal dot net

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  16. Thank to everyone for stopping by!

    By random.org I have chosen a winner.

    Congrats to June M.

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Books I've Read and Enjoyed!

Renegade
Nauti Boy
Reno's Chance: A Navy Seals Story
Rescue Me
Honk If You Love Real Men: Four Tales of Erotic Romance
Long Hard Ride
Wild Card
Dangerous Games
Hidden Agendas
Killer Secrets
Maverick
Heat Seeker
Black Jack
Loving Lies
Cowgirl Up and Ride
Tied Up, Tied Down
Rough, Raw, and Ready
Rode Hard, Put Up Wet
Branded as Trouble
All Jacked Up


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