Interview With Donna Grant

I've been reading Donna Grant's Druid Glenn series, featuring fae, Highlanders and historical goodness that I have truly enjoyed. She's such a wonderful, prolific author and this older series has given me a great place to start. I was given the opportunity to read and review her new Halloween themed novella, Primal Heat, and jumped at the chance to interview her as well. This story is a bit of a switch for Donna because it her first romance set in contemporary times plus it mixes a bit of sci fi, time travel and a unique take on werewolves. I really enjoyed it, and will be sharing my thoughts plus a giveaway in the next post!

Brenda: Donna, I just finished Primal Heat and loved it. It had a completely different take on werewolves plus it had a little bit of sci fi, time travel and a lot of romance.

Donna: Brenda, I'm so glad you enjoyed PRIMAL HEAT. It is different than anything I've written before, but it was so much fun to write.

Brenda: It must have been hard to pack so much into a novella. Did you have to cut/edit a lot after writing it, or were you able to keep it on track from the beginning? Did you find that hard to do?

Donna: For me, I love writing novellas. When an author writes a full book, we can pack in as many secondary characters, and even a secondary story. We can go on and on about a scene or some inner reflection for a character. But for a novella, an author has to learn to choose her words wisely. We have to learn to condense a story into two main characters only. It's not always easy. Novellas can teach an author a lot, however. It helps an author to learn to build tension quickly as well as to keep a story fast paced. So, when I sit down to write a novella, a pantster like me who doesn't plot out a book, I have to remember the book is just about the two characters I have. In that, I can generally do all right on the word count and not have to cut anything.

Brenda: Do you think you'll visit this world again in another story?

Donna: Actually, I've had several emails from readers asking me to give Stefan his own story. This was just meant to be one novella in for a Halloween project, but it might turn into much more. :)

Brenda: Was it odd writing a contemporary story? You paint such wonderful, vivid pictures for readers in all of your Highland stories-- was it hard to step out of that world?

Donna: I love to push myself and my writing, to see how far I can go. Its how I grow as a writer. So, when I was first asked to write a contemporary Halloween novella about either werewolves or vampires, I hesitated. I'm a historical writer. It's what I'm most known for. But, I figured, what the heck? How will I know if it fails miserably or soars if I don't give it a try. Some author's "voice" only suits one kind of setting, and that's what I always feared mine would do after writing so many historical novels. I guess the answer lies in the readers hands. :D

Brenda: If a reader is completely new to your writing, what book would you suggest they start with?

Donna: Oh...good question. This is always a hard one. I know my writing has changed/grown with every book I write, so I usually tend to say whatever the newest book is. But then again, if its a series, I hate starting a book mid-series. So, I guess in my long way of answering, I'd have to say DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER, the first in my Dark Sword series. I truly love this series and the characters. I really am going to hate when the series ends one day.

Brenda: Thank you so much for your time Donna. I look forward to whatever you choose to write next:)

Donna: It was a pleasure, Brenda! Thank you so much. ;)

Visit Donna's website for more information on Primal Heat and her other books here:
http://www.donnagrant.com/book_shelf

Primal Heat is available for the Kindle HERE,