Highland Dawn
Donna Grant

originally featured August 2006

1.Hi. Welcome, please tell us about your third novel Highland Dawn and how it is connected to your other novels Highland Mist and Highland Nights?

Hi. Thank you for having me. Highland Dawn is the third in my Druid’s Glen series about three Druid sisters given special powers by the Fae to fulfill an ancient prophecy that could destroy the world as we know it.

2. The Druid’s Glen is the name of the series and it’s a very intriguing series by far. What led you to write about this era and civilization that is long but forgotten in Scottish history but often made reference too in novels?

Thank you. I always enjoy hearing that readers are enjoying my stories.

As for how I came to write about Druids, I tend to find my stories while listening to music. This is how I came to “discover” the Druid’s Glen. As I drove to work one morning, I was listening to a Lorenna McKennit CD and saw this incredibly beautiful woman standing inside a stone circle. The Druid’s Glen was born that morning and I quickly got to work on the series.

3. Can you tell us what you think is the most fascinating and frustrating about your two main characters Moira and Dartaryous?

The most fascinating aspect about Moira is that she was raised as a Druid priestess and is very humble about her control of wind. Her character was regal, empowered and controlled. It was those same traits that made her frustrating to write.

Dartayous, as an immortal, had his own issues that made him frustrating to write, but it was the fact he never gave up on Moira that fascinated me. He knew deep in his heart they were bonded in a way most people never realize. Of course, trying to get him to get over the fact he was immortal was a huge obstacle to overcome. Eventually, I managed it, but it wasn’t easy. <g>

4. Moira has a very unique power like her sisters, one sister is able to emit fire (so cool) and the other uses water as her powers and Moira uses the wind for her powers. Please tell us how you came up with the idea to use natural elements as powers for your heroines?

When the idea of The Druid’s Glen took hold, I had dabbled a bit in learning about the ancient Celts and Druids, but I wanted to learn even more. As I did my research, I knew that though my three heroines had to be powerful, their powers needed to come from natural elements.

Glenna, my heroine from Highland Mist, demanded the element of fire. It fit her and her story perfectly. With Fiona from the second novel, Highland Nights, the hero was afraid of water, it was right for Fiona to control the water. And with Moira, I kept picturing her standing atop a cliff with her arms in the air and her Druid robes snapping about her legs as the wind swirled around her.

I’d like to say that I chose the elements for my characters, but the truth is, they chose if for me. :)

5. Highland Mist was your debut novel and it recently was re-issued in paperback format. How have the fans helped you on your journey to being print published? In a follow-up to this question as an author are you surprised at the amount of support and encouragement you have received from fans of your work?

My fans have been hugely supportive. There is no way I would have gotten where I am without them. It’s the readers who buy and read the books, who email the author and the publisher and the booksellers to tell them what they thought of the story.

An author always wonders if a reader connects with his/her story. It’s such a thrill to hear from a reader who says they stayed up all night to finish the book, or that they are anxiously awaiting the next book because they’ve come to love the characters. So much of an author’s time is spent alone at the computer crafting the stories, that we often wonder how the readers feel, so yes, I have to say I was surprised at the support of the readers and fans. When I learned from my publisher just how many emails they had gotten, I was speechless. Words can never express my gratitude to the readers and fans.

6. Of the three novels in this series which one remains closest to your heart and why?

Now this is a hard question. There is something about each of the books that will always stay close to my heart. This series was my first venture into Historical/Paranormal romance. I opened up my imagination and let the characters take me on their journey, and it’s because of this that Glenna will stay close to me. Gregor, from Highland Nights, was such a dark character that I found him fascinating to write about. But in truth, of the three, Highland Dawn remains the closest because with this story, I let the characters take me somewhere I had never been before and it was an incredible journey

7. What can we expect next from you Donna, this originally started as a trilogy but I understand that there is a 4th novel coming? Any sneak peaks at who you are writing about now and when we can expect to read it?

Lol. Yes, there will be five books in all in the Druid series. Two other characters demanded their story and I simply could not tell them no. The fourth book is complete and sent to my editor for review. I don’t have a release date yet, and I won’t even launch the hero’s page on my website until after Highland Dawn is released because it might give away part of Highland Dawn’s story for the readers.

I also have a new Historical/Dark Fantasy series out with NCP entitled The Shields. It’s about a group of men from other times and realms who battle mythological creatures to help save Earth and the Fae realm. The first book, A Dark Guardian, will be released in September and the second, A Kind Of Magic, will be released in November.