Q&A With Donna Grant

This week’s Q&A is with Donna Grant who is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of over a hundred books and one of her series is The Dragon King Series which feature highlanders, fae and of course dragons! It sounds exciting I think.

Q: Would you like to tell the readers of the blog and I a little bit about The Dragon King Series, & how you came up with the idea?

A: Hi! I’m so happy to be here. The Dragon Kings have been around for a bit. Their series begins with the Dark Kings before spinning off into the Dragon King series. They’re also part of the Dark Universe that encompasses several other series. Character intermingles in other series, but readers could pick up any of them and be fine. As for the Dragon Kings, I’d wanted to write dragons for a long time. I’d submitted a series to my publisher, but they weren’t too keen. I’d been asked to spin off from my Dark Warrior series, and I pushed once more for the dragons. This time they said yes and my Dragon Kings were born. I wasn’t allowed to title the series Dragon Kings. My publisher wanted to keep with the “dark” theme, so they it was decided the series would be the Dark Kings. I’ve always loved dragons, and I knew being able to stay in the world I’d already created in my Dark Sword and Dark Warrior series, that I could really grow the world that already had Druids and immortal Warriors. Why not add in some more Highlanders with the Dragon Kings?

Q: When did you start writing and how did you know that it was your calling in life?

A: I started writing in college, but not seriously. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my first child in 1999 that I would close my office door at work and write at lunch. Took me four months to complete that manuscript, and I knew then that I was meant to be a writer. I became a stay-at-home mom and spent every moment I could writing. I wrote four other books in two years before I learned about Romance Writers of America. I joined and started my journey to becoming a published author. I got offered my first contract in 2005 and published my first book in 2006 with a small press. I sold fifty other books to three small press/e-publishers over the next couple of years. Then, in 2007, I was offered my first contract with a New York publisher. The rest, as they say, is history.

Q: What drew you to writing fantasy specifically?

A: My parents were huge readers. My father always believed that I should be able to read anything I wanted. Nothing was off the table, in his eyes. We had a big library, and between that and going to the bookstore as often as I could—not to mention the school library—I read everything I could get my hands on. I was that kid you always saw at school with a book in their hand, usually reading it while walking the hallways. My mother loved romances, and I read my first at 12. It was a historical. I don’t remember the author or title, though. I fell hard for romances. They had everything. My favorite movies to watch were always the fantasy/paranormal ones, and it just seemed natural that when I began writing, that I would write in the fantasy and paranormal genre of romance.

Q: Are you still writing books in the Dragon King series, or are you writing a spin off series, a standalone book or a new series with a totally different plot?

A: Oh, yes. As long as readers want to read about my Dragon Kings, I’ll keep writing them. I have spun off the Skye Druid series, and I’ll be spinning off a new series next year called the Elven Kingdoms. At the moment, I’m writing three series, Dragon Kings, Skye Druids, and Elven Kingdoms.

Q: Who were your biggest supporters of your writing goals and talent among your family and friends?

A: My entire family has always been supportive. My parents read everything I wrote. My dad wouldn’t hesitate to tell me how much he enjoyed it or if anything didn’t pass muster. They always told me I could be and do anything I wanted, and when I said I was going to be a romance author, they said, “Of course you will.”

Q: Where is your favorite writing spot where you plot, write and edit your creations?

A: Well, I don’t plot my books. I’m a complete pantster.  I have an office, where there’s a place for my boys (my dog, Sisko, and my cat, Amos) to join me. I have bookshelves filled with books and anything that brings me happiness. I learned early on with children to write anywhere, but there’s nothing better than being in my office. It’s my space, set up specifically for me.

Q: Hollywood could use more original content again and I am glad that they are starting to get more book ideas it couldn’t hurt them. Do they have the rights to your work especially your Dragon King Series? Whether they do or not, do you have a dream cast in mind as to who should play who?

A: This is a conversation a lot of authors have. We’ve seen so many adaptations that make us all groan while the fans revolt. There have also been a few that were well done, but they seem to be the exception instead of the rule. I don’t have anything optioned. It would certainly be fun if it happened, but I think I’d rather have a series than a movie. Just more time to fit in everything, especially since my series tend to run long. As for cast, I’m all over the place. It’s hard for me to nail down anyone specifically for any of my Dragon Kings.