Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year!

2008 winds to an end (here) with a brief snow squall and then the sun shined through. Now that's a terrific omen ... after the squall sunshine! That means the year ahead holds a bright future... which is what I wish for all of you!
Enjoy the night, but be safe and wise and welcome the New Year with smiles and promises.
Happy New Year!

Friday, December 26, 2008

The Angel & The Highlander's Book Cover

Check out The Angel & The Highlander's book cover on my website.
http://donnafletcher.com/

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas! May you give with your heart and receive with it. And may the beauty and peace of Christmas remain forever with you!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

A Winter Solstice Blessing

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, so to all my friends and readers who celebrate it I send you this blessing.

May the dawn of the Winter Solstice chase the dark away.
May it bring to you the promise of endless brand new days.
May all your sorrow vanish.
And all your dreams come true.
And may the light of the Winter Solstice always shine on you.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Website Update

My website continues to be a work in progress. Little by little you'll see it come together thanks to my son Marc's computer skills and in spite of his hectic schedule, that includes being author of the Adam Zero Last Man of Earth comic books (a proud mother cannot miss bragging). I'll keep you apprized of the changes, some not immediately noticeable, and others that can't be missed.

Presently the two unnoticeable changes have to do with the navigation bar. Press the Magic Quadrilogy bar and you'll see my Wyrrd witch books in the order they were published with a brief description of each. The Sinclare Bros. Series bar does the same, though the cover isn't yet available for The Angel and The Highlander. Actually, I just received the galleys for the book yesterday and I'm looking forward to giving it that last read before it goes to final print.

Any suggestions for my website are always welcome and rest assured there's more changes on the way.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

It's Snowing!

I'm sitting by the sliding glass doors watching the snow fall. It's not a heavy snow and not expected to last, but it is coating the ground and tree branches. So I'm enjoying it while I can. I love the snow! Actually, snow is an important part of Ronan's book. A snowstorm forces Ronan to share close quarters with a woman he claims to hate. However, surprises wait for him and it's because the snow keeps him stranded that he discovers the unexpected.
For now, however, I'm going to make a mug of hot chocolate and enjoy watching the snow fall.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Yule Log

I can imagine the Sinclare brothers are busy walking the woods in search of the perfect Yule log and wishing their youngest brother Ronan was with them.
Burning a Yule log is a long standing Christmas tradition, though it started long before the first Christmas. It's part of the Winter Solstice celebration, when the darkest part of the year dies and light is once again reborn. Sprigs of holly were tossed into the fire to cast off old troubles and to start anew. There was song and dance, storytelling and food and drink. A bit of the previous year's Yule log was saved to help start the new one and to keep continuity. The saved piece was also believed to keep the house safe throughout the new year.
Since I presently don't have a fireplace, I plan on doing as the French did when big fireplaces in France began to become obsolete. Instead, they created a cake roll resembling a log and called it "Buche de Noel." I intend to bake one, place a sprig of holly on it and encourage my guests to do the same, casting off the old and starting anew.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Book Lovers Group

I met with my book lovers group last night. It was our Christmas grab bag get together, and of course the only rule was that the gift must be a book. We're not a book club reader group that meets regularly to discuss a chosen book. We meet a few times throughout the year and come armed with lists of books we've read plus munchies and wine to enjoy. It's a great way of learning about books I might never have known existed.
There are no limits to what type of books we read, our common thread being simply our love of books.
Right now I'm going to recommend a few mysteries, thrillers and adventure books but look for other genres in the near future.
Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry, Jane Whitefield series, mystery
Creepers, and the sequel, Scavenger by David Morrell, thriller
The Eight, and the sequel, The Fire by Katherine Neville, adventure
The Divine Circle of Ladies Making Mischief by Dolores Stewart Riccio (1st book in this Wiccan series is Circle of Fire in case you would like to start at the beginning) mystery
Speak Daggers to Her by Rosemary Edghill, a Wiccan based mystery

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Return of The Rogue goes to Russia

I just found out that Return of The Rogue sold to Russia. A special welcome to Russian readers. I hope you enjoy reading about the Sinclare brothers and their adventures in the Highlands of Scotland.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Lunch & Bookstore

I met a friend for lunch today at the Cheesecake Factory. I hadn't seen her in while so we had a lot to talk about, including our shared interests in writing and books. And while I didn't indulge myself with cheesecake for dessert, I did indulge in a visit to the bookstore.
I strolled every aisle perusing any book that struck my fancy. I did spend extra time in the romance section and mystery. However, I came away with two non-fiction books that I found in Bargain Books.
I'm crazy about dream books. Since I'm an avid dreamer, I couldn't resist The Power of Creative Dreaming by Pamela Bell. It's packed with info and I'm looking forward to reading it. The other book is Leonardo Da Vinci In His Own Words by William Wray. I've been fascinated with Da Vinci ever since I did a report on him in the fourth grade. The book is a collection of his writing and illustrations.
Both books are going under the Christmas tree (gifts to me) and I'm making room for more from Santa. My holiday shopping at the bookstore is far from over as is holiday lunch with friends and the next time... I just may have that cheesecake.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Give a Kid Book!

Every Christmas among many other gifts my three sons received a book. All different types from fiction to non-fiction, and of course comic books for my son Marc. I've carried on the tradition with my grandchildren.
So here are a few recommends for young children.
Any Paddington Bear book by Michael Bond is a winner. When I worked at Borders Bookstore as a community relations coordinator I would get various book character costumes for events. When I got Paddington I got a paw stamp and had him sign books for the kids. My granddaughter now has a book signed by Paddington. You can do the same for your child.
A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan and Richard Cowdrey is a must for my four year old grandson since I recently gave him Bad Dog Marley for his birthday. He insisted I read it so many times that I know it by heart. He specially liked the part where Marley drinks out of the toilet.
Any Fancy Nancy book by Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss-Glasser is a sure fire treat. The author and illustrator do a great job of introducing fancy words to young girls. When I gave my three year old granddaughter Fancy Nancy and The Posh Puppy I also took her to a local Build-A-Bear store where she chose a pooch and dressed her fancy. We had a great time.
Give A Mouse A Cookie and Give A Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe and Felicia are also great choices. All of these books have been given 5 stars by my two grandchildren.
So don't waste another minute, give a book for the holidays!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Ronan's Book

I have a tentative pub. date for Ronan's book. As of now it's due in bookstores January 2010. However that can change, so check my blog for updates.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christmas Cookie Recipes

My sister and I are going to spend a couple of days baking Christmas cookies. Then we'll be sharing them with family and friends. If anyone has any cookie recipes they'd like to share send them along. We're eager to add new ones to old favorites. I'll share a few of my own recipes over the next couple of weeks. Happy baking!

List of My Books

Many of you are asking about a list of my books in order of series being made available on my website. It's in the works, I promise, so please be patient. In the meantime I'll e-mail a list to anyone who asks for it.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Rebellious Bride in the News

My friend Renee called me all excited. She told me that my book Rebellious Bride was in an article in the NY Post titled Blond Justice. Not quite romance but a nice shot of my book cover. Have a look.

Monday, December 1, 2008

The Sinclare Brothers

When I first got the idea for the Sinclare brothers series I was so excited. I grabbed one of my big notebooks (I keep extras on hand) and got busy learning all about them. How were the brothers alike? How were they different? What type of woman would be good for each of them? What were their individual stories? And on and on and on until the brothers came to full life along with the Sinclare family.
I looked forward to writing each brother's book and I loved being able to revisit with all the characters in the books that followed and creating new ones... a few surprising characters at that.
While readers have enjoyed Cavan (Return of the Rogue) and Artair's (Under The Highlander's Spell) stories, I went on to write Lachlan and Ronan's books. Though there is still editing to be done on Ronan's book, it's basically finished and I was sad for it to end. I truly love those Sinclare men! And as for the Sinclare family... they have struggled through difficult times and have shared joyous ones. And I've enjoyed every moment I have spent with them. I hope you have too.
There's much for you to learn about Ronan, but first I can't wait for you to read Lachlan's story, The Angel & The Highlander in stores May 2009. Over the next few months you'll find out more about Lachlan and his love and of course there's the great cover that I hope will be available soon.
I have lots more ideas in the works and will be reporting on them soon enough. In the meantime I'll be sharing my musings about my writing and things in general with all of you. Right now I'm about to start research on a Highlander warrior king!
Where's that new notebook of mine?