Today's Special -- Donna Fletcher

USA Today bestselling author Donna Fletcher has loved to read since a young age. She says her mother fed her passion by signing her up for a Young Adult book club, and from then on she was never without a book. Her passion for reading naturally led her to try her hand at writing, but not before she studied every book on writing the library stocked. She started writing short stories and placed second in a magazine contest, which encouraged her to continue and then join the New Jersey Romance Writers. Shortly after, she sold her first book and has since written for three publishers, including her current one, Avon. Her latest book, Bound to a Warrior, is the first in her new Warrior King series and releases August 31st. Please help us welcome Donna Fletcher back to The Romance Dish!



Characters fascinate me, not only in books but in reality.

I can’t go anyplace without being caught up in people watching. Standing on lines (e.g. bank, supermarket, department store) is a good place to watch people and how they interact with each other. I always smile when I see young people in love. They’re holding hands, leaning against each other, whispering, laughing; their faces aglow with the magic of first love. The older couples are just as interesting, some stand patiently together talking and smiling. Others argue though I’ve noticed they still help each other (carrying packages, opening a door, assisting to walk down steps) even though they’ve had a spat. The looks they exchange are more ones of concern and though-I’m-annoyed-at-you-I-still-love-you. Then there are the couples with the kids who barely get to talk or hold hands since they’re too busy watching the kids and getting the shopping done. Their looks say, later, if I’m not too tired or rather let’s get some sleep while we can.

It amazing how, in so many different ways, love binds people together. Perhaps it’s like glue that fastens firm and hard and keeps hold through the years so that even during the difficult times it keeps love solidly bound.

Naturally, the characters in my books go on loving forever and I wonder sometimes that if we recall that magic of first love, does it help renew old love, does it help the glue to stay strong?

Of course all that got me wondering about first love and how it binds and that’s when two characters suddenly popped into my head and introduced themselves and insisted that their story had to be told. I didn’t expect, though I was certainly intrigued when I realized they were shackled together by a chain. Now that’s truly a binding first love.

I did wonder how the heck I would work with a couple who never met, but were tethered by a chain. I was eager to get to know them while they got to know each other, a challenging prospect. After all, they were never more than a step away from each other.

This was my introduction to Duncan MacAlpin and Mercy in my book Bound To A Warrior and the first in my new Warrior King series. No soon as the book opens the two are already shackled together and running for their lives from the King’s soldiers. To make matters worse the pair winds up going over the edge of a cliff and into a raging river.

After nearly drowning you would expect things to get better, but think about it. Wet clothes, chilled air, gooseflesh and the next thing you know... of course, the pair is naked.

Duncan and Mercy have quite an adventure; especially since they remain bound together longer then they had anticipated. When the chain is finally removed, they discover that love binds them far more permanently than a chain ever could. Though their love remains strong, there are other troubling issues that could force the pair apart.

Having enjoyed spending time with Duncan, I became curious about the other three Highlanders in the series, Reeve, Bryce and Trey. The four, close as brothers, are on a mission to seat the true King of Scotland to the throne, the true King being one of them. Each has pledged their loyalty to the task and thought, foolishly, that there was no time for love. It would simply have to wait... of course they were wrong.

But as we all know... love waits for no one.

So what do you think is a good binding substance for love?

If you’d like to take a chance to win an autographed copy of Bound To a Warrior leave a comment and you’ll be entered. And do stop by and visit me at http://www.donnafletcher.com/.

Thanks all for having me here at The Romance Dish again!