Character Reading: Lucan MacLeod

Today I read for Lucan MacLeod. He’s the rather unusual Highlander of Donna Grant’s newest release from St. Martin’s Press, Dangerous Highlander. This is the first book in the Dark Sword series.

Donna Grant has written over twenty novels. She’s one of those writer chicks who write in more than one genre. You can find her books in the following romantic areas– Scottish Medieval, historical, dark fantasy, time travel, paranormal and erotic.

She’s got Louisiana roots which gives her a leg up in my book of course, but she’s a born-and-raised Texan. You can learn more about her and her writing on her site. She has releases for both St. Martin’s Press and Cerridwen Press this year.  One lucky visitor who leaves a comment will win a book from Donna. See the details at the end of this post.
How do you see the people around you?

The Queen of Cups is a card of psychic intuition. You seem a bit worried about people being able to read your mind. There is a strong connection to the sea for you as well or water of some type.

The people around you may seem a bit … sloppy(?) in their emotions. You also seem to have a lot of feminine influence in your life. Perhaps you have been sent on a quest by a powerful woman. Hard to say because the Queen of Cups can be a very secretive person. You may feel as if you have been told to guard something very important but given no clue as to what that thing actually is.

You also see them as your people to care for and nurture and protect. There is a strong sense of guardianship here.

Lucan’s Response:

My home, MacLeod Castle, sits on the edge of a cliff, the sea is as much a part of me as the majestic Highland mountains.

I am my brothers’ keeper. I’m the only thing holding us together. If it wasn’t for the Druid who unbound the god within us, our lives would be much different.

I’m determined to learn how to bind the god and become a mortal man once more.

How are you seen by the people around you?

Nice card here. The 7 of Pentacles or Coins is traditionally the card of the gardener. People see you as someone who works very hard and is capable of making things grow. They are willing to let you shepherd them as well.

Of course, there is also the satyr influence here so your “earthy” ways are also known, Lucan. They see you as the lusty animal you are. You may try to hide it…blend in as it were, but someone close to you has given away your secret. I don’t think they did it intentionally or with malice though. So be gentle with them.

Lucan’s Response::

My brothers do what they can, but the majority of the work falls to me. I don’t mind. It keeps me occupied and my mind busy.

As for lusty? Lass, have you ever met a Highlander that wasn’t? It’s part of our nature, though I’ve had to keep that part of myself separate for the past three hundred years as we’ve hid in our castle.

What is your most important goal?

Well, you certainly are not a sluggard when it comes to goals, are you? Here is the Wheel of Fortune. This card is about finding opportunity and taking it. No, not taking. SEIZING it. You have watched others miss their opportunities and you will not let that happen to you, will you?

You are a bit of a risk taker because of this need. I think maybe you have seen what the world can do to a person if he does not take charge and create his own luck.

Lucan’s Response::

For centuries I’ve watched the world pass me and my brothers by. I see babes grow into adults then into the elderly and die. So much wasted opportunities.

I swore if I ever had the chance to take something I wanted I wouldn’t let it pass me by. Not that anything will ever be mine for the taking, but if it ever is, I’m certainly not going to waste an opportunity.

Where do you get your strength from?

The Hermit is a card of loneliness and learning. This possibly represents a teacher in your life or your own idea that you are meant to be alone and so you simply do what needs to be done.

This is the card of the guide as well. You may be called on to be a guide for others. It is hard to see them go on to find their calling when you are not sure what yours is just yet.

The loneliness or being apart from others may give you strength, but I think your real strength will come when you learn how to guide yourself as well as you have others.

Lucan’s Response::

I’ve been alone with my brothers for so long that I’m not sure I remember what a woman’s skin feels like. Our curse is to be alone.

I stand strong for my brothers while they cannot. It is the way of the MacLeods. I can only hope that I’m able to guide myself when the time comes.

Why do you want to be remembered?

This is a tough answer because in a way it tells me that you may not want to be remembered. The Four of Cups shows someone who mourns the loss of love. There is a fear that love will never be yours…that it is a Holy Grail others can drink from but not you.

You may be very far from home, Lucan, but we all want to be remembered by someone. The small mouse in this card is your reminder that we are all loved…even if by something so seemingly insignificant as a mouse.

Lucan’s Response::

My clan is gone because some power-hungry Druid unleashed the god within me and my brothers. The great MacLeod clan was destroyed in one day. Any hope for a normal life ended that day. I have evil inside me. What right do I have to seek love?

I crave it, but as an immortal, I don’t want to watch people die as I live on. Nay, I will be alone always. There is no other way.

Read Lucan’s story in Dangerous Highlander by Donna Grant.

A DANGEROUS MAN…

He is magnificently strong — and dangerously seductive. One of the fiercest of his clan, Lucan MacLeod is a legend among warriors, inspiring fear in man and woman alike. For three hundred years, he has locked himself away from the world, hiding the vengeful god imprisoned in his soul. But then, a young lass caught in a raging storm awakens his deepest impulses…and darkest desires.

A DANGEROUS PASSION…

Cara doesn’t believe the rumors about MacLeod castle—until the majestic Highland warrior appears like a fiery vision in the storm, pulling her into his powerful arms, and into his world of magic and Druids. An epic war between good and evil is brewing. And Lucan must battle his all-consuming attraction for Cara—or surrender to the flames of a reckless, impossible love that threatens to destroy them both…
Read an  excerpt.

Want to win either Mutual Desire or The Pleasure of His Bed? Leave a comment for Donna on this blog. One name will be drawn Sunday January 3. Comments must be left by Saturday January 2 11:59pm CST. You can get an extra entry for Twitter or Facebook or MySpace comments. Leave the link here in a comment to be counted.