Tracy Cooper-Posey's Blog, page 200

Interview at Two-Lips Reviews

Quick note. I was interviewed (exhaustively!) by Two Lips Reviews recently and the interview just went up on their site. Wanna know what my favourite toy is? Now you get to find out. That and dozens of other questions are answered at Two Lips. You have to scroll past Desiree Holt's mini interview to get to mine.

Enjoy!

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Published on April 04, 2011 11:08

I'm at Nina Pierce's Place Today

The blog tour for my erotic urban fantasy romance, Blood Knot, continues today. I'm guest blogging at Nina Pierce's blog, Around The Writer's Block. Today's topic is "Smell The Coffee? What About That Turkey Stuffing?" And if that leaves you scratching your head, then all I can say is drop in and read the post.

I'll also be giving away another copy of Kiss Across Swords to a visitor.

Stop in and say hello and catch up with the next installment of the excerpts.

See you there!

Cheers,

Tracy

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Published on April 04, 2011 06:59

What I'm Reading

Since the demise of my Sony eReader (yes, the battery squawked and died, so the reader is a ghost now), I've been forced to read any ePub format books on my netbook, using the Adobe Digital Library software, as the universe as seen fit not to provide a decent ePub format reader for Blackberry Storm cellphones yet. The major inconvenience is driving me crazy.

But, I was interviewed recently for Two Lips Reviews (which will go public some time in April) and that interview guilted me into picking up again Wayne Dyer's You'll See It When You Believe It, as a way of combating negativity and disapproval. Yes, yes, I really am an insecure writer!

On my desk right now: Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. An oldy but a goodie. I bought it before ebooks were really much of a thought in anyone's minds, so now I'm stuck with the paper copy.

On my cellphone, in the Mobipocket reader: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. Going back to my SF roots.

And on my cellphone in the eReader: Moon Kissed by Michele Hauf, a Harlequin Nocturnes title. I've only just started it — literally a page or two in. I made the mistake of buying the second one in a series, so I'm not sure I'll be getting much further on, though. I keep going back to Heinlein instead.

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Published on April 02, 2011 07:18

Bookcase Collection Videos

In the last little while I've tripped over a couple of videos featuring bookcases…but not in the way you might think.

Enjoy.

Watch this once. Then watch it again…but watch the clock!

Amazing, huh?

Cheers,

Tracy

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Published on April 01, 2011 07:45

I'm at Leslie's Psyche Today

The blog tour for my erotic urban fantasy romance, Blood Knot, continues today. I'm guest blogging at Leslie's Psyche. Today's topic is Claddagh Rings (you may have noticed the antique ring on the cover of Blood Knot.)

I've also received my second formal review for Blood Knot, this time a fabulous 5-star review from An Alternative Review, where Dottie says "I had trouble putting it down."

I'll also be giving away another copy of Kiss Across Swords to a visitor.

Stop in and say hello and catch up with the next installment of the excerpts.

See you there!

Cheers,

Tracy

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Published on March 31, 2011 06:47

Vampire Powers – Mental Domination

Continuing the Vampire Powers series, this time we're looking at mental domination, also known as mind rolling, mental persuasion and various other names, depending upon the author.

Not every author allows their vampires to have the ability to mentally dominate others, or allow all their vampires to have the power even if the ability exists in that author's vampire world.

Some vampire domination only works upon humans, and some vampires can use their influence upon other vampires, too.

Traditionally, a human needed to be looking into a vampire's eyes to be "caught" by that vampire's mental dominance, and authors such as Laurell K. Hamilton have continued this tradition, although Hamilton's heroine is resistant to vampire mental domination, allowing her to look any vampire in the eye as she wishes.

Charlaine Harris' vampires, in the True Blood novels, don't dominate humans, but the more powerful and oldest vampires dominate younger vampires that they have created or that look to them for orders.

How an author decides to use mental domination would depend upon how their vampires originate and operate. Are they created via magic? If so, then acquiring the ability to mentally dominate humans or other vampires when the vampire is created is certainly a possibility. But if the vampires are created through some other type of conversion process (disease, death & resurrection, replacing blood, etc) then acquiring extra telepathic abilities like mental domination become more difficult to logically justify in the story world.

Too, mental domination may simply be falling out of favour, particularly with paranormal romance authors and readers, because the talent makes vampires far more powerful and potent than humans. A vampire hero or heroine who can beckon and hold a human's mind at will, and force them to do whatever they want, up to and including physical pleasure, sex, or perhaps even convince the human they're in love…it takes away from romantic relationships where the couple are more or less equal, and struggling to come to terms with the naturally evolving love between them. Mental domination in such a romantic relationship would make the vampire an uneasy threat, not a lover.

One of the most emotionally intense moments in romance novels is when the hero reveals his vulnerability, exposing how he really feels about the heroine, and how helpless she makes him feel. We love those moments and anxiously wait to read them. A truly powerful vampire, however — one with the ability to manipulate others' minds to suit himself — wouldn't feel emotional weaknesses at all, because he can arrange people and events to suit himself. It takes away one of the essential and most desirable elements of romance novels.

So for that reason, I suspect, romance authors would be wary about including mental domination as one of the traits of their vampire heroes.

I don't let my own vampire heroes use it…so far. Although a romance where the couple are trying to work things out around his ability to dominate could be a whole new type of story….so who knows? Maybe that's another romance warming up in the wings!

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Published on March 29, 2011 07:26

I'm at Jamie's Bookshelf Today

The blog tour for my erotic urban fantasy romance, Blood Knot, continues today. I'm guest blogging at Jamie's Bookshelf, and I'm talking about secret love in romance novels. Jamie has also managed to simultaneously review Blood Knot, so her's is the first official review to hit the book page. You'll find the excerpt on the Blood Knot page, and her full review (a great 4.75 star review) here.

I'll also be giving away another copy of Kiss Across Swords to a visitor.

Stop in and say hello and catch up with the next installment of the excerpts.

See you there!

Cheers,

Tracy

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Published on March 28, 2011 06:45

I'm at Babbling About Books Today

The blog tour for my erotic urban fantasy romance, Blood Knot, continues today. I'm guest blogging at Babbling About Books and More. Today's post is Is Honesty Amongst Thieves Really Possible?

I'll also be giving away another copy of Kiss Across Swords to a visitor.

Stop in and say hello and catch up with the next installment of the excerpts.

See you there!

Cheers,

Tracy

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Published on March 25, 2011 07:35

Sample BLOOD KNOT And Get A Deal

Just for readers of my blog, starting today: a deal for you. Read the first three chapters of my new erotic urban fantasy romance, Blood Knot, and get a 5% discount for the full version from Smashwords.