Watching History Unfold

Ladies and Gentlemen.
Please welcome back Amazon #1 best-selling author (insert drum roll here) Tracy Cooper-Posey!!!!!
Tracy, I'm honored you're back visiting with me again.

Tracy is giving away a copy of her book BYZANTINE HEARTBREAK to one person who comments ON THIS BLOG.

Vampires get to watch history go by.  Just because they live for decades and centuries, they witness the unfolding of human affairs and can observe the changing of society over time.  There is a lot about a vampire’s life that would be utterly miserable, including watching humans you love wither and die as time rolls inexorably onwards, but this – the passing of history—I think this is one fact of vampire longevity for which I hate their guts.

Yeah, I’m a history nut, can you tell?

On my own blog, I get to chat about significant historical events when their anniversaries occur.  Everyone is very polite and nods along with me.  I even get very nice comments occasionally. 

Today, I would have raved about one of the most significant events in British history:  The invasion of William the Conqueror and the Norman claim of the English throne, in 1066.  This was the beginning of William’s campaign to gain England for himself, and it would end with the infamous Battle of Hastings on October 14.  It was the last successful invasion of the British Isles.

I personally first heard about the Battle of Hastings and the year, 1066, in primary school.  The date is engraved in my memory. 

The Normans conquered and held Britain, Scotland, Wales and Ireland with iron and bloody control for another seventy years, until the Plantagenet dynasty took the throne in 1135 during the Wars of the Roses.  The Plantagenets were descendent from the Normans.

But while Norman control of England was short, the influence and change they wrought was massive.  The Normans nearly obliterated all traces of Anglo-Saxon influence and culture from the land.  Latin became the official language of literature and court documents, replacing Old English, and Norman French became the common spoken language.  Because of this, Old English is now a dead language, understood and spoken by only a handful of scholars around the world.  All Anglo Saxon landowners and upper-class citizens were systematically and thoroughly stripped of their lands, possessions and titles, creating a social system sharply divided by race – landed, rich Normans and landless, desperate Anglo-Saxons, dependent upon their Norman overlords for largesse and shelter.

There was one positive change the Normans brought:  The Anglo-Saxon system of slavery was dismantled and all slaves freed.  One could argue that the serf system that replaced it was little better, but serfs were free men.

The really interesting fact in all this?  You’d have thought that an invading king bringing such an army into England would have roused the Anglo Saxons (who had invaded Britain themselves, six centuries before) to rally and beat back the invaders with their legendary ferocity and strength.  But King William landed at Pevensey in Sussex, and no one lifted a finger to stop him.  It wasn’t until he built himself a castle (at Hastings) and started raiding nearby villages and towns that anyone took notice of his activities and stirred themselves to defence.

I have to wonder if a vampire who had lived a century or two who saw William and his men riding across the plains from Pevensey wouldn’t have put it together a lot faster than his human friends, and known the country was in deep trouble.  The benefit of living through enough history is that it gives you extraordinary hindsight….

…if you’re smart enough to use it.  ;)

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Blood Stone is my 44th title and my ninth indie book.

Nial orders Calum Garrett to get close to Hollywood producer Kate Lindenstream.  Garrett reluctantly complies for he has held himself apart from humans for centuries.  Kate doesn’t fall into Garrett’s arms, either.  She already has someone for that.  Roman Xerus -- whom Kate knows as Adrian -- and Garrett go way back to the sixteenth century Scottish highlands, but they parted bitterly two hundred years ago.

With Roman’s support, Kate battles Garrett in wills and business as he methodically forces himself into her life. However, on the closed-in movie set in the Californian desert, Garrett’s calm, orderly world crumbles for Garrett is drawn to Kate.  He has begins to experience real, human feelings.  

Kate doesn’t cooperate in the chess game Nial orchestrates, despite being unaware of the strategies swirling around her film set.  Demanding and expecting only the best for her movie, Kate’s agenda forces Roman and Garrett to work together to protect her and keep the humans around her ignorant of the Pro Libertatus, the anonymous and all-powerful vampire group who nearly killed Nial, Sebastian and Winter, and shield Kate from the excesses of the League for Humanity.  But could Roman really be with the Pro Libertatus?

There’s hidden intentions everywhere, and centuries of repressed feelings, along with at least two different groups that mean them harm.  Then there’s the rumours that Kate has found the mythical Blood Stone, the key to unlocking vampire history and lifting their curse.   Who is Kate, really?  Because once Garrett begins to notice, things about Kate don’t quite add up, either...

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An Excerpt From: BLOOD STONE
Copyright © TRACY COOPER-POSEY, 2012
All Rights Reserved.

 

Adrian returned to his distant, charming and undemanding self for the rest of the meal, letting Kate relax and enjoy his company, and her body to tingle and zap as she entertained the future possibilities between them.

Their eyes would meet and Kate would see the knowledge in his, too, and that further spiced the lunch date.

By the time she slid from the buffet and fished her car keys from her satchel, as Adrian strode ahead to pay the bill, Kate felt almost drunk with a subterranean arousal more potent than anything sweet Greg Evershot had managed last night. Kate stared at Adrian’s powerful denim-clad thighs as he stood at the maître’d’s counter signing the chit, and the flex of his thick bicep as he wrote, and could so easily imagine him naked.

She could feel her cheeks heating as she moved toward the counter. Adrian turned and dropped his coat over his forearm and dug heavy sunglasses out of the pocket, watching her approach with a small smile tugging the corner of his mouth.

“You’re a stunning lady,” he said, when she reached him.

Her cheeks bloomed even harder. “Thank you.” She barely managed to say it without tripping over the two little words.

“You’re a better director, though,” he added.

This time her smile was not forced at all. “You just made my day,” she said truthfully. “This way, I parked in the underground garage here.”

They used the escalator in the lobby to slide down into the cool, dim and echoing roots of the building.

“Main level?” Adrian asked.

“One more down,” Kate said. “Stairs are over there.” She pointed to the concrete stair block across from the elevators. They waited for a black Mercedes to pass, then crossed over and climbed down to the next level. She looked for her Audi, and spotted it as another car started to rumble its way up from the next lower level.

“That one,” she said, tripping the lock so the lights would flash for Adrian’s benefit.

He nodded and headed toward the car, with Kate about two paces behind him. The car moving up from the next lower level turned the big U-bend then, and its day time running lights caught them in the middle of the traffic lane. It came to a sudden halt, and the back door opened.

“Kate!”

She whirled, throwing up her hand against the lights, and pushing her satchel behind her back with her right hand. She walked a few more paces to the right to clear the lights, which put her right next to Adrian.

“It’s Calum Garrett,” the voice said.

“Goddam it,” Kate breathed softly. She felt, rather than saw, Adrian’s glance down at her.

The back door of the luxury limo closed and Garrett came forward. “It can’t be a coincidence running into you again like this.”

“Run into, or run over?” Adrian asked.

Garrett looked at him. “I was talking to Kate.”

“And she clearly doesn’t want to talk to you.”

The other door of the limo opened, and a seven foot, very thin man in his fifties with blond hair got out, carrying a briefcase. He seemed to be all arms and legs, the pinstripe suit merely exaggerating the length of everything.

“Your enforcer?” Adrian asked, with a grin.

“My lawyer,” Garrett replied. He looked at Kate. “Is there any way—”

“No,” she said flatly.

Garrett glanced at Adrian, then studied her for a moment longer. “I see,” he said at last. “Well, I had to try.”

He turned and walked back to his limo, and both he and his lawyer climbed back in. The limo took off with a smooth purr, and passed Kate and Adrian, all black enamel and smoked glass. Kate didn’t know if Garrett would be watching her, but she bet he was.

She shuddered. “Creep. He didn’t even say good-bye.”

“His sort doesn’t because they figure they’ll be back,” Adrian said. “What did he want, anyway?”

Kate starting heading toward her Audi again as she told him quickly about her run in with Garrett, skipping to the distasteful highlights. Adrian listened without interruption – he was good at that – but she got the impression his mind was half-occupied with something else.

As she settled herself behind the wheel, he ducked down to look at her, with one hand on the roof of the car, the other on the door. “I’m going to pass up the privilege of being driven anywhere by you, Kate.” His voice was low, and the double meaning of his statement sent a little shiver down her back. His eyes and his attention were fully on her. “I’m sorry, but I forgot about something I have to take care of downtown.”

She hid her disappointment, and made herself nod. “No problems.” She made herself not ask the next question.

But Adrian answered it anyway. “I’ll call.” He went to close the door, hesitated, and dipped his head down to look at her once more. “Maybe you should stock up on hundred dollar bills, Kate. Just for fun.”

He shut the door softly and was gone, all while Kate fought to draw in her breath fully, and get over the huge lump of excitement and pure erotic pleasure that blocked all her vitals for twenty precious seconds.

When she finally turned the key, her hand shook.

Oh, Adrian Xerus was so going to impact on her life!

 

BLOOD STONE is the second book in the Blood Stone series

BLOOD STONE is the sequel to BLOOD KNOT.

It is a Plus-sized Novel.

WARNING:  This book contains two hot, sexy alpha heroes, frequent, explicit and frank sex scenes and sexual language.
It includes heart-stopping sexual scenes between the aforementioned sexy heroes, menage scenes, anal sex and the use of sex toys.  Don't proceed beyond this point if hot love scenes offend you.
No vampires were harmed in the making of this novel.

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Blood Stone is the second book in my best selling vampire romance series, released September 14, 2012.

The good news?  The first book in the series, Blood Knot, is my personal best seller, and also an Amazon #1 Best Seller (Fantasy Romance), was the Winner of the Coffee Time Reviewer’s Recommended Award, was listed as one of Goodread’s “Most Drool-worthy Covers“, nominated for Erotic Vampire Book of the Year by The Romance Reviews, and received a CAPA Nomination for Best Paranormal Book of the Year by The Romance Studio, December, 2011, among many glowing and rave reviews.  If you’re curious about Blood Knot, you can read more here:  http://bit.ly/g9pSw5. 

Blood Knot on Amazon now:  http://amzn.to/hcrCCf

Blood Stone on Amazon: http://amzn.to/QZapKa

Tracy Cooper-Posey is an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author.  She writes erotic vampire romances, hot romantic suspense, paranormal and urban fantasy romances.  She has published over 40 novels since 1999, been nominated for 5 CAPAs including Favourite Author, and won the Emma Darcy Award. 

She turned to indie publishing in 2011. Her indie titles have been nominated three times for Book Of The Year.   She has been a national magazine editor and for a decade she taught romance writing at Grant MacEwan University. 

She is addicted to Irish Breakfast tea and chocolate, sometimes taken together.  In her spare time she enjoys sewing, history, Sherlock Holmes, science fiction and ignoring her treadmill. An Australian, she lives in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, a professional wrestler, where she moved in 1996 after meeting him on-line. 

Her website can be found at http://TracyCooperPosey.com