The Bloodline War
By- Tracy Tappan
Published- December 16th, 2013
A car accident changes everything for Dr. Toni Parthen. Her computer hacked hospital blood test confirms she's the carrier of a gene that's the key to salvation for a unique race of human beings. Abducted from her hospital room to a secret, underground community, Toni is asked to do the unthinkable: procreate with a man from a race called Varcolac-a species that must consume the blood of other humans to survive. Then bizarre turns dangerous, because a new, mysterious enemy also wants her special DNA, and Toni finds herself in the middle of an all-out war to possess her.
It's the job of Jacken Brun, leader of the Warrior Class, to keep the captured women safe from a demonic race of humans who rule a neighboring part of their underground world. His challenges multiply when Toni inflames the women into mutiny, and then there's his biggest problem…his growing desire for the infuriating woman herself. Afflicted with a dark genetic makeup, Jacken can never be with a woman. Until Toni uses her scientific ingenuity to find a way for her and Jacken to be together. But then the new enemy faction unearths Toni and drags her to their hidden lair, where they'll inflict an unspeakable cruelty on her to gain access to her valuable genes.
It will take every warrior skill Jacken owns to save the woman he loves, but only if he can find her in time….
Author Interview
What inspired you to write The Bloodline War?
My husband, actually. My education is in clinical therapy, but my husband is a Navy pilot (recently retired), and we moved every three years - not the best situation for developing a career in counseling. He knew I was a good writer, and seeing that I was kind of in limbo after our third move and our second child, one day he said, "You know, you should write a book?" Famous last words, for sure.
When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Hmm, what would that be? 30? You were probably hoping for a dramatic "in the womb" answer, but LOL, I suppose even though I discovered my calling a bit later, I have to thank Fate for turning the tables and landing me where it did. I love what I do.
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?
You know, I don't really remember the age, but I do remember that my mom and dad always had their noses buried in books. It was good modeling, because now I'm the same kind of book lover. I'm always reading about 2-3 novels at a time!
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
I usually voraciously consume whatever genre I happen to be writing in; it keeps my mind on track for the world I'm in. I write paranormal romance, medieval historical, and military suspense, so this keeps my reading choices wide. Thank goodness! There are so many great romances out there.
What is your favorite book?
As classics go, it's "Gone with the Wind."
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
On the paranormal romance side of the house, I'm loving Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series these days. This writing team REALLY knows how to world build cleverly, and their hero and heroine (Curran and Kate) engage in some of the all-time best bantering. Of course, then there's the incomparable JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Talk of alpha males, whew! Recently a reviewer on Goodreads wrote about my hero from THE BLOODLINE WAR, saying, "Jacken can hold his own against the best of the black dagger brotherhood or any of my favorite lords of the underworld!" I just about fell out of my chair. For my hero even to be mentioned in the same sentence as BDB is an amazing honor. No pressure to try and write good stories now, right?
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?
I'd travel to 13th century England, since this is the time period of my historical romance trilogy, but the trip would probably ruin me. We authors traditionally romanticize medieval life for the sake of our stories. Yet even though there was a certain code of chivalry alive in the Middle Ages, the truth is, it was a dirty, brutal time. Do I really want to witness that firsthand?
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
Over time, I've discovered that if a scene is coming hard for me-really hard-then my subconscious is trying to tell me that the scene doesn't belong, or I'm doing something wrong with it. One of the most difficult lessons I've had to learn as an author is to be willing to scrap scenes that aren't working…no matter how much I think they might be "essential."
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I cannot live without furry friends!! I have a red-and-white cat who makes his way into my lap much of the day while I'm writing, to stick his butt in my face and make me mis-stroke by rubbing his head on my hand. I adore him despite this…or maybe because of it! I'm truly a dog person, though, especially friends of the Labrador Retriever variety. Currently, I have a pet chocolate Lab and also a yellow Lab that my 16-year-old daughter and I are raising for Guide Dogs for the Blind. He goes back next month for more formal training, and saying goodbye to my sweet boy is going to bring on the waterworks!
What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
I am a foodie, so anything that is truly good is for me. I lived 3 ½ years in Rome, Italy, while my husband worked in the diplomatic corps, and the Italian motto about food was: if they can't get it fresh, they just don't serve it. I remember the first time I ate a pizza in Rome that had tomato sauce on it made from REAL tomatoes. Oh, Lord….words cannot describe…
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
Something that really helps me to get to know my characters is to imagine them in scenes that I'll never write: in childhood, with friends, etc. It's a fun way to discover deeper levels of their personalities, and it's easy to do while jogging or shopping or whatnot. After all, why hang out in reality, if you can transport yourself someplace else really cool?
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