July Author Spotlight: Tracy Tappan

I'm over the moon to have Tracy Tappan as my featured author this month!

Her Community series is a fresh, totally unique take on Vampires and everything else that goes bump in the night. It has alpha males, women who are feisty and passionate, and enough suspense, action, and plot twists to keep you up reading well into the early morning. Sound good?

Not surprisingly, The Bloodline War earned her the Bronze Medal for romance from the Independent Publishers Book Awards in 2014.


Are you ready to meet Tracy?

Please tell us a little about yourself and how you started writing. Where do you find inspiration?

     I started my working career doing clinical work, actually; I have a master’s degree in MFCC (Marriage, Family, Child Counseling). But my husband is a Naval aviator, so we moved every three years, and it became too difficult to maintain a client base. My husband knew I had a vivid imagination (poor guy), and he said, “You should write a book.” Famous last words, right? But it turned out my husband probably knew me better than I knew myself. It was the perfect choice. I absolutely adore what I do!

     Where do I find inspiration? Right out of my ol’ creative brain. Ideas tend to pop there. Funny enough, I write when it’s quiet, but when I’m imagining and plotting, I like music and/or to be jogging.

How did you come up with those unique names for the Community series?

     You’re probably referring to terms like Ţărână, Oţărât, Om Rău, right? These are all Romanian words, in reality, since the history of the Vârcolac hails from that country. Readers can stick these words into Google Translate and find out what they mean, if they want. Oops! The secret is out! 

 

What kind of influence does your background in Psychology have on your writing? Has it been a help to you as an author?

     My psych background has a tremendous influence on my writing, as it helps me to develop realistic psyches for my characters. But more importantly, since I understand what kind of human behavior stems from specific types of inner challenges, I can more effectively have this play out on the page. Any author’s ultimate goal is to “show not tell,” and my psychology background makes me better able to do that.

Of the many locations you’ve lived in around the world, is there one that has a special place in your heart?

Is there still somewhere you’d like to visit?

     One of the most impactful places I’ve been was Israel. We traveled all over the place, but on Christmas Day, my family and I were in Bethlehem, exactly in the church where Jesus was born, so that was amazing. Visiting Auschwitz was also extremely moving, and seeing a piece of the Berlin wall was an incredible experience of living history. I traveled all over Romania, too, researching for The Community Series, and that was so much fun.

     We never had a chance to make it to many of the northern Scandinavian countries, however—Norway, Sweden, Finland—so those places are still on my list. Russia, too. And then there are all of the Asian countries to explore… Jeez, I guess I gotta get busy!

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“Okay! Jesus! Yes! I love you.” He threw out his arms. “You satisfied now, you insane battle-axe?!”


The Bloodline War is available on Amazon!


You can visit Tracy's website or connect with her on Goodreads

Also, you can find her helping out your favourite fictional couples as therapist Regan Malloy on The Character Couch