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[From VBC: We’re very excited to have Jeaniene Frost on the blog again today. And we’re so anxious for Once Burned, her spinoff book featuring Vlad. It comes out in June and at the end of this post there’s a chance to win advanced copies. With that, we turn it over to Jeaniene.]
I’m fresh off a superhero high after seeing The Avengers this weekend, but aside from my new found love for The Hulk, the movie also got me thinking about the attributes of larger-than-life heroes and heroines. If you haven’t seen The Avengers yet, I’ll describe the members of the team. There’s Ironman, a “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” named Tony Stark who fights evil while wearing an incredibly high-tech suit; Thor, demi-god of the planet Asgard, whose hammer-wielding badassery is only eclipsed by his mighty biceps; Steve Rogers’ Captain America, a formerly brave yet scrawny man who was transformed into a superhuman through breakthrough genetic tampering; The Hulk, whose non-mean-green-and-ready-to-ream personality is mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner; Black Widow, former Russian spy Natasha Romanoff who uses her looks, wit, and lethal fighting skills to save the day; and Clint Barton, nicknamed Hawkeye, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent whose skill with a bow and arrow makes Legolas look like a child playing cowboys and Indians. Although not a fighting member of the Avengers, the mastermind behind them is Nick Fury, human director of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D.
What I particularly loved about The Avengers is that three of the six superheroes are regular humans. See, my books feature supernatural creatures – in this case, vampires – fighting evil and finding love with humans. I get asked a lot about compatibility issues in a human/nonhuman relationship and I think the movie gives a great example of how being compatible has more to do with will, perseverance, and bravery than with matching supernatural abilities. Black Widow doesn’t have any otherworldly abilities – or a high-tech Super Suit – yet she’s critical to the success of the Avengers because of her other strengths. Same goes with Hawkeye. Tony Stark, even without his Ironman suit, is still instrumental to the team because of his intelligence. Sure, having the ability to withstand injuries that would kill a normal person (Captain America), or a huge magical hammer (Thor), or enough strength to throw a demi-god around like a rag doll (The Hulk) are also critical, but they’re not enough to defeat the villain and his army without those extraordinary yet “regular” Avengers.
As I said, I’ve played with the same themes in my books. My vampires may have abilities like super strength, telekinesis, mind control, or the ability to fly, but that doesn’t make their human counterparts less extraordinary, in my opinion. Take my upcoming novel, Once Burned. In it, my heroine Leila is a human whose exposure to a massive dose of electricity left her with some unusual abilities; namely, her body gives off voltage and she picks up psychic impressions through touch. While those abilities initially throw her together with my hero, a pyrokinetic vampire named Vlad (yes, that Vlad :)) it’s her mental fortitude that impresses Vlad the most. Without that, Leila would have been merely another tool he used against his enemies. But her inner strength proves so captivating that even the uncrowned Prince of Darkness ends up drawn into the most high-stakes battle of all: falling in love.
I’m going to assume that everyone agrees mental fortitude is important, but just for kicks, if you could have any supernatural ability (flying, mind control, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, shapeshifting, a big magic hammer, Hulking-out, etc.) what would it be? Everyone who answers will be entered to win one of two advance reading copy of Once Burned.
CONTEST DETAILS AND RULES
1. To enter, you leave a comment on this blog post answering Jeaniene’s question above.
2. You do not need to follow Vampire Book Club to be entered, but we sure do like it.
3. This contest is open internationally.
4. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. CST on June 3, 2012.
5. The winners will be selected using Random.org. Then each will be contacted via email and given 48 hours to claim her prize. If we do not hear from the winner(s) within that time, a new winner will be selected.
6. Entrants must be at least 18 years old or have their parent’s permission to enter. Please review our privacy policy, if you have any questions as to how Vampire Book Club uses your information. (Short version: we’ll only use it to contact you for this contest.)
7. Though unlikely, Vampire Book Club has the right to change or cancel any giveaway at any time without prior notice.
8. Vampire Book Club is not responsible for prizes lost or damage in transit.
9. Big thank you to Jeaniene Frost for providing the two ARCs of Once Burned.
I’d like to be able to shapeshift, then I could also be able to fly if I wanted. That’d be pretty cool.
I really would want telekinesis. Just got in the tub and the phone rings? No problem!
If i may be honest i already have THE HULK’s power lol.. Seriously i will be FLYING!! Thanks for the giveaway. cant wait to read this book!
If I could have any power, it would be telekinesis.
Could you imagine never having to stop reading a good book to shut the door from loud noises. All I would have to do in think about the door closing and … BOOM … close. I would never have to lose my place again. Brilliant.
shapeshifting for sure. The ability to take on characteristics of big cats or wolves would be cool!
I’d be happy with the super ability to read ask to to these great books.
Thanks for the giveaway.
I would love to have the power of timetravel. You would be able to prevent tragedies and right wrongs, that would be awesome.
Such a hard question, I love all kinds of superpowers however I think it would have to be teleportation.I love to travel however I hate inclosed spaces (ie. planes) teleporting would solve that problem. Can’t wait for the new book thanks for the contest!
My superpower would be to be able to shift and take others powers/gifts away from them. Sooo cool, lol. 😉
I would want to be telekinetic and be able to be teleport. Thanks for the giveaway!
if i had the ability to have a supernatural power, it would most likely being able to use elemental powers. kinda like pyrokenitic just with water and other elements.
The first supernatural ability I would like is the fit in a great leather outfit. Hahaha next would be fly. That could be rather handy.
Frost write great books, all of them.
Shape shifting, that be my choice!
I’d like to be able to freeze time and objects (animated, too). Cool way to stop things from happening and figure out a way to solve problems without the pressure of doom coming. lol
I would like to be a shapeshifter! I can’t wait for the book.
I’d love a What Women Want ability. Read the minds of women like Mel Gibson. Totally solve SO many arguments, probs, and increase my ability to write stories that stretch to other audiences.
If I could choose, I’d like to be able to fly. It would be awesome and a lot easier to travel. Thank you for the international giveaway! 😀
My power would be the ability to heal with a touch. Where I touched someone to heal them would glow while my mojo did it’s thing 🙂
I would like the ability to fly. 🙂
I think camouflage would be cool. Blending in with my surroundings would be awesome!
I’d LOVE to be telekinetic. Mainly because, it’d be super convenient. Other than that? It would be pretty damn boss to be able to fly.
First, I thought ‘mind reading’, but then I realized that, while I do love my husband, I have no desire to hear his thoughts every day… so, I’m going to go with invisibility. I would love to be able to spend the night in the Louvre or similar and enjoy the entire experience alone.
If I had a super ability it would be mind reading. I would love to always know what people are thinking, weather nice or not. I would always tell if people are trust worthy, sincere or a big fat liar. That would be great but I would need also the ability to turn it off or tune it down because there would stimulation overload constantly happening.
I would love to have the ability to here what people really think.
I would love the power of invisibility. To be able to literally disappear and be undistrubed. Or be able to go anywhere you wanted undetected.
If I could have any supernatural ability it would definatly be the ability to borrow powers. that way your foes never know what their dealing with in a fight.
I wouldn’t want to know what people think. Shapeshifting or great, but controllable strength would be cool though. and helpful!
I always did like shapeshifter heroes, so my pick – shapeshifting. 😀
I would have to say being like Captain American would be a good one to have!
I want to be able to stop time so I can get to read more books and sleep more 😉
I’ve always been torn between flying or having a mind controlling thing going on hehe.
I’d love to make all bad people good and all that ‘boring-to-some’ deed 😀 but I’d also love to fly >.<
argh….
I'm torn 😀
I would LOVE to be able to turn invisible whenever I want! Telekinesis would be pretty awesome too, though.
I’d love to fly.It just seems so amazing to be able to have the freedom to go wherever you want whenever you want
I would love to be able to read minds. But I think that would probably drive me out of my mind, hearing what everone else was thinking nonstop. I would probably go with being able to shapeshift after that.
mind control seems fantastic… it would be amazing if i could
I would love to be able to teleport… that way I could visit any place I thought about in an instant! That would be awesome. Thanks for the giveaway, I can’t wait to read the book.
If I could have any super ability, it would have to be instant healing. After years of living in pain it would be nice to be able to fix the aches and pains instantly. Other than that, I think that it would be cool to be able to fly. Of course picking just one does really bite. Is being a master vampire a super ability? 😀
The ability to shapeshilft would be awesome.
If I could have an super power, I would want it to be static electricity. Here’s why, I can pretty much charge up items to move them across the room. I can fly around using metal lids I super charge. Blackouts? Ha! That’s for people who aren’t made out of electricity. Can’t hear what others are saying in a different room? Hold metal up to the wall and my very own stethoscope. Then I could also go around zapping people I don’t like. My only one true weakness would be not to get with water while I’m using my powers because I can turn them off when I want to. True, I stole most of this from that old cartoon Static Shock, but honestly, he’s the only superhero whose power was completely awesome to me.
I want to be a shapeshifter! One, because they are just really cool and two because when I just need to get away I could shift and leave it all behind.
Hmm….
I’m going to have to go “Rogue” on this one; my ability would be to steal other peeps’ abilities temporarily. What can I say? I’m greedy and get bored easily…
I guess I would go with flying, but mind reading would be a good one too.
Hands down flying!! The freedom would be amazing.
Telekinesis, to move other objects, and then I could move myself to fly too. I remember wanting that power since before I knew it existed in Jean Grey.
Oh, I can’t wait! My super power? It sounds lame, but I’d love to never run out of energy. Not crazy where I can’t sleep or anything, but enough so I don’t drop from exhaustion by 7pm! Again, lame I know, but as a mom it’s the little things 😉
I’d love to be member of a pack so I guess it’s shapeshifting!
I would like mind control so I can get my kids to clean their rooms they way I like….and the bathroom 🙂
If I had a super power, I think it would be the ability to travel through time. Although, with all the potential “don’t step on a butterfly” implications, that might be kind of dangerous. Of course, I would use my powers only for good and never, ever for personal gain. 🙂
But…if time travel isn’t an option, I think I’d like to be a shape shifter who could shift into any biological being…but not evil. Maybe something along the lines of a fallen angel or someone wrongly sent to hell and trying desperately to work my way back up through purgatory and into heaven. Darn it, do I have to pick just one?? 🙂
Mindreading would be my choice!!
I dream to have telekinesis since I was a little girl! It will be wonderful!