If you could read my mind: What a tale my vampire's would tell

Hi all! :) I know you've missed me but I have been busy on vacation, (sounds like an oxymoron huh? ;) with editing and on a cruise (where I had to pay for internet time by the minute) so my absense wasn't without it's reasons. As you may have guess this time I'll be spaking about telepathy and mind control (with a nodd to the great Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot) First off though (as always)

Shameless plug: My book The Newfoundland Vampire will be on in April 2012 (with Pat's very skilled and gracious help) and Tasha’s books (I've read both and highly recommend) are out now.

When a lot of people think of vampires a power that often comes to mind is hypnotisim, mind control or some kind of telepathy. A vampire's gaze is often used in novels and movies as a way to control a human, even if it's just long enough to take a nibble on their neck ;) I didn't bother with the gaze part and I don't mean crushing someone's will but just the ability to make people act just a little different than they may have otherwise would be an incredibly usefull tool. For my book I took it a few steps further but first a few questions. What would you do if you could read someone's mind? What behaviours would incourage or discourage in others?

I'm a poker player (very much an amatuer sadly) and I can only dream of how this would help at the table (especially since I pretty much lost steady for 4 nights on a cruise). Just the ability to see someone's card or make them fold at just the right moment could make you a fortune and eventually piss a lot of people off :-) Just imagine though the simple things like waiting in line, getting into a sold out show, getting away without a parking ticket, life sure would be easier with a little mind influencing action.

But I'm way off topic. What I saw for vampires is that they could not only influence people's action but also animals. How useful would be to quiet an annoying barking dog? Or stop a cat from spraying the furtniture? For a more extreme situation nothing would be better (or more surprising) than having a crocodile or other large animal show up to fight for you when the going got tough. Furthermore I thought that one vampire who creates another would have a special bond and could communicate telepathically over any distance and could read weak-willed or young vampires minds. Vampires though would also have the ability to shield their thoughts from anyone, it would just take time and skill to do so. (hey you can never be too careful right? :)

The temptation to control human behavior would always be present (and could also be a ton of fun at parties ;) and the ability to communicate without words to another vampire would be incredibly convienent and useful. Well I'd go on but I've got this funny feeling in my head, kind of like a sexy female voice almost whispering for me to finish putting away the dishes ;-) Until next time dear readers I am...