Terry Spear's Blog, page 445

Paranormal Short Stories Available on Nook!

They're up! But unfortunately though the books made it, the covers didn't. They show on my title page, but that's invisible to readers. *sigh* So I'm still trying to figure out what to do. The covers made it to Kindle just fine.

It's all been a great learning experience! Just click on the book cover and it will take you to the B&N page. :)

Goddess in Training Ebook By Terry Spear
$0.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Feb. 19, 2011
Category: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - single author
Words: 9089 (approximate)
Language: English



Seducing the Huntress Ebook By Terry Spear
$0.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Feb. 12, 2011
Category: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - single author
Words: 18013 (approximate)
Language: English




The Siren's Lure Ebook By Terry Spear
$0.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Feb. 25, 2011
Category: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - single author
Words: 18592 (approximate)
Language: English



Some years ago, I wanted to make a webpage for my bears, and I did! And then websites for books, and played around with blogs, and now making book covers and video book trailers and...well, who knows what the future holds?

But what's fun is that I love learning how to do new things. It's important to always be learning, expanding our horizons, experimenting with new technology, not letting ourselves go the way of the dinosaurs.

Don't you think?

Don't ask me about programming stuff into a phone--I mis-punched my daughter's name into the phone and never could figure out how to fix it--lol--, or figuring out how to do much more than "play" a movie--not into recording programs and all that stuff. Though I did figure out how to take a picture of an object with my phone and save it. But what to do with it after that?

I guess it just depends on how useful I feel something is that will entice me to want to learn more!

But sometimes all it takes is some added incentive. I knew when I developed my web pages for the bears, it was the only way I'd sell any to anywhere in the States. I had no idea I'd be selling bears around the world!

Or that with my books, I'd be connecting with readers all over the globe as well!

Have you tried learning anything new lately?

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

There Will Be Dogs and Cats...Wolves and Jaguars that is...

My wolves are eying a cat (big cat) who's not in the picture. But you can see with their narrowed eyes, they aren't really happy.

Such is the case with some canines and felines. Which in the wild can be understandable. They're both predators and as such, both hunt for much the same food. And they're territorial also.

But the difference is that wolves live in packs, most cats don't. Big cats, that is. Except for lions and their pride. But that's a bit skewed because the male has a harem. Not at all fair to all the damsels to my way of thinking.

So the cat shifter will have to make some adjustments if he's to find a mate and live happily ever after. He can't be all cat.

My cats and dogs loved each other. But big cats? As in shifters? They know werewolves don't exist. And werewolves? No way is there any such thing as a jaguar shifter.

So what would happen if the two should meet? Trouble.

Because they're territorial. The same as when a wolf strays into another pack's territory.

There's bound to be trouble.

And that's how it all begins. A bunch of wolf packs, and then...

A jaguar...



Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

The Siren's Lure

The Siren's Lure--

Sardis wants nothing more than a vacation from his ponderous role as prince of the New York vampire clans, but ends up having anything but a peaceful time while staying at a beach resort where he meets the most enticing siren. Trouble doesn't even begin to describe the new world he finds himself in as he tries to seduce her, and he falls under her spell instead.

I hope to have it available today!

And the newsletter is off!!!

And I'm off to write!

Have a super day!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

It's Party Time!!!

We've been having terrific weather--mid 70's, low 50's, and I have one daffodil already in bloom! So today, I'm celebrating Urban Fantasy, and if you'd like to have a chance to win a copy of one of my books--any that I have in stock is fine with me--then click on the link below to comment. :)


Today I'm at Marie Treanor's Romantic Theme Party--and this week it's Urban Fantasy, so she graciously asked if I'd like a join her in her party. Which means I'm giving away a book. Any title that I have is fine with me. Even....a copy of the ARC of Heart of the Highland Wolf!!!

Wanna Catch a Little Wolf Fever?

So be sure to drop in and say hi!!!

I'm working hard on The Siren's Lure....and hope to have the short up soon. I need a cover, so my daughter is supposed to send me some beach pictures to choose from that I can turn into a cover.

Well, it's Thursday and still a LONG way from the weekend!!!
Hope yours is filled with great fun!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

A Series or a Stand Alone Title?

I just had another fan write about wanting to see more of Bella and Devlyn from Heart of the Wolf and the question is--what do you prefer? Reading a series where the main protagonists continue the story in a series, or stand-alone titles where the world is the same, but the characters are different and have their own story?

When I first wrote Heart of the Wolf, I didn't know if it would sell. There was a whole lot of interest in it both from publishers and agents, and yet it still didn't sell. But I really loved the world and began to write another wolf tale--Destiny of the Wolf, same world, different pack. No sense in writing another Bella and Devlyn story if I couldn't sell the first one.

Once Heart of the Wolf sold, I still didn't know if my publisher would pick up Destiny of the Wolf, the second wolf tale I was writing, so I began writing about yet another wolf pack, and then another. So for To Tempt the Wolf and Legend of the White Wolf the packs and locations are all different.

Yet, some of the characters from earlier books began making appearances in the other books. Leidolf, who was in the first 4 books, had his own story in Seduced by the Wolf. And even the omega wolf who was in Legend of the White Wolf, ended up in Seduced by the Wolf. Devlyn from Heart of the Wolf made a cameo appearance in To Tempt the Wolf.

Then as requests from readers began coming in for more stories about the Destiny of the Wolf pack, I began writing their stories. And I received a lot of requests for Hunter's sister's story from To Tempt the Wolf, so her story is coming out in The Wolf and the SEAL in 2012.

A lot of new readers to the series read them out of order, which works fine because they are more stand alone. So for me, it works. And I'm afraid a strictly one pack kind of series with the initial characters being the same throughout would have lost their appeal after a few books.

However, I've had several recent requests for a return to Bella and Devlyn's pack, and ironically, I had begun a story to tie into them a long time ago...so maybe it's time to dig it up and write some more on it. What do you all think? :)

I'm getting closer to the end of The Highland Wolf in Paradise! And editing the The Siren's Lure--a short story I'd written a while back about a vampire who wishes upon a falling star and ends up with more than he bargained for. :)

To Stand Alone or to Write in a Series....that is the question.

Have a super hump day!!!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

Yikes, Another Wedding!!!

On Valentine's Night, my daughter called to tell me the news--she's getting married.
She's too young, I'm thinking!!!! He's too young.

This is a picture of my son and daughter getting ready to attend an AFROTC military ball--they were presenting a swing-dancing show. :)



But they're not all that young either, and I'm just thinking she's still way too young. They've been dating for about 3 years, so it's not a sudden thing either, and they're waiting almost a year to get married--January, so she'll be even a year older.

So why am I not ready for this?

*sigh*

Life is ever changing. I have to keep reminding myself of this. And I'm truly happy for them, but just not ready for this.

She called to tell me last night that we need to shop for her wedding gown. What? Now?

That means I'll have to pick up something also. Argh.

Anything she wears will be gorgeous. Guaranteed.

Me, that's a whole 'nother story. But this time I won't wait until the last second to buy a dress! When I looked for a formal for my son's wedding, I just figured, no problem. They'd have them everywhere. Not so.

I'm glad I only have two children. I don't think I could go through a third or fourth wedding with subsequent kids!!!

I'm very happy for them and I know the wedding will be a success. At least it's not until January. Maybe by that time I'll be more ready for it!!! I thoroughly enjoyed my son and his bride's wedding in Pensacola, Florida, last year. It was truly special. I know this one will be also.

What about you? Have expected-unexpected news like that???

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

Eye of the Panther

I've been revising an old shapeshifter tale that was inspired some years ago by a call for submissions: A coffee shop within a bookstore.

Could be anything. Horror. Contemporary. Historical. Anything.

It was supposed to be a short story. So I wrote it as a futuristic--heck, even now paperbacks are becoming dinosaurs. At the time I wrote the story, ebooks didn't even exist. So I wrote the short story, sent it in, and got a very curt response back from the editor--Submissions by INVITATION ONLY.

Hmm, it didn't say anything about that in the submission guidelines that were online for everyone to see.

No problem. But no matter what other projects I was working on, this one kept plaguing me. The full story hadn't been told.

I grew up on Star Trek episodes, and so always loved the idea of exploring other worlds. And my son and I played the game Dune based on the book and movie, since I was always dying on my own during the fight scenes. But we ended up battling everything so fast, somehow, that we played ourselves out of the game. Both of us just stared at the game, disbelieving what had happened.

But what I wanted to do more than anything, was not constantly battle the bad guys, but turn the desert planet green. You could do some of that, but I had to quit trying and stop to fight more bad guys.

When I drive through deserts or prairies or meadows--in my mind, I turn them into forests. Must be the wolf in me. :)

But the people on this planet aren't just ordinary humans. They're shapeshifters. The heroine is a panther and her brother a dragon. And the warrior who is forced to come to their aid--think totally reluctant hero--is strictly human. It involves secret scrolls, and potential planet domination, a desert planet that desperately needs some greenery...adventure, action, mystery and romance. The short story evolved into a full length novel!

It needs a lot of formatting and editing work, but when I have the time, I'll be working on getting it ready to publish. The book has never been published before, and never even been sent to any publishers--but it's so different from my other works, I figure it would be better to just upload it myself. :)

So hopefully to come soon--Eye of the Panther, the super title, courtesy of Donna!!!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

Goddess in Training

It's up! One of the things an agent said that writers must do if they're to get anywhere in this business is read. I can't imagine not devouring tons of stories every chance I can get. I just finished judging the 7 books I received for the RITA contest, and I have two more contests! Woohoo! No books yet.

But no matter what form they come in--ebook, audiobook, paperback, or some other I'm not thinking of--stories make the world go around. Can you imagine how dull life would be without reading?

Yet, for a time, I didn't read--at least not for pure enjoyment. I can't even imagine that now. But when I was working on my bachelor's at West Texas A & M and master's at Monmouth University, I didn't read anything but school work. And when I was working on my basic and advanced Army personnel courses and Command General Staff College, I didn't read. And when I was raising two little kids and teaching them to read, I didn't read. Okay, so I did. But I didn't read for me. I read for them. When I began to write, I found the pleasure of reading again.

What the agent also said was you have to read to see what is selling in the market.

Well, I had a lovely conversation with an author who sold 9,000 books last month for titles that she wasn't being paid for with an epub. Where? She uploaded them herself at Smashwords. This is not to say this is the only way to go. I'm happily published with my other publishers, but it's a way to sell stories that have either been published before and the publisher is now defunct and the author has the rights back, or for authors who have the rights back to earlier works that never had a chance to be turned into ebooks because back then they didn't exist.

It's also a chance for works that don't fit into a NY publishing house's mold to find an audience. Of course the cautionary word here is to make sure that it's been proofed a million times, have a critique partner go over it, really revise and revise and revise. Because if you're going to self publish, they should be just as good as anything that readers have to pay their hard earned money for.

Even if the books are offered at a much lower price--as an incentive. Check out my books, my voice, but it won't cost a fortune. :)

So Goddess in Training is up!

From an early age, I loved reading Greek and Roman mythology. I loved watching Hercules and so many other movies that had to do with the gods. I wrote this short story, way before I was a librarian.

Disclaimer:
This is a hot sexy short read and is not about any librarians I know. :)


Goddess in Training Ebook By Terry Spear
$0.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Feb. 19, 2011
Category: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - single author
Words: 9089 (approximate)
Language: English

[add to library]

Ebook Short Description In a game of the gods, librarian Lisandra, who has never been loved, is chosen to be the goddess of fertility.


Tags romance, sexy, greek mythology, librarian, greek gods, zeus, sexy books, sexy love story, sexy contemporary romance, hera


Have you ever stopped reading for a good long while?

Have a lovely Sunday!!!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

Not into Tattoos but...

I'm really not into tattoos, but sometimes even someone as picky as me can change her mind. Sometimes it can be considered artwork. Or maybe it's not the tattoo that caught my eye. Hmm, the sculpted body truly is a work of art when it looks this good.



For those of you who have read Killing the Bloodlust, I'm considering offering it in an ebook. Before I do, I'll want to do some more revisions. Anything you'd like to see done differently?

That's the fun with writing. I can change the words, move them around, add, subtract. It's a work of art. Yet some things--like painting can't easily be redone.

I was joking about the spoken word yesterday with a fellow co-worker. I told her I do much better with the written word than the spoken word. I have a chance to revise it hundred-fold in writing. In speaking? It's just out there, bare naked for all to see. And no chance to take it back.

If I had a choice of being a speaker or a writer, you know which I'd prefer. What about you???

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

No More Books?

You've probably heard that Borders is closing a ton of stores. One was near Dallas where I had my first book signing at Valentine's some years ago. It's sad to see the stores go. The bad economy hasn't helped. They say it has to do with not keeping up with the ebook market.

I still can't read in ebook format. I look at a computer screen all the time while I'm trying to write, and for me, I love reading a paper bound book.

Here are the stores that are closing.

http://s.wsj. net/public/ resources/ documents/ st_borders0216_ 20110216. html

And here are some of the publishers that are owed money. I'm sure my own publishers are also. Which means we don't get paid either. And the staff for all the book stores will be let go too.

Penguin $41.1 million
Hachette Book Group $36.9 million
Simon & Schuster $33.75 million
Random House $33.5 million
HarperCollins $25.8 million
Macmillan $11.4 million
Wiley $11.2 million
Perseus $7.8 million
F+W Media $4.6 million
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt $4.4 million
Workman $4 million
McGraw-Hill $3.1 million
Pearson Education $2.8 million
NBN $2 million
Norton $2 million
Zondervan $1.9 million
Hay House $1.7 million
Elsevier Science $1.6 million
Publications Intl. $1.1 million

It affects people in so many ways that we can't even see. What will become of libraries?

*sigh*

I want paper books. I like the feel of them, the look of them, and even though I know that Nook looks more like a book, it isn't. I want to turn a page and slip in a book mark when I'm done reading for the time being.

What about you? Are you giving up on paper books to join the ebook revolution?

I do think it's fantastic, though. The idea you can take hundreds of stories with you on an ereader. What a savings that would be when taking trips. And if I didn't write and read on a computer so much, I'd probably love it too....

Hope you have a great Friday!!! I will! It's FRIDAY!!! And it's been another one of those weeks!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com