Terry Spear's Blog, page 450

The Newsletter--Allure of the Wolf

Hope everyone got the newsletter all right. :) And hope you're enjoying Allure of the Wolf. If you've missed earlier parts, just email me and I'll send it to you.
When I was researching Yellowknife, I found it really interesting that it had "skyscrapers" despite so much of the area being permafrost, but it's settled on granite, and underground caves have hot springs. They also had gold. And earlier, gold miners used to bring out the gold, wearing barely any clothes because of the heat from the springs, while up above it was below freezing. The hot water was cordoned off from the caves while the digging was going on, but then it was allowed to fill the caves again after the gold digs were abandoned. The hot water now is used for thermal heating of the city!
I'm back to working on the bears--they're whole now, just need to embroider their paws. It's storming here, so I'll probably lose my Internet, so wanted to hurry and send this before that happens.
Have a super Sunday!!!
Terry"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."www.terryspear.com

I'm Disorganized!!!

After moving to my mother's house two years ago, all my bear materials are still in total disarray. I couldn't bring them in the house earlier, and have since then, but I still can't find anything!
It bugs me because in my other two homes, everything was organized and I could find everything. No problem. Here, I just can't seem to find places to put things so I can keep track of them. Which means I need to get rid of a LOT of stuff that isn't necessary so I can get to the stuff that is necessary!
I've been doing a lot of winter cleaning, but I need to do tons more!!!
Do you ever feel really disorganized? Have you moved and knew where everything was in your old home, but can't find anything at your new location? How do you make it all work for you?
I remember my father telling me he never got rid of anything because he might need it someday. Does that sound familiar? That as soon as he got rid of stuff, that's when he needed some odds and end.
Mom was the opposite. When I moved in with her, she started throwing stuff out of mine. She felt it was unnecessary stuff. So she was helping me. If I had felt it was unnecessary stuff, I would have gotten rid of it before I moved.
But in truth, I do have a lot of unnecessary stuff--materials I'll never use and so I am trying to clean it all out a little bit by little bit. Time is my biggest issue.
Speaking of time, I've got to get back to working on the bears. The two bears in pieces are nearly sewn, but that's the 2nd step in the process after cutting them out. After that, I have to put them together--stuff them, and finish sealing them up. Neither have their plaids though. So for a while, they'll be ready, but naked. :)
But I also need to get some of those book proposals out....*sigh* I keep going over them and not liking them, and reworking them. And I need to get my word count done on The Highland Wolf in Paradise.
Hope you all have a super fun Saturday, and that when you need something like I did this morning, you can find it!!!
Terry"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."www.terryspear.com

Do You Conquer the World Best in the Morning or at Night?

Ann from South Africa friended me this morning on Facebook, and I loved the picture she had, so "borrowed" it to share with everyone! Thanks, Ann!

This is truly TGIF!!! I'll be working on teddy bears and student lessons, looking over my daughter's applications for intern programs, and working on The Highland Wolf in Paradise.

I've pretty much decided that after doing tons of research on sword and arrow wounds--I don't want to wound my heroine that way in The Twist in Time,the new Highland time travel I'm working on, on the side. Okay, so the weather was changeable that time of year--but would the king have gone on a hunt if the weather was really bad? I don't think so. :)

So this is definitely TGIF!!! And I'm excited to get to it all!

I might even send the newsletter early!

Did you know I'm a morning person? In Legend of the White Wolf, Faith is a morning person and Cameron is a nighttime person. My dad was a morning person, and my mother, a nighttime person. She would make him stay up late. He'd make her get up early. We all have different clocks and even if we force ourselves out of our natural sleep rhythm to work, we really never change that part of us.

In the morning, I'm ready to conquer the world. After a full day of work, I'm ready to chill out, although I usually force myself to keep working on stuff until I go to bed because of deadlines and all. But still, I begin to wilt at night.

What about you? Are you the energizer bunny in the morning? (My mother used to call me that in an annoyed way because I was so full of energy in the morning!) Or do you spring to life like a vampire or....werewolf, at night?

Have a super wonderfully fun Friday!

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

Not Sugar Plum Fairies Floating in My Head

Edinburgh Castle from the highway, traveling at highway speeds while trying to catch a picture. It was foggy that day also when we returned to the city before I went home the next day.

This morning I woke at the ungodly hour of 4 AM and so because I couldn't get to sleep again, I began running movie scenes around in my mind. What would stop an arrow from penetrating too deeply?
What kind of arrow wound would be superficial enough to be livable?
How would someone who is on foot in a forest, outmaneuver someone who is on horseback?
Or if the other is on foot, get away from a man's longer stride if a woman fleeing for her life?
Why would Highlanders be there in the first place?
So I "see" different scenarios--and I imagine different ways that the story can work for me. And...I don't know.
LOL Hey, at 4 AM how can I know everything? Yet, it gives me lots of ideas, and the really weird part is that though I usually can't remember these things after waking (I did finally fall asleep)--this time, I can. All the details.
Which is always a really good sign!
For writing a new story like this, I have to do a lot of research. I won't stick with the story for long, since I need to write my word count still on The Highland Wolf in Paradise, and I did leave them in a sticky situation. :) I also still need to come up with 3 wolf proposals. But I'll play around with the time travel for a little bit longer, than get my word count on the other by this weekend. My laptop hasn't been returned, which is the reason for the delay.
And I've got bear orders to work on this weekend also! :) 1 Bear is made, but I just need to embroider the paws. 1 bear is almost whole. :) And 2 are cut out and ready to be sewn. Then I need to make the bonnet and sash for the one, but the other 2 I had to order, so it'll be a couple of weeks before I get the clan plaids from Scotland.
I had wished I could have picked some up when I was in Scotland!
Off to play around with the time travel. Have a glorious Thursday! This is my late night, and I'm afraid yesterday was another madhouse.
Terry"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."www.terryspear.com

Dreaming of Time Travels....

Scotland as the sun was setting!
While having a horrible bout of allergy troubles last night, I had a nightmare that my mother was alive, but even though the nightmare was so real, I knew intellectually she wasn't. It was probably prompted by a friend of hers contacting me, who was looking for me on Facebook and wanted to know what had happened to her. I thought I'd gotten hold of her friends, but must have missed this one. *sigh*
But then as I was trying to get to sleep--which I never did--the kernel of a story began to invade my brain. Okay, so if I wasn't trying to sleep because I have to work, it wouldn't have been so rude an occurrence. It would have been welcome.
Often when I come up with an idea in the middle of the night, if I don't write it down, I forget it. But this one I couldn't forget. Which means one of these days, I'll have to write it. :)
It's set in medieval times in England and Scotland, like Winning the Highlander's Heart and The Accidental Highland Hero, only the heroine is a contemporary American who finds herself in lots of hot water as she takes a twist in time into the past.
The hero is a Highlander, though I'm not sure how he figures into the story, only he has to get the strange woman to safety. :)
In any event, I wrote notes this morning, did some research, and darned if I don't have to go to work! :) When I want to write the scenes I already have floating around in my brain!
Double sigh.
But I am excited about the possibilities of this story. And even if I still find it rude that stories begin to fill my head when I'm trying to sleep, I'm glad this one did!
Yesterday was as hectic as Monday. Will it slow down today???
Have a super Hump Day!
Off to the grind--to quote my dad!
Terry"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."www.terryspear.com

More Bear Sales!

Just received 2 more bear orders--a McHenry Clan Bear and a large mauve bear.

Here is Penny Bear, reclining, happy to enjoy the new year! :) I have to order the clan fabric for McHenry, so will show him off later. :)




And I had interest in two boy bears---I usually use my grizzlies or lighter brown bears, although some want them for girls also. :) This is the grizzly in the small bear.




And this is the lighter brown.



Wilde and Woolly Bears http://terryspear.tripod.com/celticbears/ have made their way to homes as far away as Australia and South Africa! Many have gone to homes in Canada, some to China, one to Russia even! And Khazakistan, too! They've won Best in Show at Fort Lauderdale's Doll and Bear Show in years past, Best Dressed bear for jesters and wizards, and Most Unique bear for a peg leg pirate bear. :) They've been in several magazines: Texas Monthly, Texas Co-op Monthly, The MacNeill Galley, Teddy Bear Review and several newspapers also! And they were in the film: The International Teddy Bear Connection by Spectral Vision Films.
Yesterday was a madhouse at work...and you know how cold it was at my house, well it was sooo hot at work. Of course I was dressed for the cold. And was burning up at work. Argh. And my laptop is still down with a virus.
I have some of the story for the Highland Wolf in Paradise to type up this morning, if I have time, and hopefully made my word count for yesterday, but I reworked my proposal for Rogue of a Highland Wolf, and am attempting to write one for Tom's story. :) And then, I've got to propose another. I've had some more interest in Rosalind's story, sister to Ryan McKinley (from Wolf Fever). But might do another Highland wolf story first. :) Or...some other. :) I started one some time ago--actually, a couple of others--that had to do with Heart of the Wolf's pack. So might consider writing one of those. :)

Question--if a female wolf and a male wolf have a wrestling match, and she's in wolf form and he's not, who wins?

I'm off to work! Have a super Tuesday! I'm hoping it will be less hectic at work today. :)
Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

Fall in Love Like a Romance Author

Unveil the secrets to real romance from the masters of the fictional world

According to Romance Writers of America, romance fiction tops the publishing charts with $1.37 billion annual sales.* Now that's sexy.

Clearly, romance is alive and well in the world of publishing. Readers can't get enough, which is why the timing is ripe to unleash a book that goes beyond the fictional bedroom doors…between the story-filled satin sheets…to uncover the intimate secrets behind the real romantic relationships of more than 65 beloved, bestselling romance novelists.

Linda Lael Miller, Mariah Stewart, Robyn Carr, Heather Graham, Joan Johnston, Kat Martin, Pamela Morsi, Sabrina Jeffries, Eloisa James, Rachel Gibson, and many others share what has made their own true romances loving and lasting. At the heart of Fall In Love Like a Romance Writer is the author—bestselling romance writer Amelia Grey. Together, these ladies of luscious language, tell secrets about their own true loves.

Readers will enjoy glimpsing into the exclusive and private world of their favorite romance writers. Humorous, poignant, and entertaining from beginning to end, Fall In Love Like a Romance Writer reveals what it takes to have your own happily ever after, just like the ones your beloved writers are creating…and living.

*Source: Business of Consumer Book Publishing 2009

The Contributors:
Bertrice Small, Cathy Maxwell, Robyn Carr, Pamela Morsi, Haywood Smith, Heather Graham, Jill Marie Landis, Linda Lael Miller, Rachel Gibson, Sharon Lathan, Patricia Potter, Deb Stover, Karen White, Joan Johnston, Stella Cameron, Kat Martin, Mary Jo Putney, Meryl Sawyer, Victoria Alexander, Mariah Stewart, Stef Ann Holm, Laura Lee Guhrke, Jasmine Cresswell, Dee Davis, Judi Fennell, Jannine Corti Petska, Terry Spear, Ciji Ware, Nicole Byrd, Stephanie Bond, Geri Buckley Borcz, Teresa Medeiros, Sabrina Jeffries, Mary Balogh, Leigh Greenwood, Eloisa James, Judith Arnold, Karen Robards, Linda Wisdom, Cheryl Brooks, Elizabeth Boyle, Michele Young, Elizabeth Hoyt, Amanda Scott, Jean Brashear, Lorraine Heath, Jade Lee, Elizabeth Grayson, Annette Blair, Christie Ridgway, Jo Ann Ferguson, Jennifer Blake, Kate Austin, Shana Galen, Shirl Henke, Suzanne Forster, Susan Anderson, Nicola Cornick, Gayle Callen, Robin Lee Hatcher, and Kasey Michaels.

It's available for preorders and shipping Jan 7! This kind of sneaked up on me like a wolf might! :)

Off to work where it will be warmer than home! Have a super Monday! :)

Terry

"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."

www.terryspear.com

More Bear Sales, Julie's Wolf Dog, and Sia's Dragon Story!!

This is Julie's lovely wolf dog, Winddancer's Harley at 7 months of age! In the tall wintered grass, he blends in, giving us a nice profile pose. Thanks so much, Julie, for sharing your wolf with us!! He's huge, even at just that age! And beautiful!




And Sia did a lovely story on her blog yesterday, and it had to do with a dragon shifter. This one is just a baby. :)



Just sold another Irvin Celtic Clan Bear and a Mitchell Clan Bear! This is Armstrong! Need to order some more fabric from Scotland!



I need to get my 1,000 words today on The Highland Wolf in Paradise , and get the newsletter off. So I'm off to work in just a moment. It's VERY cold here. No heat in this part of the house, but I'm stuck working in this part of the house because... my laptop is down. Argh. Virus. Time for a meltdown.
Have a super great Sunday!!! Hopefully the newsletter will go out okay this time!
Terry"Giving the meaning to the term alpha male."www.terryspear.com

New Year's Resolutions--Not

Years ago I used to make them. And I'm extremely goal-oriented, have to be to keep up with everything. But I used to make lists, and mark everything off that I'd accomplished during the day, but hate it when I had stuff that needed to be done that wasn't on "THE LIST" and thereby couldn't be marked off.

Yet, I had done so much more each day that wasn't accounted for. Yes, I needed a 12-step program for list making. Now, this is not to say making lists is bad. If I made them, I might get a little more done each day. If I already didn't get so much done. But they were taking a lot of time to write and cross off the things I finished, and stew about the things I didn't that I finally said--THAT'S IT! No more list making.

And you know what? I could live just fine without them. Except for grocery lists and when I run into town to do errands, sometimes I make a list so I don't forget anything. But to make daily lists of what I need to accomplish?

Nope. So that goes along with goal making for the New Years. What is my goal? To write lots! To see the New Mexico wolf reserve if I can this year with a couple of co-workers. And to go to the RWA Conference if I can--money wise and vacation wise. To propose 3 more wolf books to my editor.

And other than that, those are my goals!

What about you? Are you/have you been a list maker? Do you feel you've let things fall through the cracks? If you set goals, do you accomplish them?

In any event, I wanted to wish you a wonderful New Years and have a terrific New Year's Day!!! After I got home from the party, I stayed up until nearly 2 AM ringing in the New Years even on the West Coast as I fought the bad guys and saved the good guys in Dragon Age. Of course, I couldn't sleep past 6:30 AM either....so that means I will try to make it a goal to take a nap later today. Maybe. :) But then again, I need to get to work on the Highland Wolf in Paradise, and I need 3600 more words this weekend to reach my goal. *snicker*...I did say I made some goals! :)



Off to write!

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

From New Years Past--from Wolves' Perspective!

I was just able to get back on the Internet after calling my provider and working through the trouble!!! And my computer had crashed again yesterday, and I finally got it back up and running. *sigh*

So I'm all set for the New Year!

Here are some wolves' New Year "cards" of past and a Happy New Year to all of you for the coming year!!!








Here's wishing you all the joy and happiness for the upcoming year! And all kinds of wolfish delights!

Next up--Heart of the Highland Wolf, Dreaming of the Wolf, and A Ghost of a Chance at Love!

Have a wonderful New Years Eve!!!

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