Terry Spear's Blog, page 451

DREAMING OF THE WOLF'S COVER!!!

My Internet has been out since yesterday afternoon because of storms, and I finally had to come to work early on my long night, just to check emails and blog. And guess what I found!!! My editor, Deb, sent me this and I was disappointed that I couldn't tell her how much I loved it before she took off for the holidays, but I LOVE IT! And they even kept MY title! I haven't been mentioning the book because readers get confused when the title I talk about doesn't end up in book form. It does end up as a book, but with a different title!

So DREAMING OF THE WOLF is all about Jake Silver!!! :) What do you all think???


Oh, I'm so in love!!! :) Hey, Sia, you're mentioned on the cover. Woohoo!!! Hopefully, this is the final cover, but I just wanted to show it off anyway. Isn't it just gorgeous? What a way to end the year!!!

Great reviews also for Wolf Fever!

http://www.thecajunbooklady.com/2010/12/wolf-fever-by-terry-spear.html

http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/12/book-review-and-arc-giveaway-wolf-fever.html

Off to write before I have to go to work. Have a super Thursday!!! It'll be a really long night for me!

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

A Memorial to a Wolf Companion

This is a picture of Sia McKye's dearly departed wolf companion, Micah. He's beautiful, Sia, and I want to thank you so much for sharing him with us. You've talked about what a treasure he was, but seeing a picture of him is a real treat.

So I wanted to take a moment to share him with everyone who loves canines. He is beautiful and I know he was very much loved. And I must say, he looks totally pampered on those gorgeous brocade pillows and the Scottish plaid one too. But he should be! :)




I also want to mention that Grace of Books Like Breathing, and I love that title!, did a really nice review of Wolf Fever at:
http://bookslikebreathing.blogspot.com/2010/12/wolf-fever-by-terry-spear.html

I've finished the wolf magazine interview and it's off! So now we'll see what the reporter says--yeah, or nay. :)

And, did I tell you I came up with a new proposal for a wolf book? I have to come up with 2 more, but this one I've titled: Rogue of a Highland Wolf. :) If I could come up with a couple of more stories, I'll be over the moon. :)

Have a terrific hump day!!

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

Second to Last Day of Blog Tour!

I'm in a rush to get to the dentist this morning. Why did I schedule it for so danged early?? So I'll be back later to post a real blog. :) I'm here today, 2nd to last day of the blog tour:

http://twimom227.blogspot.com/2010/12/author-interview-giveaway-terry-spear.html

I've been asked to do an interview for a wolf magazine, so I'm excited about that!

Well, in two more months I've got to have to be cut at the dentist again. ARGH. But that's in March...

Okay, off to work on the interview! Have a super great Tuesday. I only have to work half a day, so it's already a great day! :) And oh, yeah, I didn't get cut on this morning. Also another totally good reason for having a great day!

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

New Year's Resolutions for Wolves at Thoughts in Progress!!!

Today I'm at Thoughts in Progress with a 2 book free giveaway, thanks to Mason!! And I loved her question about what the wolves' New Year's resolutions would be. So if nothing else, check them out and decide for yourself, will they meet their goals, do you think?

But Thoughts in Progress seems really appropriate--the title that is--because right about now that's where I'm at in my writing endeavor.

My thoughts are totally in progress. No work in progress. Nada. Well, sure I have the openings for two books. But I'm still what I call in the Mulling Phase. I don't plan my books per se. But one of the most fun parts of writing books is showing the meeting between the hero and heroine. So I'm trying to think of the most fun, different, and dramatic way for them to meet.

Note: different. When writing a stand alone series, the key is to make the stories unique from one another. Same world, but different main characters, plots, and stories so that everyone feels they've read a new story. Now, by different, I mean that someone is always new to the mix, because I've begun to write about characters who've been portrayed in the story already. So we get to see them in the lead role now, and much more about them as they are the primary characters, and not the secondaries.

At least that's always my goal--to write different stories each time.

The funny thing is, I wrote my first 4 wolf tales not based on reader feedback because I had to write them before the first book was out for very long. So each of the tales are stand alone with different packs, different main characters. Then by book 5, I'd had so many comments about Leidolf, that I had to write his story in Seduced by the Wolf. And then I wrote book 6, Wolf Fever, about Carol and Chester Ryan McKinley from Destiny of the Wolf, book 2, because so many wanted to see Carol's story.

But with book 7, Heart of the Highland Wolf, I was back to writing about a whole new pack--only this time in Scotland. The heroine is mentioned in some of the other stories, the werewolf romance writer, Julia Wildthorn. But otherwise, it's a new story. And I had so much fun with it--incorporating the gnashing of wolf teeth, and sword play, and other kinds of sword play, Scottish castles, and clan fights, and yes, I loved writing the story.

Yet, like writing the first 4 books in the series, I've had no feedback, but I'm off to write the next in the Highland series, book 10, The Highland Wolf in Paradise. And I want to come up with 2 new proposals for the Highland wolves. So I'm mulling.

I consider not only different, but dramatic. Who needs a run of the mill meeting between the hero and heroine? We need something that captures the reader's imagination: she wants to be the heroine; he wants to be the hero. Life can be ho-hum. But books can't be.

And fun. I have fun writing the books, so my characters need to have fun also. Okay, so Carol was NOT having fun with her continued bouts with fighting shifting, but seeing a wolf in the woods...now, that was intriguing. And when she saw him shift into a man, that was fun. :) The Silver brothers coming for her, to ensure her safety, that was fun.

So yes, fun, different, and dramatic.

Still thinking.

I have to work from 9-9 today, so I'm afraid I won't be thinking about anything but work...but this morning I woke at 4 AM, the bloodlust for stories rising, the thoughts swirling, the images appearing and vanishing, and one of these days very soon now...I'll have it, and the push will be on!

Hope your holidays were the best! I thoroughly enjoyed mine! And hope you received the newsletter all right. It looks like maybe both copies went out? I'm not sure. If you didn't receive yours, email me and I'll forward it to you!

As soon as I posted this, I received a review from Book Chick City! Brilliant, Couldn't put it down!

"Carol is a fantastic heroine, I liked her immediately. She is a strong courageous female, she stands with her head held high and doesn't apologise for who she is. With Ryan also being a stubborn Alpha it makes for some really great dialogue and chemistry between them, and I liked that her Alpha-ness was something Ryan truly admired in her. I really enjoyed them both having to overcome a hurdle within themselves, Carol needs to trust her inner wolf and Ryan needs to believe in Carol's abilities.
Ryan may not be the usual Alpha male, but that made him far more interesting than the overly brooding/aggressive type. I loved the fact that when pack members have sex they are mated to each other for life, and this introduces a tangible sexual tension which really came alive on the pages. Ooh!
The Pack is like a huge welcoming family, and it gave me some warm fuzzies reading about them. They may not be perfect, but the love they have for each other is very clear and it made me smile more than once. While some characters are not the focus of the story, I definitely wanted to know more about them because of how well fleshed out they are."

Woohoo, loved the review! :)

I'll also be starting the Conflict! Conflict! Conflict! Online Workshop:

Jan 3-28

(4 weeks--12 lessons--$25)


So last chance to sign up this week for:
Conflict! Conflict! Conflict!
How to Write Conflict in Every Scene!

And lastly--these are the last days of my blog tour--so drop by for chances to win a free book! Or two!

12/27 Thoughts in Progress
_____________________________
12/28 That's What I'm Talking About
_____________________________
12/29 A Simple Love of Reading


Have a terrific Monday!!! Mine is going to be incredibly long!

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

I'm Back!

Well, I've been here, but after working for half a day, I've had a mother of a headache, and so after a miracle drug--2 tylenol and a decongestant and a nap--I think I've developed some wolfish genetics and woohoo, headache gone!

It's amazing how different I feel when I'm not fighting a whopper of a headache. The day's brighter, even though the night is fast approaching. *sigh*

And before the end of the month, which means the beginning of a whole new year, I'll be at three more blogs until the end of the WOLF FEVER tour!

12/27 Thoughts in Progress
_____________________________
12/28 That's What I'm Talking About
_____________________________
12/29 A Simple Love of Reading

I'll also be starting the Conflict! Conflict! Conflict! Online Workshop:

Jan 3-28

(4 weeks--12 lessons--$25)



Conflict! Conflict! Conflict!
How to Write Conflict in Every Scene!

From warriors fighting on the battlefield and storms that threaten mayhem, to the conflict in relationships from romance to just plain living around others--EVEN if the individual is shipwrecked alone on a desert island--conflict is all around us.

For fiction, it's essential to show conflict in every scene, to engage the reader throughout our tale. Even for nonfiction, conflict in the story makes for much more interesting reading.

So we will discuss internal/external conflict, conflict in dialogue, conflict in actions and reactions, conflict in settings, conflict between individuals, conflict in plot, and subplots, subtle and not so subtle conflicts, and much more. Every lesson has exercises and I critique your writing samples.

We have 3 lessons per week.

So if you'd like to find some ways to make those scenes much more conflictive, join me in Conflict! Conflict! Conflict!

Now that I have vanished my headache, I'm off to fight some stone golems in Dragon Age.

I did send off the newsletter with the new Allure of the Wolf, but never received a copy. So if anyone received it, if you could send me a copy, I can forward it to anyone else who didn't receive it either. Thanks!!

And happy day after Christmas!

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

The Cupid and Psyche Awards!

Woohoo, Legend of the White Wolf made The Romance Studio's Cupid and Psyche Award Nomination!!! I'm up against some great NY Times Best Selling authors, but last year some of those authors and I made honorable mention after being finalists. So there's always hope! I'm just thrilled to be included!

I'm off to critique some chapters for one of my critique partners, cleaned some already this morning for my daughter and her boyfriend's arrival and can't wait to start the turkey and smell the aroma of it cooking in the oven. Oh, need to turn on the Christmas tree! It's Christmas Eve and hope everyone is ready!!!



I heard that today is considered Black Friday for Christmas Eve now. argh.

My wolves and I want to wish you the merriest of Christmases!!! Hope you all are settled down to enjoy the festivities, a quiet day, a delicious feast, anything that makes you feel good!

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

Wolves at Christmas

There have always been myths and legends about wolves and here is a picture of wolves and Native Americans together in unity.

I read about one who took in a wolf pup whose litter mates had drowned in their den, and the Indian was the only one who could get the pup out. The wolf parents were frantically pacing across the river, unable to save the litter. The man took the wolf pup back to his camp.

But the rest of his tribe were afraid of the wolf, afraid it would kill their horses or dogs. The wolf was the man's companion though, and when he and his friend hunted apart from the other men, the wolf went with them, alerted him when Indians from other tribes were nearby--they were always stealing each others ponies, and they would slip away unharmed.

One day, the wolf saw another silhouetted against the horizon. He would run off, then return, and run off again. They saw the two wolves together later, but though he would come down to visit with the man who saved him, the female wouldn't come near the Indian camp. He missed his wolf companion, but the wolf finally returned to the wild to be with his own kind.


Here a couple of wolves are getting into the Christmas spirit.


And this is one of my wolves who is tuckered out from a long run in the woods, came back to the barn and realized someone had played a trick on him and moved his clothes. Not to worry. Tuckered out, he figured he'd just take a nap. And then...get whoever it was who took his clothes back. Did you hide them? :)

If you did, you'd better start running because he'll be on the hunt for you next! And then what? I'll leave that up to your very own imagination!



Last day of work!! Then I'm off for two glorious days!

Have a super Thursday!

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

A Hunky Wolfish Santa

I was thrilled to get all these reviews today! :) Wolf Fever is spreading the love!

"With every book Terry writes I love the werewolf series more and more. Terry doesn't disappoint her fans with Wolf Fever . One of the best things about the books Terry writes is she always give you what you crave. She gives the readers strong, stubborn heroines and alpha heroes, along with a wonderful fast-paced story. Wolf Fever is by far my favorite one to date. It is everything a reader could want, plus a little humor and some sizzling sexual tension.

Overall Wolf Fever was addictive and hard to put down. The storyline had me turning the pages late into the night. Wolf Fever is the perfect gift for any paranormal romance fan this Christmas season." ~~~5 Hearts! MDobson
Sizzling Hot Book Reviews


"This book has all the right ingredients for a great fantasy romance novel and if you like werewolves then you'll love this story. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series. Check out more about this series at Terry Spear's website. Terry also writes Medieval Scottish romances so I'm definitely going to get myself one of those next!"


Alaine's Queen of Happy Endings

"This was the first book I have read in Terry Spears Wolf series. I enjoyed reading this story. If you like a paranormal story, then this one is worth your time."
Celtic Lady Reviews

REALLY LIKED IT
"Part of my fascination with this Terry Spear's wolf series is that she gets the technical parts down so that the story is incredible believable. You understand the transformation and the need for a pack. She does a wonderful job uniting the human condition with the animal instincts."
Bookhounds

Okay, so I've been negligent in my sharing of my wolves in their human form. Which one do you think he is??? And wouldn't you like it if he played Santa Clause at your house this year???



Off to another day of work! Only today and a late night tomorrow, and I'm OFF! Then I have to work a half day on Sunday. But I'm thrilled to be off for a couple of days!!!

Have a super wonderful hump day! My garbage is out. Life couldn't be better. :)

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

Top Ten Reasons Why Werewolves Won't Cheat on Their Mates!

There is something totally wrong about the temperature going to 85 degrees today just a few days before Christmas. It's just wrong. :) Yes, yes, it's Texas, but even here we usually have more sense than that!

Then it'll be freezing on Friday. It's just not right!

Did I mention I'm behind a few times this week? Well, I did it again! It's all my daughter's fault! As soon as I get home from work, I check up on emails, but she keeps coming home to get me to help her study for her GRE. Which I'm all too happy to do, if she wouldn't keep wanting to eat pizza every single night! LOL But it throws me off my regularly scheduled email checks and catching up. Plus yesterday morning, I was busy sending The Wolf and the SEAL to my editor so I didn't have time for much else. But the mss is off!!! Woohoo!!!

Now to write the synopsis and the cover specs, etc.

So before I make this any longer, I wanted to share where I am today with all of you so that you can have a chance to drop by and say hi if you'd like!

Lynda at Star Crossed Romance gave a lovely review and is offering a free book giveaway! If nothing else, you've GOT to check out how she's making her gingerbread house cakes for Christmas!!! Now if I could only get her to send me a picture!!! Anyway, I'm talking about researching the story.

And Cindy at Cindy's Love of Books where she has the loveliest things to say also. Thanks so much for having me, Cindy! And I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday on top of that! I'm thrilled you picked up a copy of Wolf Fever for your birthday!!

And Love Romance Passion gave me this great idea to discuss--so please stop by for some fun!!! Top Ten Reasons Why Werewolves Won't Cheat on Their Mates!

Just look at the comment box and tell me, does it call you gorgeous too? :) Please stop by today and comment to win a chance at some free books!!

Now I've got to get ready for work. What to wear for a hot day in Texas? Forget Christmas sweaters today! :)

Have a great Tuesday!!!

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

The New and Improved Kitchen!

This is the old stove and counter. It really was a nice looking stove and it was too bad it couldn't have been repaired for less than $450. But it also was 33 years old!



I have to say I would never have gotten around to remodeling the kitchen if it hadn't been of a necessity. No working stove and no way to just easily replace the one I had-- being the driving factor. And the counter top convection oven just won't hold a turkey! :) Unless it was a little baby one, if I could find one that little.

The kitchen looked fine before I redid it. It wasn't that it didn't. It was just the problem with not being able to open the dishwasher if the stove had a door handle. You can't see from this picture, but on the right hand side of the stove, my dad had put a knob to open the door. It was hard to open the stove using one little knob.

Here is the built-in oven with the piece of metal that was behind the stove and the unfinished counter and back splash.



So the kitchen remodeling had to be done. Now I'm looking at the old yucky window that my mother hated and wanted to put in one of those....can't think of the name--like a greenhouse window, or whatever. Maybe some day.

Also, the back splash around the kitchen counter was coming apart, and both mom and dad, to give them both credit, had set a hot pan down on the counter at various times and so two burn spots were on the counter also. With putting in a built in stove since there was bare wood around the stove top, so the counters had to be redone. And the counter guy doesn't do back splashes, so the tile wall had to be redone. *sigh* He also pulled off the ugly metal piece that was behind the stove. As you can see from the 2nd picture, the metal piece didn't extend all the way to the new counter.



I didn't get a picture before, because I didn't know he was going to do it, but another thing I loved about the remodel was that he rounded all the corners, which is really nice and a nice safety feature. I also had the ground fault electric outlets put in to update the wiring. :)

Now, to figure out the window treatment. I may just put the shutters back up, but it would be nice to do something different... :) Note also bare light fixture, not sure what happened to the cover...before my time. :( There's also a missing light bulb. LOL Guess the place did need more work!



Later, though...

Right now, it's time to fix some corned beef, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Nice Irish meal on a very cold day! :)



Oh, and I was showing the guys the picture of the original house and how the man who built the shell had built a bomb shelter into it. Yep. Not a storm shelter, but he was certain WWIII was coming. So we talked about breaking up the bomb shelter, leveling out the floor, and giving me more than a walk space for my "office," which is all that it is right now... a hallway. Anyway, if I do it, they quoted me a really decent price. But it will still have to be later. I so wish mom and dad could see how nice things are looking!

Off to work some more on Seals...getting closer to being done. Really! :)

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

But I LOVE it! What do you all think?