Archive | December 2014

OMG, It’s New Year’s Eve!!!!

Call of the Cougar starts at this time of the year and the heroine is sitting at home getting ready to watch 3:10 to Yuma and enjoy fajitas…alone. She has no plans for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, when she gets THE CALL about a possible wildlife trafficking case that she needs to investigate.

Crime doesn’t stop for a holiday, after all. And she has nothing better to do than look into it–in case there’s something to it. She’s alone, she has nothing better to do, and she’s a workaholic. So despite it being snowy out and a really good day to stay home, she’s off to search a ghost town for evidence of wrongdoing.

Call of the Cougar: Looking for love can be dangerous…

Special Agent for the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Services, Tracey Whittington, takes down wildlife traffickers and more, but what she doesn’t expect is to be in a shootout, multiple times, when the business turns deadly. Nor does she suspect she’ll be working with Hal Haverton, who serves as a part-time deputy for Yuma Town, Colorado, and runs his own horse ranch. As long as he doesn’t stop her investigative work—she has been placed on administrative leave due to the last shootout—she’ll be just fine.

Hal Haverton has every intention of keeping the wild cat safe, even if it means helping her to solve the case when every time he turns around, she’s involved in another shootout. When her boss asks their good friend, the sheriff, to have one of his deputies serve as a bodyguard for the cougar shifter, Hal’s all for it. So is the other deputy, but Hal’s got this covered. Even if getting somewhere with the lady means having his gun ready at all times. There are definite perks to getting to know the Special Agent better—if they live long enough to do something about it.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

All Romance Ebooks

Smashwords

I think this is my only book, of maybe 60 books I have out?–I lose count–that is set during the New Year and what a disaster it brings.

We all hope for the best for the upcoming New Year, hopefully celebrate the passing of a year that had its ups and downs, and wish everyone the best the New Year can bring to them.

So on this New Year’s Eve, I want to wish you all the best!

I’ve been reading up on puppy anxiety, and who would ever have thought Tanner, the 9 week old would have puppy anxiety when he’s with Max. Max doesn’t have it. But then he’s 5 1/2 months old and so maybe when Tanner’s not so little, he’ll realize I will be with him when I can. I had a pen fence blocking the part of the family room that they’re in so that I could take down the Christmas decorations without them being underfoot, plus Tanner kept trying to chew on the tree branches. He could watch me and was barking his head off. *sigh*

But last night when I went to crate them, it was the cutest thing. I’ve been giving them a treat, and when I told them bedtime, Max actually went inside and sat. Sometimes I think I’m getting a handle on this alpha business and sometimes I think I’m failing miserably. But I’ve only had Tanner home a week, and Max, 2, and so we’re really doing great.

But back to the scheduled New Year’s. I don’t normally make New Year’s resolutions. I have so many book goals and such, that I just live from book to book. Of course, I’ll continue to work on the puppy’s housebreaking, mainly Tanner as Max has it down and is telling me he has to go out. But that’s just another necessary goal.

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions???

And keep them?

My goal was to have Phantom Fae done by Dec. Well, it’s finished, but I haven’t finished editing it. *sigh* I need to format Kissing the Highlander for release soon and get to work on my next wolf book. I really don’t have time for New Year’s resolutions, just deadlines. 🙂 <3

Are you planning anything special for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day? I used to always go to a movie. It was our special thing to do on New Year’s Day.

Happy New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day! May yours be extra special. 🙂

Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
http://www.terryspear.com
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website:
http://www.terryspear.com
Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears

http://www.celticbears.com

Stand Alone Titles vs Series

Dec30

When I start a book, it’s standalone. My wolf series started with Heart of the Wolf. I LOVED writing about wolves as shifters based on real wolves, but with romance and adventure, mystery and humor, and all that good stuff. Now, I wrote Heart of the Wolf, loving it, but when we write, trying to get a book published, that’s another story. However, publishers aren’t looking for standalone titles. They can’t build readership that way. And authors need readership. But if we can’t sell the first book in a “series,” why write a series of unsaleable books?

I was determined to sell a wolf book though, because I loved the idea. So I started writing Destiny of the Wolf. They’re different wolf packs, same world, but don’t meet. So I solved the problem with writing a series that I couldn’t sell, sold Heart of the Wolf, and then added a mystery wolf who is in the first 4 standalone wolf titles. You see, I never knew if my publisher would keep buying the wolf tales.

I like standalone series myself. I like to finish a book and know it’s finished, and I love reading about characters I loved in the other stories who now get stories of their own. The same with my readers. I think I’ll write a story, some will like it, and the book won’t catch on, but I don’t intend to write more of them, even if I love the story. Then I get so many requests for more, I have to write them. And I love it.

In the books featured below, this is a series within a series. Again, who knew it would happen? Not me. But my first book about the Navy SEAL wolves was To Tempt The Wolf. Then A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing, A SEAL Wolf Christmas, and next year, SEAL Wolf Hunting.

Again, it’s like I had more characters that came to life and needed their own story. I read a blog where an author doesn’t like writing series. Granted, they take more effort. We have to remember details from earlier books, and if you have so many series going at the same time as I do, that can be a real challenge. But I want to write for my readers. And if that means I write about characters that readers have fallen in love with, I’ll do it. Case in point in the SEAL stories. Hunter, in To Tempt the Wolf, has a very annoying sister. But so many of my readers wanted to see her story, I had to write it. And A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing was born. Everyone wanted to see who could tame his sister. I had a ball, and that was my 9th book and it made USA Today Bestseller.

SEAL Wolf Hunting

To Tempt the Wolf: His love has the power to transform… or destroy…

A Christmas paranormal romance with the hot combination of a sexy Navy SEAL hero with werewolves, from USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear.

So I write standalone titles every time. Truly. But sometimes, oftentimes, they turn into series. 🙂 <3

What about you? Do you enjoy reading: Standalone titles? Standalone Series? Cliffhanger Series where you have to read them in order or you’re totally lost?

Have a great Tuesday! I finished writing Phantom Fae and now am working on edits! 🙂

Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
http://www.terryspear.com
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website:
http://www.terryspear.com
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
Wilde & Woolly Bears

http://www.celticbears.com

My Cardinals are Back!

Dec28

I’ve been seeing a lot of my birds come back after the hawk trouble I was having. And my neighbor’s cat was prowling and so when I began to take two little puppies out all the time, the birds watched from the trees and shrubs. Then I saw the whole colony of cardinals feeding. Though I think they lost one of their brothers to the hawk when I was gone a while back.

But it was fun seeing them again. It was getting to be dusk, and I need to clean my windows, and I was afraid to get closer to the window to really be able to stabilize the camera, so my pictures weren’t all that great, but it was so much fun seeing all of them I had to try and get a few that might have turned out somewhat.

How many cardinals do you see?

All male cardinals

This really was an amazing sight to me because the hawk got one and then another bird, I found red feathers, so one day I saw a cardinal on top of the feeder that sits in the shrub. He was so wary. This time, all of them were flying down, feeding, sitting in a tree and I couldn’t believe it. I would have thought that me going out with the dogs constantly would have made it worse as far as the birds being skittish. But they must realize that we’re keeping the hawk and cat away. 🙂

The birds eat a lot of bugs, so I’m glad to have them.

Cardinal in the tree closer to the kitchen window

Happy New Year!

Hopefully I’ll be back before that, but it’s been so hectic with working on housebreaking Tanner, the youngest pup at 8 weeks. Max was housebroken when I got him at 5 1/2 months. And With company.

I started putting away some Christmas decorations, only because it’s a chore with having two puppies underfoot. 🙂 So I figure it will take me a while.

And I need to do another new release blog for Jaguar Pride. And I’m still working on Phantom Fae every day, have word count, just need to finish the book. But I have a confession. My daughter and SIL got me PC game Dragon Age: Inquisition. I love the Dragon Age stories, and I’m having a ball. Got all my characters killed off over fighting a dragon, so need to figure out how to do that, but hey, here I’m writing about dragon shifters in the fae world, so this is research. Right???

My daughter, Jennifer, and Max, me, and Tanner

We had to take a lot of pictures of both her dogs and Mike and Jenn and my dogs and Jenn and me. They were all moving, or we were moving to hold onto them. 🙂

My birds are back. The puppies are the best. I had a lovely Christmas with family, and it’s time to begin the new year with lots and lots more books to write and share with you. 🙂 <3

Have a super lovely Sunday!!!

Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
www.terryspear.com
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website:
www.terryspear.com
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
Wilde & Woolly Bears

http://www.celticbears.com

Puppy Wars!!! And Fantastic Early Reviews for Jaguar Pride!!

Dec19

Okay, I was awake at 2 with allergies, so it wasn’t like I was asleep anyway, but, the puppies made me actually get up at 3:30. Now, the reason was that Tanner had to really, really go outside. So that was good that he didn’t go in their crate. I was proud of him. It’s also storming out, but both were good.

So then, naturally, they’re up, I’m up, it means feeding time at the zoo. Not quite. It’s REALLY not time to be up. So I vacuumed, did laundry, cleaned my kitchen, and wore them out. They were sleeping on my lap, but I just moved them to their bed so I could type more easily. I swear, I’ll get this alpha bit down soon. Well, forget that. It’s been like 45 mins and they’re back up. This is so much like having babies.

Good news also is that I’ve had some great reviews for Jaguar Pride!!

Woohoo, from Night Owl Reviews!!! Score: 5.00 / 5 – Reviewer Top Pick

I loved Terry Spear’s Jaguar Pride. The story flowed so well and I was surprised when I finished it. I was completely absorbed and loved the characters. Any story with shifters involved is going to rock my world, but this one was just amazing. I found it interesting that the author went with poachers. Poachers are a big thing and it can get very dangerous to stop them because you are cutting into them getting big money. I truly enjoyed this book and can easily recommend it. I hope others will love it as much as I did.
In Jaguar Pride Huntley takes no prisoners and is one of a kind. He and his partner Melissa find shifter cubs, by themselves, on a mission he takes them under his wing. No one will hurt them under his watch and Melissa feels the same way.

Happy reading,

Wild Rayne

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jaguar-pride-terry-spear/1119260026

Jaguar Pride
Terry Spear

4 Stars

ISBN: 9781402293795

RT Review: The unexpected surprises included in this installment of the Heart of the Jaguar series are enough to make readers’ jaws drop. Spear’s latest is chilling and thrilling from start to finish – and fans of bad-ass cats will revel in each minute, clawing their way to the finish.

http://www.amazon.com/Jaguar-Pride-Heart-Terry-Spear/dp/1402293798/

Oh, and of course I’m behind on writing Phantom Fae, though when I was awake at 2, I was thinking more on scenes. I have been writing daily, but just getting behinder. Still, I’m working on it. And that’s the main thing. To keep working on something even if you don’t have the time to devote to all of your word count goals.

Have a super great Friday!!! I’m enjoying the storm, though not when taking the puppies out it in all day. 🙂 <3

http://www.celticbears.com

What was I Thinking???

Dec16

Dear readers,

Okay, there are good things and bad things with having a 5 mo old puppy and an 8 1/2 week old puppy at the same time–when you need to do something else like write.

Tanner–8 1/2 weeks old

5 mo old Max & 8 1/2 week Tanner

The bad news is, Max decided to mark his territory. The good news is they played together and they even slept together last night. The bad news is that Tanner needs the rudiments of housebreaking which means holding him on my lap to chew on a chewstick and taking him outside periodically.

I’m still taking time for each of them to bond as there’s some jealousy. Max wouldn’t chew sticks any longer, so naturally, now he wants them because the puppy does. I have to remind myself I’m the alpha pack leader. *sigh*

And it’s only been less than a day. 🙂 Okay, off to catch up on everything I’m behind on. Which is everything. 🙂

Have a super great day!!!

http://www.celticbears.com

Sunsets and Max and the Christmas Tree

Dec15

Sun Setting

I was walking Max last night and saw this sight, ran back in the house with him, grabbed my camera and ran back out. Isn’t it great?

Sun Setting

Trees on Fire

Dark Descending

Christmas Tree Max

Okay, so Christmas is coming, ready or not. And I have to pick up Tanner today. He’s 3 months old. Max, pictured above, is 5 months old. I have to say he’s very good about the tree. He pokes his nose at one of the balls every once in a while, but that’s it. I tried to take a picture of him closer to the tree, but he won’t sit long enough for the camera to focus on him for a picture. He comes to greet me instead. Can you tell he’s just about ready to move? So here, I had backed up yet again, told him to sit, and tried to take the shot. The first 3 were blurred Maxs. But he had been closer to the tree.

Tanner

This is Tanner from last week when I picked up Max. He’s much smaller, though bigger than the puppies from the other litter. She had two litters both born on the same day. 🙂

So now I’ll be training two puppies instead of one, but hopefully, fingers crossed, if they both have each other to sleep with, Tanner won’t be fussing tonight. Max has been fine since the 4th night.

We’ll have to work Tanner into our routine. Hopefully he’ll love it too. We had our 2nd official car trip ride and Max was really good. But this time I took him into a pet shop to see other people and get used to being out a little. A lady approached who had two twin 4 year old girls. They were adorable and they were so good with Max and he was so good with them. The mother scared him though. And then two groomers came to see him, for business, of course, but it was a good experience for him. But before I got him out of his carrier at home, he threw up. So the 1st official car trip was fine. The 2nd one, he got sick again. Hopefully he’ll be all right on subsequent trips. I have a 3 hour drive coming up and want both dogs to love riding in the car.

When Tanner gets home, he’ll have another dog to play with. And my daughter and son-in-law are bringing Sir Rilo and Lady Luna, their corgis, for Christmas. Both are two years old, so Christmas is going to the dogs. 🙂 I’ll try to take lots of pictures.

I had to start writing blogs for the upcoming release of Jaguar Pride, and I’m behind on Phantom Fae (only by 3,000, though today I’m supposed to have another 2,000 also), though I keep waking and thinking about the end. I have 20,000 words left to write, so I am winding down to the end. 🙂

Do you have kids? Or, were you ever a kid with siblings? What order? Notice Max has lots of shots that are all just Max, because he’s the only puppy. But when Tanner comes home, what will happen? He’ll probably be in lots of shots with Max. Maybe not, but probably.

Doesn’t that happen with kids too? The firstborn has lots of pictures, then second and subsequent babies come along and all the pictures are of the toddler holding the baby, or looking at the baby, or two toddlers together, or…well, you get the picture. Second borns just don’t get the spotlight like firstborns.

So I was a firstborn. It’s all right by me. LOL What about you?

Okay, off to write another Jaguar Pride blog, the book is coming out Feb 7, and then back to Phantom Fae. Then it’s off to pick up Tanner. Have a super great Monday!

http://www.celticbears.com

The Puppy is SUPPOSED to Sleep

Dec11

Hey, just because I can’t sleep, doesn’t mean that the puppy shouldn’t. I just had too much to do, so I was up at 4 am this morning, HOPING Max would sleep. No such luck. He was like it was our regular time to wake up between 5-6:30, depending on how late I worked the night before.

So we had to go out, and we had to eat and we had to play and I was trying to get some of the million and one things done, like get the bear ready to ship, and a Christmas card ready and bills paid, and Max is happily getting into mischief. Of course. 🙂 I can’t say what he grabbed hold of this morning and was tearing through the house with until I caught him. 🙂 <3 He was having a fine time of it. I couldn’t help laughing. Which only encourages the little devil. 🙂

Amethyst Nana Bear is done!

Max and my desk chair

So I usually sit down first thing to work on blogs and emails and such and stop to play with Max often until he tuckers out. But I REALLY had things to do. So I wasn’t doing anything the way I was supposed to. He jumped onto my desk chair and looked at me. I was supposed to be sitting right there. I was getting a bunch of stuff ready for the post office. After I did that, I sat down, and he was in my lap to sleep.

Many years ago before kids, I was required to go to a military wives’ luncheon. I as on Active Duty at the time, had no husband or kids, no pets at the time, either, but had them growing up. So when a woman asked if I had kids, I wisely said, “No.” I didn’t mention no husband either, which I would have to have to be a military wife. *sigh*

Everyone was talking about their kids and I said something about puppies being just like them. Hey, I babysat kids and babies when I was a teen, so it wasn’t that I didn’t know about kids. And I’d help raise a number of puppies, toy poodles, Afghan Hound, and a silky terrier. And guess what? They’re just like little kids.

When I was substitute teaching in the kindergarten classes, they were so used to doing everything in a certain way. Not my way, of course, but the teacher’s way.

The kids had a routine they felt comfortable with. So do puppies. And you know what? So do we as grownups.

With Max’s coming home with me, talk about my routine being out of whack. But we’re beginning to settle down into somewhat of a routine and that makes us both happy. When Tanner comes home, he’ll have to learn our routine too, and then he’ll be confused when I don’t stick with it. But, hey, I’m only human.

And we had a breakthrough! Max laid down when I gave him the word command. Woohoo!

Do you have a routine? How do you feel when it’s out of whack?

Have a super Thursday! Next up for us is Max is getting a bath. And that’s not in our usual routine either. The breeder says Havanese aren’t smelly dogs. She lied.

🙂

http://www.celticbears.com

Being Smarter than the Dog

Dec10

I can write full-length novels, and do any number of things well. But now is the time to be smarter than the dog. 🙂 <3

Every day is an adventure. I’ve discovered this Havanese is a chow hound. Maybe because he had others to compete with back home, so he wolfs down his food and then wants to get up on the printer cabinet where I’ve measured out the rest of his food for the day so I don’t overfeed him.

He’s a jumper, so trying to jump on top of the printer stand, but he can’t make it. Thankfully.

So then his next goal–you see, just like in books, characters have to have all-important goals–so does Max. His next goal is to get the trash out of the wastepaper basket next to my desk. It’s mostly paper trash, though I throw my used up green tea bags in there too. It’s empty as it’s trash day, but I always line it with a recycled plastic bag. So he keeps getting into the wooden receptacle and I put a towel over it. Yesterday, I just put the trash can up above on the printer cabinet, but then I can’t reach it. Sooo, have to have another solution. He tried to pull off the towel, tried to go underneath the towel, finally climbed on top of the towel. With a new mission in mind. He could use this as stepping stool to reach his food on the printer cabinet. 🙂 <3

But the towel sank under his weight.

He’s not going for playing with his ball or chewsticks or rope pull. He wants something different. So we went to down training and he’s doing well. He still doesn’t go down on command, but he’s no longer trying to grab the treat out of my hand. Maybe because I’ve switched the treat to the other hand and he just has to follow my empty hand to the floor.

I will say that we had no accidents in his bed the last two nights and I was working on a final Christmas bear order, I know I keep saying that, but I keep getting last minute bear orders, and I worked so late, he went into his cage to sleep. Woohoo! No fussing, just is totally acclimated to it.

When I bring the other puppy home, it’s going to be a new day dawning.

I did get my word goal down for yesterday, and about 500 extra words, but still about 2500 behind. Which is a lot less than I was behind. I spent a lot of time getting packages ready to ship. 🙂

Are you ready for Christmas? I need to pick up some candy, but otherwise, I’m done. 🙂 Well, except for finishing the last bear order and then I’ll ship it tomorrow.

Amethyst Bear

It’s an Amethyst Bear like this one.

Off to work on the story before I run errands. Max finally pooped out. 🙂 I think he was waiting for his training. 🙂 <3

We had another fun foggy day.

A Cool Vampire Day

Even More Vampire Like?

Have a great Wednesday!

http://www.celticbears.com

The Full Moon and Havanese Playing with Ball

Dec8

Woohoo, I added 2,000 words to Phantom Fae yesterday. Still way far behind. BUT, I don’t let that get me down. I figure I’ll catch up as I get into the story. Or finish later than I had planned.

The other night we had the most beautiful sunset when I took Max out. Unfortunately, by the time I went back in for my camera, it had faded and wasn’t as glorious, so I didn’t take a shot. Then, the next night, it was gloriously foggy. The neighbor’s night lights were shrouded in fog and I could imagine myself in London in the old days with the fog shrouding everything in a ghostly mist. I tried to take a shot of it, but it wouldn’t come out. Overhead, we also had a beautiful full moon. I did get a shot of it. Believe me, doing it while holding a puppy on a leash can be a trial.

I know not to try to take a picture when my daughter’s corgi is on leash, he has such a strong pull. Max is so lightweight, I thought it would work. I finally got him to sit long enough to take the shot.

Last night, again, he was spooked by my shadow. I have to admit that it is very long and scary to a puppy. So I’m going to try and remember to take my camera with me tonight and capture The Shadow. 🙂 <3

He has such a bouncy step and his hair flows as he runs. My poodles had that bouncy step too. I had forgotten. My daughter’s corgi has more of a scamper or scurry. His legs are so short and his body so heavy, he can’t do anything bouncy. But he’s so smart. I love how he can do high 5s. I want to teach Max that a little later. He needs to learn how to lie down first. 🙂

And here he is playing with his ball.

Okay, I actually wrote some of Phantom Fae by hand, so off to type.

Have a lovely Monday!! Have to ship contest book wins today. 🙂

http://www.celticbears.com

Max Playing and Getting Behinder and Behinder…

Dec7

Puppies are so cute. Max is a ball of fur and energy and bounces when he plays. I was teaching him how to lie down. That one is going to be hard to learn, I can see. He comes, listens up when I say his name, and sits, no hesitation. Down took forever the first 4 times and then after he mastered it each time, not exactly knowing why he was getting a treat after working so hard to get it out of my hand, and lots of praise for doing the job right, he only needed one prompt the 5th time to do it right.

This will definitely take a little longer, but he’s so eager to learn and so we’ll keep practicing until he can do it on command. 🙂 <3

In the meantime, I haven’t worked on Phantom Fae. *sigh* But that’s because, horror of horrors, I realized I hadn’t put out my newsletter for Call of the Cougar, I was waiting until my print version was available, then promptly forgot to do write my newsletter. So working on that this morning, AND, I’ll be reading and critiquing each of the Highland novellas for our anthology coming in Feb, Kissing the Highlander.

I just wrote my blurb and sent my story to another author. So it’s been gone to two so far. And I’m critiquing one this morning, 2 more after that. 🙂

But it doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about Phantom Fae. I have the next scene in mind and I need to write it.

The fae party was fun yesterday!

And here is Max being Max.

Okay, that is a bouncy, fluffy Max playing toss with his chew stick.

Onward and upward. Off to finish reading over the novella waiting for more of my critiquing and to finish the newsletter. 🙂 And MAYBE I’ll find the time to write the scene today that is rattling around in my brain for Phantom Fae. 🙂

Have a super wonderful Sunday. Hope Max gives you a smile, and don’t you wish YOU had that much energy????

http://www.celticbears.com

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Terry Spear's Shifters

"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality."

Archive | December 2014

OMG, It’s New Year’s Eve!!!!

Stand Alone Titles vs Series

My Cardinals are Back!

Puppy Wars!!! And Fantastic Early Reviews for Jaguar Pride!!

What was I Thinking???

Sunsets and Max and the Christmas Tree

The Puppy is SUPPOSED to Sleep

Being Smarter than the Dog

The Full Moon and Havanese Playing with Ball

Max Playing and Getting Behinder and Behinder…