Realty to Fantasy

terryspear

7 years ago

I create stories, some based on some realty, and some made up. My world is as real as can be, just add some wolf shifters, jaguar shifters, bear shifters, or cougar shifters in and you’ve got a fantastical world.

But oftentimes those worlds are based on true happenings, lots of research and sometimes just a kernel of an idea from something on the news or in real life.

In Howling for a Highland Wolf, I really was in the Cayman Islands, and really did see all the banks with doors and that was all, the man wearing the dark suit standing in the lobby, a briefcase chained to his wrist.

In another Highland wolf story, I was at the castle ruins that is the heroine’s.

So when I went to drop off dog treats, toys, leashes, flea medicine, and towels at a neighbor’s house so he and his wife could deliver them where they were working at an animal shelter due to Hurricane Harvey, I had the perfect image. Setup: Wife is on the driveway talking on her phone. Cell phones don’t work in the houses very well, so a lot of folks have to go outside to talk on their cell phones. Something in the roofs that protect from the heat of the sun. See? More little tidbits for a story.

I drive up, and she’s looking at me like who are you. And I ask if they’re the ones collecting stuff for the shelter.

“Yes! I’ll get my husband.”

I wasn’t sure why she needed to get her husband. There were two large bags of supplies, and I carried one and then the other to their car. Out comes the husband. In boxer shorts.

Sculpted chest, tall, shoeless, great legs, and a big smile. I mean, I’m a romance author, right? So immediately, I’m thinking of a wolf story. Boxers and a smile. I told my acquisitions editor. She told me if I think of the story, she’ll publish it. lol

Okay, so it’s been bad in the Houston and surrounding areas. Along our main road, the cleanup continues. All of the businesses on one side of the road are on lower ground and were flooded. On the opposite side, higher ground, so their runoff added to their across-the-road neighbors’ flooding issues. The road was under water also.

Here is what happened to one man when he returned to his flooded home:

Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman’s Office responded to an intruder call at a residence near Lake Houston. Upon arrival, deputies were met by a large alligator who made his way into this flooded home. Constables will soon be delivering the alligator back into his natural habitat.