Archive | January 2021

Conflict in Stories

Jan31
woman in brown dress holding white plastic bottle painting
Photo by Yaroslav Danylchenko on Pexels.com

I finished proofing all of Saving the White Cougar, just need to type up changes today, yay! So I was thinking about it and realized I needed to confer more charges against the bad guys.  

When we write a story, we need conflict, or it’s boring. So watching the news, we see plenty of conflict. My friend sent me these articles: soldiers ingest antifreeze, thinking it was alcohol, when they weren’t supposed to be drinking alcohol at a training session; married Texas police chief accused of cheating on his wife–with two girlfriends, arrested after forging annulment document, which is a federal offense. We have stupidity and more stupidity. Really. My first thought is it’s unreal. Unbelievable. But you know the old adage: Truth can be stranger than fiction is true!

Take the pandemic as far as classic case of CONFLICT goes–the rollout of the vaccine seems to be having an impact on new cases of people getting cases–finally!–great news!, deaths of 3,000 a day (a day!) are still happening–not good! BUT now, the variants are threatening to take hold and some of the vaccines aren’t as effective against at least one of them.

This is the stuff of stories. Conflict. Building Conflict. Ticking Time Bomb. Time is running out. People are dying, so the stakes are high. Yes, perfect for fiction!

We haven’t even been able to get a handle on the original virus yet. Way too many people are dying from it. Way too many people aren’t vaccinated against it. Not enough has been done to counteract the effects of the virus when some end up with really bad cases of it. And the numbers aren’t really indicative of the full impact of the virus. Cases of people dying not being reported as COVID, etc.

But if I were writing a story like this, it would be perfect! As in fiction. Not that the world was under siege from a virus that seems unconquerable.

I’m proud of England for rolling out one of the fastest vaccine distribution systems in the world. Maybe we could see how they did it and learn something??? Nah, then where would be the conflict!

Anyway, I’m back to working on the story of romance and shifters and bad guys that can more easily be defeated–not the kind that plans world domination and is so small we can’t see it with the naked eye!

I know it will get better. We just have to keep working at it to ensure we do what we need to do to stay safe and to keep others safe. And I need to stop reading the news!

Have a great day and stay safe!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
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Best Friends

Jan30

Best friends are the best, aren’t they! Created with pictures from Oscraps!

Did I mention my Halloween novel (which I’ve done at least one for three years and this is the 4th year), has turned into a novel? *sigh* I just figured I’d get it done and move on to the summer book, while I’m working on the white wolf deadline book.

That happens sometimes. A novella doesn’t want to be a novella. The characters want more of a story. I’m sure my readers won’t be unhappy with a longer book. lol

In any event, I’m going to try and proof it this weekend. And get back to working on White Wolf and try and finish that. Then next on the deadline schedule is a Christmas wolf novella for an anthology, and the next Billionaire book. I keep thinking I need to write Uncle Strom’s billionaire book too, though he’s a jaguar. But for this one, I’m writing about the female bodyguard, assistant to the female billionaire in the last book and then…well, I can’t say who she ends up with. But it’s coming next! Oh, and I’m still working on the summer cougar book.

In the meantime, I’m trying to keep up with weeding the yard. It gets out of control so fast. So far, we’ve had a really mild winter and some flowering plants are still flowering. And some plants that lost their leaves are leafing out again. But it doesn’t mean we won’t get a really bad freeze coming up. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the nice weather before the heat settles in!

I also plan to finish the Plum bear today, and begin cutting out my grandson’s bear. And find out what the woman customer wants for her bear. We lost touch, but I need to get with her on that.

Hope your day is the best and stay safe!!!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
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Clouded Leopard

Jan29

I took the picture of the clouded leopard at the Houston Zoo and added a different background texture. The cats are so pretty. I’d never seen one before. This was at Halloween time, so of course the pumpkin was for enrichment and fun for that time of year.

I couldn’t get little one down for a nap yesterday. Her dad was glad because he was hoping he could get her down easier at night time, but it doesn’t always work that way.

She tells me, “It’s morning time, not time for a nap.”

“No, it’s afternoon time, and time for a nap.”

“It’s light out.”

“Yes, and it’s light out when you take a nap at school.”

“We have to read books.”

“Four.”

“But we don’t have to lie down.”

I finally chased her to bed and then that worked, but it was the sleeping that didn’t work. *Sigh* Grandma gets a lot done while she’s sleeping!

I’m trying to decide if I should risk getting a haircut today. I haven’t had one in a year and a half. But I want to have my hair cut. It’s amazing how something as simple as a haircut could be a bad thing. A really bad thing. I know a lot of people who even believe in the virus, think it’s no big deal. But I was reading about a man who had been on life support for 10 days, and then thirty days in the hospital. How many of us can afford such a thing? And that’s just the cost in money. What about how it caused long-term effects on his health that he’s still trying to recover from just from having his body paralyzed for the procedure? And what if you’re one of the ones who just can’t live through the virus. And die.

Yeah, who would have ever thought deciding on having a haircut could be a life or death choice to make. Doesn’t that sound like a futuristic Dystopian world to you?

So I was reading that to add conflict to the story, think of what the worst thing could be that could happen to the character.

Yep. That’s what I was thinking.

I finished the Armstrong bear and plan to ship it off. I found a Mandalorian Monopoly game for my son for his birthday. We watched the 2nd season together. Walmart had a much better price on the game than Amazon did. I still have Plum Bear to finish, and I need to work on a baby bear for an order and a bear for my new grandson before he’s born.

I’m off to work on the stories before I ship off stuff and decide on the hair cut or not. Definitely, I need groceries.  I finally have a practically bare freezer, empty fridge, and the dog food is running out too.

Have a great day and hopefully, some day in the future, we won’t have to worry about doing mundane things that could now put our lives at risk!

Stay safe!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/u63qP

2 Lionesses

Jan28

I took this picture at the zoo in Houston of the beautiful lionesses and turned it into art.

Another sleepless night in Seattle, only not in Seattle. I have had three nights in a row like that and I can’t sleep in either because I just can’t, or because little one is on her way. So I’m hoping I can sleep in tomorrow. I’m sure it has to do with being stressed about getting some stories done. I started working on the Christmas anthology story and wasn’t sure who, what, and where, and then I was working on some backstory in White Wolf and had it!

Rowdy Sanderson was a homicide detective in Dreaming of a White Wolf Christmas, and he was in an earlier SEAL wolf book too. So he was in a jaguar book where he ended up joining the USF. He had strong suspicions that werewolves existed. And now that jaguar shifters do. He knows for sure about all of them. So what to do about a human who learns of their existence?

He ends up becoming a detective with the USF, United Shifter Force, and a USF story is what I had planned to write about in the Christmas anthology with a group of shifter authors. Not that we’re all shifters, mind you. Don’t want the truth to get out. *Ahem.*

So since I can’t seem to get back to old Rowdy, he can have his story in the novella. Perfect. Character who has surfaced in stories before. He wants to be a shifter. He wants to get the girl.

He said he preferred being a wolf. And truly, they do have the advantage of being able to melt into the background better than a jaguar.

Okay, so now I have to get ready for little one and I haven’t done anything I normally do to get ready. *sigh*

Have a great day!!!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/u63qP

Lion in Spring

Jan27

The lion photo is mine, taken at the Waco zoo. I used Daily Textures floral background for a fun fantasy feel.

I finished the hat and the paws on the one bear, but still need to sew it’s sash and sew it on. It would only take a few minutes, but I have to change out thread on the sewing machine and that takes a lot longer. Then I need to sew up the other bear and get to stuffing it. I might try to do that while little one is here. She loves to help me with things and so I can teach her how to make bears. Yeah, I know, she’s not even 4 yet, but she loves to do whatever I’m doing. Even cleaning!

Okay, I’m about ready to write for a few minutes before little one arrives.

Have a super day, but stay safe!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/u63qP

The Special Book

Jan26

So this morning, my daughter tells me my granddaughter wanted her daddy to read her the book that has the days of the week and the months in them and Mike asked Jenn what that book was. I had told Jenn I was going to get her a cute puppy and kitten calendar and we were reading over the days of the weeks, the days in the month and what the month name was, and all about the sleepy kitten and the sleepy dog, the dog with one ear up and one ear down, the tongue out, the sad looking puppy, the cuddling kitten and puppy.

That was the special book. The calendar. I had been using my calendar to teach her about the different kinds of birds, some of which we have in our yard and she knows most of them. But she loves dogs and cats, so I got her a small one called Buddies, to teach her the days of the week and the months of the year. The special book.

Now I’m off to work on my special books.

Have a great day!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
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Pretty Kitty

Jan25

I took this photo at a writer’s retreat we had.

So I was working on writing my word count for White Wolf yesterday. I didn’t get any done yesterday, spending the whole day working on the cougar novella–5,000 words. It’s turning into a short novel. I still need more scenes. *sigh*

But I did add a prologue to White Wolf first thing this morning.

I need to pick up little one in a while. It’s nice and warm today, so I’ve been out doing some weeding. I need better tools that make it easier to weed!

Okay, I’m off to get back to cougar. I hope to finish it today, as far as writing the rest of the scenes. I spent a lot of yesterday editing it also. Then I’ll set it aside to try and figure where to go with white wolf and on the weekend try to finish reading white cougar one last time.

Then I’ll begin working on You Had Me at Cougar in the backdrop while finishing up white wolf. I only need 10,000 words on white wolf.

Have a great day!! Back to writing for me!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
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New Year, New Beginning

Jan24
silhouette of tree near body of water during golden hour
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I’m off and running, no interruptions today. I’m at 70K on White Wolf, and 30K on White Cougar. I think I’m about done on White Cougar, except going through it and editing it again. 🙂 I have 10K more to do on White Wolf, trying to come full circle on the story. I finally figured out White Cougar. I can’t plan these things. As I was writing some of the final scenes, it finally came to me. One of the books I was writing a short while ago, that final scene came to me before I was at that point in the story. I love that when it happens.

But oftentimes, I can’t see it until I’m getting close to the end of the book.

Okay, I’ve to get to work. I was working on this until 11:30 last night (White Cougar), up at 6 am, raring to go.

Have a great day!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
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Cardinal

Jan23

I took this picture in a bird blind at the writer’s retreat I went to a few years back.

I’m off to get my day started. I ended up writing lots yesterday and turned in my edited Jingle Bell Wolf. I wrote 8848 words yesterday.

I had to fight a witch on the main quest and that meant writing 4,000 words. I thought I would really be somewhere on the game story, but then I had to fight another critter for 1200 words. I was getting really tired of writing by then. But then it opened up another area, and I wrote another 2,000 words to get into another area. You get maps and it opens up new quests and battles. So yay! By the time I was done with writing and began working on editing, I had written 8848 words. So I’m up to 67K on White Wolf, and 27K on Saving the White Cougar.

Have to shop for setting up little one’s birthday party–family only, and drive-thru baby shower with my daughter, so trying to get a little writing in before we go. And then afterwards, really getting into the writing again. I have to do 2400 words to get into another map area, so shooting for that–or at least part of it before we take off.

Have a great day!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/u63qP

Elephant Art

Jan22

An elephant and the vulture.

The zoo in Waco has a ton of vultures in many of the exhibits. This is just one of the enclosures where they hang around.

I finished the edits on Jingle Bell Wolf, turned them in, and am now back to work on White Wolf, though I hadn’t stopped working on it, getting 3,000 words in a day every day, even on granddaughter days.

My daughter reminded me the baby is due soon, and that will be a real upheaval to all our lives. We’re trying to plan an early birthday party for my granddaughter because she would turn 4 only 2 weeks before the baby’s due date, but if it came early, which we weren’t really thinking about–forget a celebration for little one. We’re just doing family. Last year, we didn’t even do that during the Pandemic. But we’ve seen each other the whole time, so we’re in this together.

Also, she wants to do a drive-through baby shower, so trying to help her with both events.

And keep up with my writing.

I’m at 63K on White Wolf, need 17K to have the word count. I’m getting there! I haven’t been doing a lot of edits on it, just writing, so that’s going to be a job when I finally really work on that. It’s due April 1st, but because of the other things going on in our lives, I’m hoping to have it done in a couple of weeks. I’ll start on the next wolf book though–Billionaire Wolf. It’s due July 1st, but hope to get it going before all the wildness happens.

Have a great day and stay safe!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/u63qP