Tag Archive | Texas

Spring Means…

Miniature roses

Miniature roses

Cluster of Miniature Yellow Roses

Cluster of Miniature Yellow Roses

Okay, still behind on word count, but I’m so close to being done with word count for the entire book. So get with the program, I tell myself. Too many other distractions. Like, miniature yellow roses unfolding in all their glory. Here, our daffodils have already faded. But now it’s time for the early roses. Here I was, just minding my own business, making some more green tea so I could really concentrate on writing, and guess what I see out the window? Yep. It’s all the roses’ fault.

I’m really off to write now. Yes, I’ve been editing and that adds some word count, but it’s not the same as adding scenes. Yet the editing is just as important as writing the new scenes.

Have a super great Tuesday!

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

Allergies…Argh!

I think we should have no allergies when it’s winter. Why shouldn’t the cold weather freeze out the allergens?

I think we should have no allergies when it’s raining. Rain should clear the air of all the allergens.

I think we should have no allergies when we take allergy medicines. The medicine is supposed to clear up the allergens plaguing our bodies.

As I have a sneezing spell–the puppies get excited whenever I sneeze because they think I’m playing–I know that none of this is true.

As tears run down my cheeks–not due to writing an emotional scene in a book–I know that all of the above is wrong.

As I can’t breath, or I use up box after box of tissues, and Tanner, if he’s on my lap, tries to grab one to play tug of war, I know that something isn’t right.

But just like any hero or heroine in my book, I must push through the tears, sneezes, and struggles with breathing and fight the more important battle. Writing that next scene and the next and the next.

Then when spring comes? Omigosh, that’s when the pollen count is supposed to be in force.

Right.

My property is totally flooded from the monsoon-like rains we had yesterday.

And this is how my puppies looked as we went in and out of it all day long. I learned: my waterproof raincoat isn’t waterproof. My jeans are more like a sponge. My feet get cold when exposed to 35 degree chill factor and constant rain. And that two puppies wrapped in towels on my lap, sleeping, while I made my word count for the two days in one, makes for a very wet dog smell, and made me even more damp.

Wet puppies on a Wet day

Wet puppies on a Wet day

Today it’s supposed to be dry out. Well, after the flooded land dries out. We had more accidents yesterday or near accidents, puppy style, because, though they wanted to go out, as soon as they remembered how wet and cold and windy it was, they’d change their minds. Not that that was going to deter me. I took them out anyway. They just didn’t want to stay long enough to do the 2nd business of the day. We did manage to go out a few times and get it right. I think it was only Tanner that had the accidents. I caught Max right before he did once.

The pink inner ear belongs to Tanner. Max is mostly on the chair, his head on my lap.

The pink inner ear belongs to Tanner. When Tanner gets bigger, there won’t be room for both. 🙂

And that was my wild and wooly day yesterday. I predict: Today will be much better. 🙂

At least I got caught up on my word count, Phantom Fae is out and I need to work on the print version, and it’s the start of a brand new day. 🙂

If you have dogs, are they fair weather, and when it’s nice out, they’re happy to explore, but when it’s nasty out, that’s better left to the wolves–that are used to that kind of weather?

And if you have allergies, are you suffering too? Or is it just me?

Terry

http://www.terryspear.com

http://www.celticbears.com

Sunsets and Max and the Christmas Tree

Sun Setting

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

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

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. 🙂

 

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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!

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

Renovating, Wildflowers, a Red Dragon Bear, and a Sunset

I made up this bear for an order and have enough fabric to make one more, but it’s also sold now. 🙂

Sunset over Texas

Red Dragon Bear

Lovely Texas Sunset last night.

red bear 004 (640x427)

Wildflowers and Roses still blooming.

A rose

A rose

Purple Wildflowers

Purple Wildflowers

Old Kitchen, Stove went out

Old Kitchen, Stove went out

This shows the old tile in the kitchen.

tile in kitchen before grout

tile in kitchen before grout

old window in kitchen

old window in kitchen

Kitchen window, ice on inside

Kitchen window, ice on inside

This was why I had to change out the window. Besides the wind blowing straight through it and feeling the cold air seeping through the single pane window, I had ice built up on the inside of the window last winter!

new kitchen with the new tile and window

new kitchen with the new tile and window–still needs grout.

All these renovations have taken place over the years. But it sure is nice getting them done.

Off to work on stuff.  I’m way behind on Phantom Fae. Too much distraction with the workmen here.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 🙂

I think the kitchen has a much warmer appeal than it had before.  What do you think?

Have a super lovely Tuesday!!!

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

 

Life of a Cornfield

From new baby corn.

corn field new (312x640)

To fully grown corn.

IMG_5996 (640x553)
To golden corn.

sunflowers among the cornstalks (640x427)

To really dead corn. I took this right before they cut it down yesterday. And I thought it looked perfect for Halloween.

cornfields, haunted style 006 (640x427)

To all gone corn.

cornfields cut down 006 (640x427) copy

And I caught a bunny and the sunrise this morning while taking the pictures of the cornfield harvest. Note my yard is littered with corn!

cornfields cut down 004 (640x437)

cornfields cut down 005 (640x427)

Dry cornfields can be a fire hazard. And yet, it was kind of nice having my “forest” of cornstalks surrounding the place. Nice and private from my neighbors and the traffic along the road. And though we don’t have a lot of noise out here, what little we do have was also absorbed by the cornstalks. It also provided cover for the wildlife. So now…it’s just earth again. Or it will be when they finish plowing the fields.

And that is the life of a cornstalk field. They don’t plant it often, so it was fun having it for a change. 🙂 <3

Off to write and make bears. Another order! Got my word count on Cougar, but long way to go before it’s actually finished. 🙂

Have a super lovely weekend!

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

 

Butterflies! & Faery Realms Party!

Tawny Emperor Butterfly

Tawny Emperor Butterfly

These butterflies love to eat rotting fruit. I have pears that they are enjoying. And here is the underside of the Tawny Emperor Butterfly!  They say they’re very jumpy, so it’s hard to get close and take pictures, but it was cool out when the one was resting on my brick work. The other above might have been feasting on the fermenting pears and drunk.

Tawny Emperor Butterfly

Tawny Emperor Butterfly and Yellow Jackets eating fermenting pears

Tawny Emperor Butterfly and Yellow Jackets eating fermenting pears

Comma Butterfly

Comma Butterfly

Loved the shadows he created! 🙂

Comma Butterfly

Comma Butterfly

Swallowtail Butterfly

Swallowtail Butterfly

And here I’m sharing all these butterfly pictures on Facebook, while I’m trying to identify them, and a friend saw this in the news about Monarch butterflies on the weather radar.  Coincidence or something else? Too cool!

http://www.grindtv.com/…/mysterious-cloud-radar…/

landscape with rainbow

It seems the perfect place for the faeries!

Okay, I’m still working on Call of the Cougar. Have 2,000 words left to reach goal, though I’m a long way from the end. But I need to write a guest blog for the new release for Oct first.

TallDarkAndParanormal2D_1400px

TallDarkAndParanormal3DBundle_800px

Only 99 cents! Limited time offer!

Preorders Available from Amazon Now:

http://www.amazon.com/Tall-Dark-Paranormal-Thrilling-Tales-ebook/dp/B00N55HGOA

Kobo:

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/tall-dark-and-paranormal

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/471539

ITunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tall-dark-paranormal-10-thrilling/id915571414?mt=11

All Romance Ebooks:

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-talldarkandparanormal10thrillingtalesofsexyalphabadboys-1611082-166.html

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tall-dark-and-paranormal-opal-carew/1120323237

I’m working on setting up a Christmas party for the Faery Realms Box Set–also 10 authors and 99 cents!

Faery Realms Facebook Party

Faery Realms Facebook Party

Young Adult Faery Fun will be had by all! Hosted by the Faery Realms authors who are bringing prizes to add to the fun! Only 10 stories for 99 cents!

Kobo – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/faery-realms-ten-magical-titles

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Faery-Realms-Magical-Multi-Author-Novellas-ebook/dp/B00JOP9OC2

Or the short link: http://amzn.com/B00JOP9OC2

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/428544

B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/faery-realms-anthea-sharp/1119219398

Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Anthea_Sharp_Faery_Realms_Ten_Magical_Titles?id=rAFZAwAAQBAJ

Here’s the schedule so far:

Central Standard Time
9 am
10 am Rachel Morgan
11 am Talia Maya
12 pm
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm Anthea Sharp
5 pm Julia Crane
6 pm Dana Julia Burnett

I’ll slip in for the time slot nobody wants. Okay, off to write up what a werewolf would want for Christmas and back to Call of the Cougar!

Oh, can’t remember if I showed her off. Here’s another Steampunk Bear for an order.

Steampunk Bear

Steampunk Bear

And the other day, I was working on hats.

Steampunk Bear Hats

Steampunk Bear Hats

Have a super great Wednesday!

Do you have a lot of butterflies around your place?

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

 

New is NOT Always Better!

Have you ever thought that? You get used to doing something a certain way, perfectly content with the way that you were doing it and without your permission, someone changes it??? (Oh and by the way, you had to learn this way in the first place and that took some time to figure out?)

Sometimes, the powers to be are good about it–they ASK you if you want to update. Sometimes they don’t. And they just DO it. Sometimes you think, sure, it’s new and improved right? And you soon learn it’s a nightmare to handle.

That happened on my email program. Change to this cool background. Okay, click of a button. But after that, there was no going back. My emails nested. I couldn’t write in response to emails sent to me right on the email, which really helps when I’m commenting point by point without copying and pasting their whole message to my email. Finally, there was a way to UNnest the emails so I didn’t have this problem. But there were complaints all over the boards about it. The problem is if you’re in groups where you talk about stuff, you’re supposed to trim messages. With this new and IMPROVED email version, we couldn’t do it.

Anyway, WordPress changed something for the better, and I don’t know if I agreed to it and forgot, or they just changed it, but I didn’t like it and they gave me the option to go back to the old way of doing things.

Sometimes the old way is the best way. Sometimes I can’t wrap my brain around a new way, since I’m always learning new ways to do a million different things, and I just don’t need one more new way to do something that is working well for me.

Do you ever feel that way?

hot labor day (640x427) 2

Here are some pictures of my hot Labor Day. Isn’t this beautiful?

I’m surrounded by cornfields that look like these on three sides. The one in front of me has been cut, but guess what my neighbors were doing for Labor Day. Shooting off fireworks.

Shaking head.

dragonfly, sunflower (640x427)

Why did the dragonfly have to be sitting on top of a cornstalk that was right in front of a telephone pole? I couldn’t move to take the picture because he flew off as soon as I did. But I still thought it was a cool picture, him pausing on the tip of a cornstalk. Next time maybe my model will stay put so I can move around and get a better background. Or, I can show it as just a slice of life–telephone pole and all.

scissortail and sparrows (640x427)stretch

Do you see the scissor-tail flycatcher on the lower right? The sparrows are on the upper left. I’m not usually able to capture one in a picture.

cardinal in piracantha (640x450)

Here is a cardinal in the piracantha. I was watering the new shrubs and that always makes the birds jittery, particularly since my neighbor was also shooting off firecrackers.

But what I had seen that was so cool were four sparrows clinging to the cornstalks. I wanted a picture of them. But when I ran back to get my camera and returned, they were gone. It was the first time I had seen them actually doing that. The rest of the time, I’d just see them fly off.

So instead, while I was watering, with camera in hand, I got pictures of the dragonfly, the beauty of the sky and the cornfields, the scissor-tail and the cardinal.

dove piracantha (640x526)

Oh, and a dove in the piracantha. It’s a wickedly thorny shrub, but the birds love it. Nice and protective

Well, I’m back to word count, caught up on student lessons, and I’m still keeping up on word count, behind on bears. 🙂 <3 But I did cut out two more last night. 🙂  I have 6 bears ready, just need to embroider their paws. 🙂  But that takes time too.  And somehow, I’m always running out of it.

Do you ever find that too?

Okay, back to writing!

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

 

FLowers of Summer in Hot, Hot Texas

tiny red rose, clarity copy (640x427)

Because of the heat of summer, it’s difficult to find any flowers other than a few last sunflowers and the crepe myrtles love the heat so they’re in full bloom. But here is a tiny red rose blossom.

Last of the Sunflowers (640x427)

Last of the sunflowers of summer.

sunflower late bloomer (2) (640x427)

A late bloomer.

sunflowers among the cornstalks (640x427)

A sunflower among the cornstalks.

red crepe myrtle (3) (640x427)

Red crepe myrtle

pink crepe myrtle (640x565)

pink crepe myrtle

watermelon crepe myrtle (640x427)

watermelon crepe myrtle

So see, even with all the heat, the world is still a beautiful place to be.

6eead-cougar27smate

Now available in audio book format!

Cougar’s Mate : Heart of the Cougar, Book 1

Cougar’s Mate: Instinct told her to run…

Shannon Rafferty learns that hanging out with the bad boys could be a dangerous business, but hooking up with a cop is even worse. Now she’s on the run, trying to avoid being murdered by his cougar shifter brothers and uncle. If that isn’t bad enough, a deputy sheriff hunts her down while she’s running as a cougar and trying to survive in the Colorado wilderness. He vows to protect her no matter what she’s done. With three dead boyfriends to her name, she’s sure she will be the death of Chase Buchanan before either of them can prevent it. No matter how much she knows she has to run again, he soon holds her heart hostage. But will that be enough to keep them both alive?

Chase Buchanan—as wilderness cabin resort owner, former US Army Special Forces, and part time deputy of the small town of Yuma, Colorado that boasts a love of cougars—is tasked to track down a cougar reported to be hunting human prey. Chase soon learns she’s a shifter, not a full-time cougar, and she’s on the run. When he takes her in, he vows to protect her. After losing his wife and baby to the human kind of predator years earlier, he’s not letting Shannon’s hunters kill her, too. But how is he going to hold onto the wild-cat woman, who is unpredictable at every turn, without losing his heart to her, and then losing her as well?

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Google Play

ARe Books

Smashwords

Just finished proofing Jaguar Pride copyedits. I’ll have one more proof and that’s it!

JaguarPride_041714_B
Jaguar Pride (Book 4)

Coming Feb, 2015

Amazon

And I have student lessons stacking up again ( calculated it and if I don’t do any additional critiques, which I have already done, I’ll have a total of 204 critiques to do), and I need to make word count on A Silver Wolf Christmas. Getting 3,000 words done a day, and have been fortunate to keep making it. It’s easy to get stuck. Especially when you’re jumping from the snowy Christmas story with wolves to the jungles of Costa Rica and the jaguars. And I just submitted a proposal for 3 more books. So we shall see if my publisher wants any more! 🙂 <3

Titles will probably change, but: Jaguar Jingle Bells, A SEAL Wolf Diving for Trouble, and She-Wolf (another Silver wolf pack story) If they get picked out, they will be coming in 2016. I’m already “booked” for 2015 with releases in Feb: Jaguar Pride, April: SEAL Wolf for Sale, Oct: A Silver Wolf Christmas

And of course more Highland medievals and fae stories, and more. 🙂 <3

Oh, yes, and bears. Worked on 3 last night. Not finished, but getting closer….

Hope you are having a great Thursday!!

“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

 

When Sun Meets Moon

sunrise and clouds (640x427)

I was out watering when I saw this beautiful sunrise. Now, I could say these are reeds in front of a beautiful lake, or on sand dunes in front of the ocean and off in the distance is a small island. Or I could tell the truth and say it’s a field of burned up corn (as in dried out, not blackened) and the acres beyond that right before the sun makes it’s appearance.

sunrise and clouds (2) (640x427)

And here it is, just peeking out. And right directly overhead of where I was standing, was the moon. So the sun was chasing the moon. Don’t you love the difference between the brilliant orange of the sun, the burning hot clouds and sky and the cool blue sky, soft snowy clouds, and snowy moon?

moon half (640x427)The clouds were soft, windswept high, high in the sky.

 

And finished making the bears for a special order. Still need to embroider their paws. 🙂

Mama Blue and Baby Blue Bears

Mama Blue and Baby Blue Bears

Off to get word count! Have a super great Sunday!

“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

More Buildings in Charlotte, NC & Sunrise and the North Star in Texas

Charlotte, NC 023 (427x640)

Buildings inside buildings, or so it looks.Nascar (640x499)grittyMore reflections of buildings on buildings.
Westin, another view (640x427)

Aren’t they beautiful? Did anyone notice it got to be Wednesday already? How did that happen???

I lost 2,000 words on my mss. And how did that happen? I’ve been having trouble with saving, so I redownloaded my Word. But I thought I had saved Call of the Cougar before I left, it’s supposed to be saving every minute, and I sent the “saved” file to my email before I left, and when I got home, 2,000 words were missing.

All of ch 13.

Spooky music begins here.

Thankfully, I had printed out those pages (so I knew I wasn’t crazy) and had chapter 13, at least in printed form. And there were my 2,000 words.

So not sure what’s going on, but I’m saving as a new title now, to ensure I don’t have a heart attack again. 🙂 <3

Off to work on A Silver Wolf Christmas. Only 16,000 to go on Call of the Cougar, but I’m worried about meeting the deadline on A Silver Wolf Christmas…priorities, priorities!

Came up with the idea for 2 stories to pitch also, but still trying to come up with the 3rd. 🙂

Have a super great Wednesday! It was miraculously cool here this morning and I took a picture of the sunrise in Texas, the North Star and another star below it.

sunrise and the North Star (640x427)

I was just taking out the garbage–mundane life–when I saw this dramatic sunrise, and all of sudden the mundane was no longer the mundane. 🙂

And I was surprised to feel how wonderfully cool it was when we’re going to have 100s all week.

And while I was watering the new shrubs, the birds were gathering all over the  electric lines. Yesterday, I took a video of them as they were so excited to play in the water while I was watering some shrubs around the back patio. It was fun to see them playing when before that, they had vanished.

“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