Happy Halloween and Time for Bats!

Vampire bats, anyone? Actually, they were eating  fruit and are fruit bats. The pictures aren't really good--smudgy windows and dark in there, but you can see some detail, their ears, wings, scrawny arms, all their toes and fingers, and very knobby knees. In the top picture, lone bat eating a piece of fruit.

In the middle picture, two bats eating pieces of fruit. And the next, time to rest. There were several flying around at the same time. Notice this one's long finger as he eats an apple wedge?

Note, they are always upside down! Sleeping, eating, just hanging around.

Doesn't this make you feel sort of like Dracula is coming?

And I have to share this gorgeous sleeping jaguar. I think it might be Wade Patterson, after all.

I'm here today:  10/31 Cynthia's site!

Are You Ready for the Hobgoblins? By Terry Spear

Hope you all have a terrific hump day!!!


 I fully intended to finish Highland Rake by today. *sigh* Maybe by the weekend. 

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality."
www.terryspear.com

Off to the Zoo!

Today I'm off to the zoo! I was supposed to go when my daughter was still living here, since she was leaving like the next day. We went down to Cameron Park Zoo and discovered it was closed to a special group. :(

I have lived her for  12 years??? And never been to the zoo except to take my daughter to drop her off at a Girl Scout trip!

So one of my friends I met who was a library patron and I talked about going to the zoo and so today it is! It's cool enough that it will be comfortable and hopefully the animals will be semi-alert. :)

It's supposed to get to 79 today, so should be perfect weather, though a little chilly this morning.

I believe they have a jaguar, but no wolf. *sigh*

Today, I'm here!

10/30 RomFan Reviews & Long and Short Reviews

My mother and dad took us to tons of zoos all over the country. I love them, but she said she'd had her fill of zoos and never wanted to visit another.

When I visit my son and daughter-in-law next month, we're going to the zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. And when I see my daughter and son-in-law next year, we're going to the one in Houston. Can't wait!

Do you like zoos?

I'm in a rush to leave and needed to announce where I'll be today with guest blogs, but I just checked the news about Sandy and send my best wishes to all those affected by the storm.

I saw comments where people were saying it was only a Cat 1 hurricane, no big deal, but with 85 mph winds, no matter what it's called--straight line winds here, or circulating tornadoes, it's a big deal! Like someone said, it was only 35 mph in the beginning and with the rain soaked ground, trees and utility poles were easily uprooted.

A house full of water is a big deal. No electricity for days, or even hours, is a big deal. A tree down depending on where it lands can be a big deal.

So my heart goes out to everyone who's suffered from the storm whether it's relatively minor damage or major. It's a nightmare.

Be back in a little while to check in!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

The FULL MOON...and What that Means for YOU!

Today we have a full moon. And you know what that means?

The werewolves come out, according to old werewolf tales. But what is featured on a lot of paranormal covers? A lot of vampire covers? The full moon. Huh?

So when did the full moon become the paranormal symbol of the day?

When people do crazy stuff more often on the day of a full moon? When the crazies in the insane asylums (I know this is politically incorrect, but I'm going by the earlier terminology for demonstration as I'm thinking of Dracula and his sidekick who was eating bugs)...go even crazier?

Scientists say there is no correlation between crazy behavior and the full moon. In Full Moon by Ryan Dean, he talks about illusory correlation.

I agree. Just think if everyone is focused on a new moon, the veritable absence of a moon, and if tales were written about how everything that goes bump in the night comes out when there's NO MOON, then what?

Everyone would notice that the crazies were doing more crazy stuff on NO MOON days. Book covers would have black skies and NO MOON featured. And that would be the symbol of...spooky music inserted here...paranormal story--when the vampires and ghouls and werewolves show up.

And the human monsters, too, some of whom are way more scary and deadly than any made-up monster can be. But you know what?

The crazies and the human monsters do bad stuff any day of the year, full moon, no moon, any moon in between. It's just more noticeable on the days of the full moon. Why? Because people make a conscious note of it.

Or....is it?


I'm here today with another giveaway!!!Savage Hunger
The Qwillery

Heart of the Highland Wolf
Riverina Romantics

And if you're worried that the full moon might influence people's behavior in a crazy way, I just wanted to warn you today is a day of a full moon. Be careful. If you're a newly turned werewolf, stay home. It's best for your pack, you, and anyone that might encounter you.

Ever feel all the crazies came out during the full moon?

PS-- for all those facing the Frankenstorm, my best wishes to those living on the eastern seaboard that it's overblown and the storm isn't as devastating as they predict, despite it being a higher full moon tide. But it's always better to err on the side of caution than not, having lived in Florida and seen some of the devastation after hurricanes hit the coast. All my best to those living in the path of the storm.

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality."
www.terryspear.com

Halloween before Halloween

My daughter fixed deviled spider eggs...aren't they cute? We saw the Lincoln movie, and had goat cheese and spinach pizza and a Halloween cake...

Before that, I spent the day moving Christmas stuff that they're taking with them, picking pears for them since Stephanie made pear bread from them and my daughter makes lots of bread. And dividing one of my plants that had taken over to give them half, as a housewarming plant gift from my home to theirs. :) It's their first rental home so they're excited and I'm thrilled for them.

She's decorating it really cute from what she told me, so I'll have to take pictures of it when I visit them.

Note that the vines were wrapped around every wrought piece of furniture, and I was struggling to get everything unwound! This reminded me of the Little Shop of Horrors!

This was my daughter's plant to take home.

Mine was a little smaller but I'm sure in time it will take over again!

Off to help them pack. Have a super Sunday!!!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

Happy Halloween! Yes, a Wee Bit Early!

But I just had to share. Now, my vampires do NOT sleep in coffins. They have been changed by a plague and so have this need for blood, fangs that extend, can do some neat things, but they are not undead. They eat, breathe, all that sort of thing. But no coffins. No wearing earth in their shoes to be grounded, or sleeping under a bed of earth to heal. That's for worms. And...well, fire ants, if we're talking about things that live in the earth in Texas.

But even so, Prince Levka loves his coffin that he will show off to his other vampire bear friends when they come to visit as a fun topic of conversation. Haven't you ever had something like that for invited guests? :)

Even vampires can have a little fun on Halloween!

Which brings me to the topic of writers writing that there is only ONE way to create paranormal characters. That vampires HAVE to be a certain way or they're not vampires. That werewolves are only werewolves if they live a certain way, or otherwise they are wolf shifters. Huh?

They are FANTASTICAL creatures. And that they, unlike humans, are made up from a writer's imagination. So if a vampire has green blood, so be it. If he loves cognac with his meal, and he does eat meals, so be it. If a man shifts because of a full moon and turns into a wolf....he's a wolf shifter aka werewolf, if I say so. Because it's my world.

So, now, the truth of the matter is since my werewolves and jaguar shifters and vampires ARE real, my world is the right world, right? Well, maybe, and maybe not. You see, I could be just covering up for them. And don't want to tell the "real" story. Or not. You never know.

And to that I say--if we all made vampires and werewolves or wolf shifters or whatever goes bump in the night as carbon cutouts, where's the fun in that?

Imagination is what makes the world go around. Reading about others' versions is just as fun for me.

 

 



So there is no right way or wrong way because of what has been done in the past. There are preferred ways for individual readers, but that's it!

Okay, now, I want to know what you have that you might have displayed as a topic of conversation for your guests? Anyone hiding a coffin around the house?

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

Redheaded Wizard Bear Ready for the All Wizard's Party!

 

Got to have a redheaded wizard, red bear wizard, for the all wizard's party for Halloween, right? So here is a red mohair bear, wire body, red mohair beard, and lined cloak. He's also a one of a kind bear. :) 


Today I'm at Sia's for coffee, well green tea, and fun! And another copy of Savage Hunger! Only 3 days remain next week for giveaways!
 
10/26 Sia McKye’s Thoughts Over Coffee

Kids are coming to visit, but something I was going to give my daughter for an early birthday present still had the security tag on it! I wish I had tried to wrap it up earlier and would have seen it and could have taken it in when I ran errands yesterday!! Although, I did sell the tall gold mohair wizard bear and need to ship it to South Africa, so I will have to run into town anyway.

Okay, this is another book in the Shadow Elf series. I started writing a different one, too and have the cover for it, but still haven't decided on the title. My problem is that the elves I want to write about are referred to as the High Elves, because they use High Magic, and live  in the mountains with their dragon companions. Maybe say High Magic Elves. Not sure. :)  What else could I use as a title for High Magic Elves??? I like two words if I can do it. :)
 

Have to clean and the like...wish I had some magic and could just whisk the dust away! Living in cornfields makes things ultra-dusty and the farmer has been plowing and replowing the fields for unknown reasons. :) And replowing...

Back to the issue of security tags and purchase mishaps.
 
My mother bought some beautiful shoes in Las Vegas, got home, and only one of the shoes was in the box.  I bought a sweater in one state, got it home and found the security tag still on it. I managed to finally pry it loose without it tearing anything, but in the future, I'd just take it to any store that has the security removers and see if they'd remove it because I'd be afraid of getting ink on the garment or tearing up the fabric.

So, have you ever gotten home and found out a clerk had left a security tag on your clothes? Or worse, one shoe and a box?

Happy TGIF!!!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

Hawk Fae Cover and Daisies!

What do you think of the title and the cover???  I LOVE this fae. She is soooo perfect for the series! :)

Just a taste of devilment, like the fae. :) 

This is my Dragon Wizard Panda Bear!

My yard is covered with daisies. They're purple. Aren't they cute? I was pulling them out of my flower bed because I think I put the seeds in my bed and then they were weedy looking. So I tossed the plants out in the yard. Or, they migrated, although I have a wall surrounding my courtyard, but birds or insects might have carried them over. So they might have already been in the yard.

This is a mystery. I guess what I need to do is search the other side of the yard and the backyard and see if I find any of them there. No flowers? Then??? They were the ones I planted in my garden and tossed!

They are really pretty. Don't you think? The camera blurred the ones close up and focused on the ones in the distance. Go figure. 

 This shot came out pretty good.

And I'm here today! Yes, having a jaguar shifter for a mate is definitely a guilty pleasure worth having!

10/25 Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

And here is another of my tall wizard bears. He's distressed mohair!

 

I love everything magical! :)

I'm at 90,000 on Highland Rake...getting closer to being finished. See, the truth of the matter is I don't want to let him go!! You know what they say, one Highlander in the hand is better than two in the bush. Okay, while I'm getting myself in deeper, I will be off to do what I'm supposed to be doing! Writing!

Have a super great Thursday!!! Do you believe in magic???

 Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

The Big Chill

This is Texas for you. It drops from 87 to 64 for the high and 49 for the low in a heartbeat--for the weekend. And then it's 79 all the rest of the week! Oh, I know, those of you in the frigid north are laughing. But our blood doesn't have time to acclimate. From AC to heater...no happy in between!
 

SOLD

This is one of my tall wooden bodied bears with wooden boots and wire arms. He's made of gold mohair and is wearing a mohair beard. :) His lined cloak features stars and moons, which is what you would expect on a wizard bear, right?

He looks like he's ready for Halloween!!

I'm at two places today!

10/24 Reading Between the Wines & Paranormal Cravings

Back to writing!!!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

Ghosts and Such

My dad made the ghost. My mom painted him. :)

So if you're into ghosts...here are a couple of ghost stories.

Highland Rake, Book 3

Coming November 2012

Dougald MacNeill takes Lady Alana Cameron to his laird brother James's Craigly Castle when he finds her roaming the heather on the MacNeill lands. But who has sent her there and why? Her uncle, laird of the Cameron clan, and warring with the MacNeill for years, has made a marriage arrangement with another clan and now that is even at stake.

Having witnessed her father's death, and even believing he had returned her home when all along he had been dead, Alana discovers she has the gift, or curse, of seeing the newly departed and sometimes those who should have long ago passed over. Her own deceased brother continues to plague her, the rake, and now another, who is very much of the flesh, Dougald MacNeill, has her thinking marrying a rake might just have its benefits. Dougald's sister, who is one fiesty ghost, has offered to help Alana keep Dougald in line if he thinks of even straying.

But who sent Alana on a fool's errand in the first place to remove her from the Cameron's lands and set her squarely in Dougald's care, and who really killed her father and her brother, and what has it all to do with Alana? Will she and Dougald learn the truth before it is too late?

A GHOST OF A CHANCE AT LOVE 

Time travel western romance.

Vinspire Romance

The past clashes with the present, and one woman finds herself fighting for her own identity in the past so that she can have a future with the man she loves--but with her ancestor's hold over her--Lisa Welsh and Jack Stanton only have a ghost of a chance at love. 

Lisa Welsh only wishes to leave a messy divorce behind for a couple of days stay in Salado, Texas, but wakes to nightmares and a cowboy in her bed, and she has no earthly idea how he got there. But the situation gets worse when she wakes in the morning and learns she’s living in 19^th Century Salado. Even more worrisome is the tall dark stranger and everyone else in town believes she’s some woman named Josephine Rogers. Only she’s supposed to be dead.

Jack Stanton can’t believe the clerk gave him an occupied room at the Shady Villa Inn, but worse, he was ready to ravage the woman in that bed—until he realized his mistake. Now the woman he thinks is Josephine, claims to be some other woman—and though he could never abide by Josephine’s fickle ways, this Lisa Welsh intrigues him like no other. Still, everybody in town believes her to be Josephine, and he steps in to help her find her way back home.

Murder, mystery, ties to family roots in the past, embezzlement and murder in the present, and a man she can’t get off her mind no matter what century it is, Lisa has no choice. She must solve the mysteries and face the troubles in her world and Jack’s or they will never be free to share the love that binds them across the ages.  

Print and Ebook

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Ghostly Liaisons

Ebook By Terry Spear
Category: Fiction » Young adult or teen » Romance » Fantasy

 

Emily Rundle’s curious nature causes her big problems when she moves with her family to Florida. First of all, she’s different. Really different. Then the nightmares begin. The kind she can’t escape. Somehow she has to unravel the mystery of the ghosts who plague her before it’s too late.

Michael Shipley just moved to town, too, and realizes at once Emily is trouble with a big T. If he becomes involved with her, his life will change forever. Premonitions he has that Emily’s life will be in danger forces him to make a stand to protect the girl who’s gifted with extraordinary abilities like him. They instantly bond as the two weirdest kids in school.

Both Michael and Emily have past histories, painful memories they’d rather forget. Faced with dangerous new challenges, they must overcome their past, threats at school, bullies in the flesh, and ghostly apparitions bent on a deadly game of revenge. What was once a simple matter, discover the secrets of the ghosts and appease them, becomes a race against time as Emily and Michael fight the evil that threatens to conquer them.

 

Ebook:

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I loved reading ghost stories when I was a kid. And then later, one of my favorite was about a sexy Highland ghost--all naked. She kept wanting him to put something on. But no one else could see him, so why bother? LOL :) So see why I love ghosts???

I'm here today:
10/23 SOS Aloha 

If you'd like something hot like a jaguar or a wolf to keep you satisfied on a desert island--please comment here for a chance at Savage Hunger!

We still have a week of giveaways! 

Whoops, thought I'd posted this already. That's the problem with getting up at 4 am! I keep thinking it's so much later in the day. Got to be time for lunch. 8 am? Guess not. LOL

Have a super great Tuesday!

I'm off to work some more on Highland Rake. 87K and counting!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

Time to Wake Up, America!

 The sun rose a long time ago in Texas. Doesn't this look like the perfect sunrise for a fall day?

And I've been trying to get this picture uploaded and do a million other things. Like SAVE my mums! One is really struggling. The other is managing. I may have to just give in and buy another one for when my daughter and son-in-law arrive and pretend the mums have been doing well all along.

You won't tell on me, will you?

Also just for fun! I loved visiting Scotland and seeing so many castles while I was there, but it was really fun to see one of my Celtic bears (Dundas Clan Bear) repinned to a castle site (Dundas Castle) on Pinterest!

http://pinterest.com/dundascastle/something-old-something-new-something-borrowed-som/

 

Dundas Castle

South Queensferry, Edinburgh

********
Hmm, maybe Duncan MacNeill should have gotten married there! :)
 

And here's where I am with another free giveaway of Savage Hunger!
 

  
10/22 Fiction Vixen

Okay, I'm off to work on Highland Rake!!! Yes, it's growing by leaps and bounds but I still haven't ended it! :)

Happy Monday!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

They're Not Going to Make It!

My mums are fading! I thought they'd last longer than this!! I've only had them two weeks, and I have been watering! I had hoped they would last until at least my daughter and SIL visit. :)

*sigh* And then my rosebush has been in full bloom, again! It's Texas weather. Someone once said that if you don't like the weather, hang around and it will change.

It's not true. :) The heat hangs on day after day after day and week after week. And it's Oct and we're still having high 80's every day. Although, if you hang around--our high will be 69 on Friday. Brrrrr.

And then the 70's all the week after that. But that's after a LOT of hanging around to wait for the weather to change! And it's almost November!!!

Still, I had to show the fall colors...and the not so fall colors, that I have in the garden. I love these everblooming roses. They truly bloom almost all year long.

In Scotland, the saying is something to the effect: There's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes!

Of course, when the men wear these clothes...who cares about the weather???

And of course there's Dougald! He's coming. Truly! :) I'm at 85,000 on the story and still "ending" it. LOL :) 

Have a super great Sunday, whatever the weather. Oh, and how do you keep mums alive for another week???

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

No Spiders Today....!

A spider's web on a witch's hat is all that you will see that relates to spiders today! Rusty is ready for Halloween! Isn't she cute??? She's lost her witch's broom. But she really looks like she needs a cuddle.

 Are you ready for Halloween?

You know what happens after that? Thanksgiving, then Christmas and before we know it, New Year's, and then A HOWL FOR A HIGHLANDER! Just saying... :)

 

The sun was trying to come up in the fog!

And isn't he cute? He's taking his black standard poodle for a walk with a Count Dracula Bear.

So no spiders today!!!

But I'm going to a mystery theater with a bunch of friends. Have you ever been to one?

Can't wait!

Have a wonderful day today!!!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality!"
www.terryspear.com

Don't Tell Me This is a Recluse!

This is the big bad spider that was hanging on my door frame when I walked out this morning, nearly nose to nose with him. Okay, so he was more-- his back to my shoulder, and I didn't EVEN see him when I first ran out in a hurry. But when I came back, I was like OMG!!! I nearly knocked him off. He let me take pictures of him because he was cold and stiff.

But, what kind of spider is he? I really don't want to hear that he's a recluse because I was in a real rush to run off this morning, and was nearly late just taking pictures of him before I zapped him good with insect spray--but not spider spray, and when I came home, he had VANISHED. argh.

So if he's a recluse, I'm in trouble! Because now he's pissed.

Onto more cheerful news...

Every fortune teller has to have a crystal ball. This one looks about right.

I loved the fortune teller, but not her crystal ball. So I replaced it with the one from above.

But then the purple looked gauche with the color scheme of the picture. She was supposed to be wearing something colorful, but the clothes were too dark to change, so I colored them forest green. I darkened her eyes and gave her green eyeshadow to match the green she was wearing and her crystal ball. Just like magic!

A rags to riches fairy tale where a fortune telling can spell doom...

Katrina Landry is not your everyday fortune teller. She's a substitute teacher who longs to work at it full time. But when she substitutes for her cousin at her fortune telling booth at the fair, Katrina meets a man who she foresees is in danger. So what's a girl supposed to do but sneak into a by-invitation only dance and save the TX Stud's life?

Prescott Worthington hasn't had this much fun in a long time when on a whim he takes his girlfriend to the fair where Sascha the Sensation predicts he will have twins, and that his girlfriend will find someone else. But when the woman shows up at the dance with some nonsense about saving his life, he's totally irritated and totally bewitched. Maybe she can bring a little magic into his life.

She insists someone's trying to kill him and he thinks it's her boyfriend...only Prescott has no intention of giving up the woman who he's sure needs his protection. And a whole lot more.


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I've never had my fortune told, but my mother did when she was about 22 and she was told when she lived in LA that she would meet a tall, handsome, dark Oriental and marry him and live happily ever.

The woman was a phony fortune teller.

I don't believe my dad ever had his fortune told, but along that line, my dad's family had an ouiga board. They played with it at home, and the thing would move--supposedly his stepsister could really speak with the dead, and she made the board move and do all kinds of things. He wasn't superstitous, yet her messing around with the board set him on edge. He was still a kid.

So at 16, he had joined the AF and was sitting in a quoinset hut before they had to fly off on another mission, and his mother had sent him the ouiga board, of all things. He was afraid she'd sent him underwear, so he didn't want to open the package. The guys all egged him on to open it because it was a big deal to everyone, and if he got cookies or something, they wanted to share. LOL

It was the ouiga board. He hated the thing and couldn't believe his mother had sent it to him. He went to shove it under the bunk, but someone said, "No, let's play."

So he and another guy sat down to play with the ouiga board. Then another guy said it was a messenger of the devil, to get rid of it.

The guy was so adamant, Dad was a little shaken. So when he went on his next mission, he took the board with him and got in the plane, planning to toss the game into the ocean as they crossed it.

There was a hole in the floor of the plane where the last crewmember had been hit and died and they hadn't fixed the plane yet, so he put his parachute over it, and waited for the right time to throw the ouiga board out. After he did, they had their mission and on the return flight, his plane was hit. He was the only one that was injured, shrapnel cutting into his arm all the way through the muscle and hitting the bone, and cutting off his communication and oxygen lines. He was fading fast.

One of the men called up the pilot to tell them Dad had been hit. They told him to crawl up to the cockpit where they had oxygen.

They had a lull, then were fired on again, and when they finally got back to base, Dad ended up in the hospital and in recovery for six weeks. He was the only man injured out of all the crews out that day.

Had dumping the ouiga board caused his injury?

While he was recuperating, his entire crew was shot down and everyone died.

Had disposing of the ouiga board saved his life?

Or did he just have a guardian angel watching over him?

After all the so near fatal situations my dad was in, we believe he did have someone watching over him. :)

I'm here today!
10/19 A Bookworm’s Haven 

And a really fun review from Bookworm's Haven if you want to drop by and read it!

Okay, time is up. Did anyone figure out what that spider was?  Please tell me its a home garden variety spider that doesn't bite!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality!"
www.terryspear.com