The Beauty of Daylilies--Hurricane Harvey Made Landfall






Easy to care for! Beautiful colors. I have the standard yellow also. And showy in the garden.
I love daylilies.

This is last night before Hurricane Harvey, at category 4, made landfall.


We've had 3" of rain so far and it's continuing to pour rain, with wind gusts up to 25 mph. It will rain for several more days, which will cause flooding for us. We're hoping we don't lose electricity. We're under flood warning and several other warnings right now, including tornado watch.



Hope everyone left the area who needed to due to mandatory evacuations. 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

RWA 2017 Orlando conference


Phew! Another Romance Writers of America conference has come and gone. It is both an exhilarating and exhausting experience, but it definitely fires me up to come home and start writing romances again!

This year’s conference was at the Swan and Dolphin hotels at Walt Disney World. An appropriate venue for letting a writer’s imagination soar!

View from my hotel room

An egret??

Quintessential Florida

The conference was full of workshops, publisher spotlights, agent and editor appointments, networking events with bloggers and librarians, special interest group parties, the RITA awards, and (first time this year) the Golden Heart award luncheon for unpublished writers.

My favorite part of the luncheon - dessert!
One of the highlights of the conference for me was a pop-up bookstore that appeared in the hotel hallway near the conference registration desk. Books, totes, pillows, bookmarks, anything a writer could need or want. These particular items always brought a smile to my face as I rushed by on my way to a workshop...






Another highlight was the annual Literacy signing. This year, more than 400 authors autographed their books to raise money to help fund literacy efforts. It was a chance for the public (and fellow writers) to meet their favorite romance authors!

Literacy signing
After four days of non-stop industry input and events, I was exhausted.


But, as always, I was very happy I went. I even celebrated my final night in the happiest place on Earth by going out to see the fireworks over Disney.


Next year’s RWA conference will be in Denver, and I’m sure by then my poor feet will be recovered enough to hit the ground running once again!

P.S. Next month I’ll be travelling in Europe (and dragging Jenna Ives with me) so neither of us will be posting in September, but we promise lots of fantastic stories when we return!

Leigh Court



From Disney with Love






My son and I went early to play at Disney and Universal Studios before conference. And afterwards, I had fun running around the parks with Dawn Marie Hamilton for another day!



I signed books and had a blast. Here I am with Kerrelyn Sparks. She and I are always seated next to each other at signings. Our books are next to each other in the book stores also. :)


That was my summer vacation. What did you do for summer vacation?

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

Call me Batman



Alas. The bats aren't in the belfry, but in my home

The first one we found in the house was handled by my husband. I didn't even see it.

Four days later, my daughter and I were home alone when I suddenly saw a bat flying around the main room, which is a great room configuration. With its 14 foot ceilings, this is not a good space in which to catch a bat. Not that I could catch a bat in any space. It is illegal to kill them.

Bats are an almost endangered species, and finding one in your home would be nothing more than a scary nuisance, except for the fact that they can carry rabies, which is basically incurable. If a rabid bat bites you in your sleep and you don't realize it, you will be fatally wounded by the time you develop symptoms. The bites can be virtually invisible.

Were we freaked out? Yes, we were. We called the animal control, which actually doesn't exist in our area (except for a phone number). We called the cops. They said too bad, so sad. My husband, who was out of state, called the cops. They said, "We'll send someone over." Hmmmm.

A cop arrived. At the same time, two of my friends arrived to rescue us, one armed with a tennis racquet. Lol It was a good idea.

The cop brought down the bat. It took a bit of work though. I never could have done it. He was determined not to kill the critter. He put it in a paper bag and said he would bring it to the animal rescue center to see if they could save it. I wanted it tested for rabies but he wouldn't allow it.

I couldn't help noticing the significance of 3 women and a young girl standing around while the man got the bat. That thing terrified me. What can I say. The cop was a young guy, cute. He said we could call him Batman. lol

My daughter and I went to my friend's house for the night. We moved out of our home the next day. I don't co-habit with bats. 

We called around for a professional to deal with the problem, and all we heard is, "It will take 3-4 weeks. This is the biggest bat summer we've ever had." Finally my husband found someone. I hope he's good.

I couldn't take a picture of the bat. So I leave you with this sign near my house. The sign says: Bear Crossing. Stay Alert (Ya think?)

We've also received official notice from the town saying bears are now a problem in our area. I'm done with Mother Nature. Or at least I'd like to be.

Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, The Mummy...what do they have in common?



They're all at Universal Studios! And much more.

We had so much fun there! But luckily, the dinosaurs are just for show.

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

“In The Court Of Love And Loss” gets some love!

I’m thrilled to report my sci-fi romance “In The Court Of Love And Loss” won first place in the Speculative Fiction category of Passionate Ink’s “Passionate Plume” contest at the RWA national conference in Orlando on July 28.  My BFF Leigh Court picked up the certificate for me.



Leigh even celebrated in the bar afterwards!!

This is a “big” book, with a heroine who’s been abandoned by her people, a hot hero who comes back to rescue her, and the planet’s dictatorial ruler who’s determined not to let her go. There’s love, loss and a plot twist I hope readers won’t see coming!!




“In The Court Of Love And Loss” was also an LR Café “Best of 2016” nominee, so the book is getting some serious recognition.

Thanks for letting me share this good news!

Jenna



SEAL Wolf Undercover Released Today!

SEAL Wolf Undercover Available Now!
No wolf is safe in USA Today bestseller Terry Spear’s new installment of the SEAL Wolf series.
Never be so foolish as to fall for the enemy…
Special wolf agent Jillian Matthews has joined the jaguar-run United Shifter Force to track down a deadly criminal. She’s even willing to work with PI Vaughn Greystroke―until the hot, growly SEAL wolf makes the mistake of getting in her way. Naturally, she shoots him. Who could blame her?
Vaughn Greystroke has always worked alone. But when a string of attempted murders puts him in the crosshairs, teaming up with the Shifter Force begins to sound like a good idea. Even if he has to work with alluring―and potentially treacherous―Jillian Matthews. Vaughn is a trained SEAL, after all. He can surely keep his distance from Jillian…no matter how much she’s getting under his skin.
It all began with SEAL Hunter in To Tempt the Wolf!–Just think: Naked wolf on beach during a storm–beautiful woman who takes him in–what could be better? Except he doesn’t even remember who he is.
SEAL Wolf Series:
A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing (Book 1)
A SEAL Wolf for Christmas (Book 2)
SEAL Wolf Hunting (Book 3)
SEAL Wolf in Too Deep (Book 4)
SEAL Wolf Undercover (Book 5)
Praise for SEAL Wolf in Too Deep:
“A sexy, smoldering tale… If you enjoy reading about uber-manly, hot-as-heck heroes, this is a must-read!”―RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
“Another winner… once again [Spear] had me captivated with her storytelling.”―Night Owl Reviews
“A funny, fun, and extremely intriguing read.” ―Fresh Fiction
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/SEAL-Wolf-Undercover-Te…/…/1492645141
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seal-wolf-under…/1125022685…
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/…/seal-wolf-undercov…/id1203903299…
Kobo: Still coming!
Google Play: https://play.google.com/…/details/Terry_Spear_SEAL_Wolf_Und…
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/…/seal-wolf-un…/9781492645146

Excerpt from SEAL Wolf Undercover by Terry Spear

Jillian couldn’t believe that a lupus garou could be trying to kill her brother. The wolf chasing Miles had to be a shifter. She knew he wasn’t running with Miles for fun. Not with the way her brother had howled, calling to her for help. If the other wolf had been in trouble too, he would have howled along with her brother No, he’d been hell bent on Miles’s trail. Worse, she worried he could be the wolf who had nearly killed Douglas.
She ran through the woods to track where the wounded wolf had gone once he’d finally veered from her brother’s path. Wild wolves had been sighted in Oregon, so at first she’d thought it might have claimed the territory and was chasing Miles out of the area, or worse, planned to kill him. When she couldn’t scare him off with the first three rounds she’d fired, she was certain he was a shifter. She found drops of blood collected on vegetation, the light rain already diluting it, and followed them to the river where the trail ended.
In the misty rain, she glanced in the direction the river was flowing, and thought she saw a wolf’s head bobbing up and down in the water. She couldn’t be certain, considering the conditions: the water was dark, the object was far away, and the day was overcast.
She continued to watch until whatever it was disappeared beyond a bend in the river. Her heart pounding, she ran in the direction of her cabin, hoping her brother was there and could tell her what was going on. If she didn’t need to hang onto her rifle and cell phone, she would have shifted and run as a wolf. Much faster that way.
She was glad the wolf was no longer chasing her brother, but she did hate that she’d had to shoot him. With their shifter ability to heal faster than humans, he would be fine in no time.
As soon as the cabin came into view, she hurried to the front door, unlocked it, and called out to her brother. He didn’t respond, and she didn’t hear him in the back bedroom. She stalked back to the room, but he wasn’t there. Why wouldn’t he have come here? Unless he was afraid of bringing the big, bad wolf to their doorstep.
For now, she had other business to take care of. She left a message for her brother, telling him to call her at once, that she was working with some jaguar shifters. And that Douglas was in dire straits after someone attacked him. She would be staying at the red wolf pack’s ranch part of the time. She considered trying to track down her brother as a wolf, but with the other wolf wounded and leaving this area, she figured Miles would be okay for now.
Teaming up with jaguars was something totally new for her. Never in a million years would she have believed she’d be working with a combined force of jaguar shifters and a wolf; and with another, if they could solicit his help. On the way over to her cabin, Leidolf had informed her about a hardcore Navy SEAL, also turned PI —and from what she’d read about his profile, a loner in his investigative work—who was in the area and was also investigating the attack on Douglas. From a photo Leidolf had sent to the team, he was one hot looking specimen of a wolf and single, though she just happened to notice that information by chance. And he looked a hell of a lot like the guy she’d seen at the Kitty Cat Club in San Diego. The good Samaritan. That meant he had been a wolf all along. She should have known.
She quickly packed a bag and left to join the shifters at the cabin nearby to meet up with the SEAL wolf, hoping she’d hear from her brother soon. She also put in a call to Leidolf for an update on Douglas’s condition.
***
Vaughn bobbed up and down in the icy water, thankful his wolf’s double coat protected him from the chilling cold. He had to take care of his wound first, hoping it wasn’t too bad and he would heal quickly enough. He was certain the gray wolf couldn’t have suddenly armed himself with a rifle, so he was still running as a wolf, and that meant Vaughn could try to find his scent again. What if he had an accomplice? Maybe that’s why he howled. To get help from a wolf shifter friend or pack member who would shoot Vaughn instead of coming to his aid as a wolf. The shooter wouldn’t have been some random hunter then. A marksman lying in wait while Vaughn tried to take down the wolf seemed too damned convenient to be mere coincidence.
***
Okay, so how did I come up with this idea? I wanted to include jaguars and wolves in this venture–and a hot SEAL wolf. That was it. At the end of the previous jaguar book, A Very Jaguar Christmas, I had mentioned trouble in Portland, Oregon, where a red wolf pack lives. I hadn’t mentioned them in a long time, so I wanted to set the story there. And I wanted to have jaguars causing trouble for wolves. I wanted an exciting beginning–but I wanted it to be sexy. But it had to include both jaguars and wolves. But it also had to focus on the romance between one couple. And it had to have shifting. And romance. And conflict.
I’d watched a show about treasure hunters stealing from each other in deep sea dives. The wolf series is so long running, that every one of them has to be different from the rest, and I’d never had a treasure hunting story before. So after much writing and rewriting, I finally decided to make treasure hunting at the root of it.
And that’s how I came up with SEAL Wolf Undercover!


Have a happy, non-conflict-filled 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