Guest Author: Terry Spear

Casee had the pleasure of reading Terry Spear’s first paranormal romance, Heart of the Wolf.

Terry is here with us today at Book Binge to answer some questions and give away copies of Heart of the Wolf to three lucky readers (details to come).

Q&A with author Terry Spear

Book Binge: Can you tell us about your first book sale?

Terry Spear: My first book sales were for two Young Adults—The Vampire…In My Dreams and Ghostly Liaisons which Medallion Press contracted at the same time. How long did it take you from when you first picked up the pen (or keyboard) until you got published? Never. 🙂 The books were delayed a year from their scheduled release date, which meant three years after I wrote the first one and then Medallion Press cancelled their YA line the month before the first release date. Which goes to show that a sale doesn’t exactly mean publication! And since I sold to an RWA-recognized publisher, I never could enter the Golden Heart. I kept thinking that I would wait until I thought my books were good enough…then I sold and that was that! So if you want to enter the Golden Heart, don’t delay! 🙂

BB: You already write medieval romance and now paranormal…are there any other genres you’re interested in writing?

TS: I also write straight romantic suspense and true romance, and true genealogy stories for magazines.

BB: Was it difficult to go from writing historical to writing paranormals?

TS: I’m an avid reader of both, so as an eclectic reader, I enjoy about anything there is to read. I’m working on a time travel ghostly western. Time travels, because they encompass both historicals and paranormals, are my favorite books of all.

BB: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process? How do you go from an idea to actually writing it out?

TS: I start out with the hero and heroine’s goals and motivations for this and how I want them to meet—always trying for a conflictive, unique situation. I’m a pantser, writing by the seat of my pants, so I see scenes as they come to me. Although sometimes I have to brainstorm and force a scene that isn’t coming readily. But I don’t plot, don’t know who the villains are usually until the end of the book if there are more than one, and sometimes agonize quite a bit over who is. As I’m writing, I’ll deepen the plot, deepen the motivations in a layering process. Since I’m now writing a series, I’m also making sure each book will be very different from the others and each is a stand alone title, although some of the characters will make cameo appearances in the other books.

BB: What is your typical writing day like?

TS: First, I always check emails. Then I begin revising previous pages, then type up notes I’ve handwritten in bed before I fall asleep at night, and begin writing new scenes. I try to leave a cliff hanger before I quit for the night so the next day it’s easier to get back into the story.

BB: What kind of research do you do when you’re writing or planning a book?

TS: I do the research after I decide the heroine’s and hero’s goals and how they’ll meet. I’ll usually start typing the opening, then when I get stuck, do some research. Research helps to give me ideas for new twists that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Right now I’m working on Allure of the Wolf, and in this one, the werewolves are Arctic wolves, so that’s taking some research. 🙂

BB: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

TS: A movie star who could then write a book and sell for a lot more money than I can. See, it always comes back to writing. 🙂

BB: What made you want to be a writer?

TS: I’ve always read and loved to get lost in other worlds. And I’ve always made up stories to share with my friends and family. I took extra English classes even-creative writing, when I was in school.

BB: What advice would you give aspiring authors?

TS: Persevere. Write, learn the craft, revise, submit, and if the work is rejected, revise, and submit again. I teach online writing courses, judge pubbed and unpubbed contests, review books for major publishers and all of this helps me to learn my craft. But writing is the only way to really have something to submit, and submitting, despite rejection, is the only way to sell.

BB: Who is your favorite author?

TS: I have several. Leslie Lafoy is one of my favorite for historicals. And Moning and Joy Nash are a couple of my favorite paranormal authors.

BB: What is your favorite book to re-read?

TS: 🙂 I don’t really have time to reread books because I judge about six contests a year and review several books each year, plus just read books I pick up for pleasure, and then have to write my own, so really don’t reread books.

BB: With so many paranormal authors popping up, can you tell our readers why they should try Heart of the Wolf?

TS: It’s different. I do a lot of research for my books and for this one, I based werewolves in part on real wolves, their behaviors, actions, and reactions. It’s been a lot of fun discovering werewolf legends (when I was a kid, I loved reading about American Indian lore, as well as international mythology around the world about how natural phenomena came to be), about wolves, the myths and realities, and then combining some of these in a story that helps readers suspend belief. Several have said they felt the world was real enough to be believable. And that’s what makes writing urban fantasy special–taking an unreal world and making it as believable as possible.

Onto the fun questions!

BB: Pepsi or Coke?

TS: Coke, although I’ve become a green tea drinker for the antioxidants—hmm, let’s see, it’s supposed to help you lose weight, keep tartar off your teeth, clear up your complexion, keep your heart healthy…so, yep, green tea it is. 🙂

BB: What’s your biggest weakness (shoes, books, clothes, chocolate, etc)?

TS: Books. I feel deprived if I don’t have a stack of books to read. I don’t have time for them very often, but when I finish writing another book, or need a break from my own writing, I’ll read several in a few days.

BB: Chocolate or Vanilla?

TS: Chocolate, hands down. I attribute it to my parents leaving me alone in a car with their very chocolate anniversary cake when I was a toddler. Suffice it to say, my mother had a mess to clean up, they didn’t get to have the cake for their anniversary (they couldn’t afford another), probably never left me in the car alone again (at least not with a cake), and I’ve loved chocolate ever since.

BB: Coffee or tea?

TS: I used to drink regular tea on a regular basis, but now it’s green tea.

BB: Favorite movie?

TS: I have lots—Serenity, for its humor and characterizations, Star Dust for its humor and characterizations, Pride and Prejudice—I wanted the hero! 

BB: Favorite t.v. show?

TS: A Haunting (I think it’s called, re-creation of people’s haunted house experiences), Psychic Detectives, Snapped, Cops

BB: Favorite color?

TS: Blue, for wearing and decorating (cool and comforting in hot climates like where I’ve lived), Purple (which is supposed to be suspenseful) for flowers in the garden.

BB: Mexico or Hawaii?

TS: Hawaii! Although I’ve heard Tahiti is beautiful. I’d take island paradises any day over anything!

BB: Fly or drive?

TS: Drive. I love to drive places and really see the countryside.

BB: Beach or mountains?

TS: Now this is a dilemma for me. I’m a water person. I always grew up near lakes or some other body of water, yet I love to be near the mountains. When we moved from California to Florida, living where it was sooo flat took some getting used to! We moved to Texas from the mountainous area in Oklahoma…yes, some would say there are no mountains in Oklahoma, but there are. My son first said we’d move to the desert. No, it isn’t a desert in Central Texas, but we don’t have mountains and fields of maze or rye grass surround us.  But we’re close to a lake also.

BB: What is next on the agenda?

TS: I’ve sold Don’t Cry Wolf, Betrayal of the Wolf, and Allure of the Wolf to Sourcebooks, but have just started writing Allure of the Wolf. It’ll be my first contracted book on proposal, and the first one about Arctic wolves.

BB: Thanks for taking the time to visit us, Terry!

TS: Thanks so much for the interview, Casee! And I hope that readers will give Heart of the Wolf a look! Thanks!

You can read more about Terry at her website or blog. You can buy Heart of the Wolf here.

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