Terry Spear Guest Blog; Author of Seduced By the Wolf
Interesting Facts in Werewolf Research
First, thanks so much for having me here today on A Journey of Books! I’m thrilled to be here! Without further ado, here’s what I’ve found in my research for writing the “Heart of the Wolf” wolf saga!Did you know that wolves’ whiskers are extremely sensitive? Or that when wolves maneuver on ice, they spread out their paw pads to keep from slipping? Or that they have fur between their pads that can keep their paws warm? Dogs do also, but not enough to keep them warm as the Arctic wolves do in the Arctic. In fact, sled dog owners often employ booties for their dogs. Wolves wouldn’t be caught dead in dog booties.
Did you know that wolves mate for life but probably because of all the inbreeding, and specialized breeding, and pampered pooch scenario, any dog will do for dogs?
Did you know that wolfbane can kill a werewolf? Keep him from transforming into a werewolf? Cure him of his werewolfism? Such are the various notions of the legends of werewolves as pertaining to wolfbane—it all depends on the storyteller! What is the truth?
The truth can kill. Or at least wolfbane can. When I was researching wolfbane for Wolf Fever (December 2010), I was astonished to find every legend negated every other legend. So I had to reveal the truth. Werewolves, and the human populace, deserve the truth, after all.
In each story while doing research, I’ve uncovered all kinds of fun trivia. In Dreaming of the Wolf (Fall 2011), there are no drive-in movie theaters for Jake Silver to take Alicia Greiston to in the real town where their story begins in Colorado. I was so disappointed that I’m going to have to create one closer to home.
In Heart of the Wolf (A Publishers Weekly 2008 Book of the Year!), the werewolf world was created, based on real wolves! There isn’t a wall that goes down between their werewolf half and their human half when they are in their other form. They are one with both halves and retain their human personality as a wolf, and their wolf senses as a human. They’re not strictly humans or wolves, but werewolves who have a different take on situations based on their secretive nature.
When a wolf will hunt for food without any other thought in mind but to assuage his hunger, a werewolf will consider if his kill might arouse suspicion that a wolf is in the area, whether he’s starving or not. As a human, he might wish to turn into the wolf to take care of a villain if the hero, for instance, is unarmed and the villain is armed, yet as a werewolf, he still must think of the consequences to his kind.
Silver kills werewolves, you’ll learn in Legend of the White Wolf, but did you know that silver kills anyone? But that despite that, some folks actually use it for its “medicinal” purposes???
While witch trials were ongoing, werewolf trials were, too. Yep. Real werewolf trials! You’ll hear a little about them in Legend of the White Wolf also.
Did you know that you can own wolves in Colorado? Only not in some cities, and there are restrictions on owning them. I’ve included some details in Dreaming of the Wolf.
There are no wolves, save some zoo wolves, in Scotland either. Except for the werewolf kind in Heart of the Highland Wolf (coming Jun 2011).
And what inspired me to write Seduced by the Wolf, was a real story of a gray she-wolf who’d lost her mate to a hunter, when she’d just had a litter of pups. A wolf biologist discovered her, and took her and her litter to safety.
I’ll never know what I’ll find in my research and how it’ll impact on my story. Sometimes, like in Seduced by the Wolf, when I thought it would be warm enough to swim in a lake in spring in Oregon, I discovered that the lake was glacier-fed and sooo, would not be very warm. But it makes it fun for me to change direction and to write it from a different angle then. Leidolf’s tough. He can handle it. Cassie’s like—no way, and will only get into the water in her wolf form—fur coat protecting her from the cold.
So what have I found in my research that’s interesting? Lots of stuff, and I love sharing it with my readers!
Thanks so much for having me here!
My question for readers is: Have you been to a drive-in theater? Would you be willing to go with a werewolf hunk like Jake Silver, brother to Darien, pack leader in Destiny of the Wolf?
Terry
SEDUCED BY THE WOLF BY TERRY SPEAR – IN STORES AUGUST 2010
His first priority is to protect his pack…
Werewolf pack leader Leidolf Wildhaven has just taken over a demoralized pack. With rogue wolves on the loose causing havoc and the authorities from the zoo suddenly zeroing in on the local wolf population, the last thing he needs in his territory is a do-gooder female, no matter how beautiful and enticing she is…
She’ll do anything to help wolves…
Biologist Cassie Roux has dedicated her life to protecting wolves in the wild. On a desperate mission to help a she-wolf with newborn pups, the last thing Cassie needs right now is a nosy and entirely too attractive werewolf pack leader trying to track her down…
With rogue wolves and hunters threatening at every turn, Cassie and Leidolf may find their attraction the most dangerous force of all…
About the Author
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry Spear has an MBA from Monmouth College. An eclectic writer, she dabbles in the paranormal as well as writing historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. Spear lives in Crawford, Texas. For more information, please visit Terry at these various places on the web:
http://www.terryspear.com
http://www.wickedlyromantic.blogspot.com/
http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com/
http://fierceromance.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/terry.spear
http://shapeshifterromance.wordpress.com/
http://terry-spear.blogspot.com/
THE DEVIL WEARS PLAID
STORM FRONT
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
