Aloha to Terry Spear and A SEAL IN WOLF'S CLOTHING

Let's kick off the week with RomVet Terry Spear.  She is celebrating the release of her new paranormal novel, A SEAL IN WOLF'S CLOTHING.   From her bio,

Terry Spear has written a dozen paranormal romance novels and two medieval Highland historical romances. An award-winning author, Terry’s Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of the Year in 2008. A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry Spear is a librarian by day and spends every spare moment writing paranormal romance as well as historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. Spear lives in Crawford, Texas, where she is working on new paranormal romances! 

Kim:  I noticed you have a "visitors by country" counter on your website. Did you have the chance to travel overseas with the military? 

Terry:  No, I was scheduled to go to Germany, but then family circumstances made it such that I couldn’t. I have been to Greece, Scotland, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Grand Cayman Islands on my own, though! Not a big world traveler, but I’ve enjoyed every place I’ve visited! 

Kim:  You are a member of RomVets (link) - what is it? What do you gain from being a member?

Terry:  Romvets is a great place for Romance Veterans, veterans of any of the Armed Forces, who write romance. Anytime you can find a group who has similar interests, it’s fun to help each other out! I was excited when one of the writers said Allison Brennan, whose books I love, needed some questions answered pertaining to the military and I was thrilled to help out! I would never have had the opportunity if it had not been for Romvets! 

Kim:  From your Amazon.com bio, “I love to research, to make urban fantasy worlds real, to bring a little of the paranormal into our world.”  Can you share an interesting tidbit about wolves or werewolves that you have learned from research?

Terry:  Werewolves could die from wolfsbane, be cured of being a werewolf if fed wolfsbane, could turn into a wolf if ingesting wolfsbane. I thought that was funny because different myths said just the opposite about the effect of wolfsbane on a werewolf. When I began researching werewolves, I was surprised to learn about the werewolf trials that were going on in Europe as much as the witch trials were. I’d never known about them before this. There were several documented cases where people claimed to be werewolves after having killed and partially eaten their victims. We know they really weren’t werewolves as no self-respecting wolf would kill humans like that, nor would they have told anyone what they truly were.

As to wolves, I’ve enjoyed researching so many true stories about wolves either in current times during which biologists have studied them, and old tales like when an Indian from one tribe rescued a wolf pup whose litter mates had all drowned and the mother and father could not reach the pup. They were whimpering and whining nearby, but the den was nearly under water from a rising river. The Indian saved the pup, then raised him, but his fellow Indians would not let them stay in camp, afraid the wolf might kill them. He and the wolf hunted together and stole ponies from another Indian tribe. The wolf saved his life when that tribe tried to hunt the Indian down. The wolf eventually found a mate, despite living with the Indian boy, and brought her back to a hilltop and watched him as if saying his farewell. He returned a few times, although the female wouldn’t get close to the Indian camp, and then eventually he was gone with his own wolf pack. I found it a very touching story. 

Kim:  How do you define/identify urban fantasy? Paranormal? With the explosion of both, what do you believe is the future for both genres?


Terry:  Urban fantasy to me is taking mythical creatures from a strictly fantasy world and bringing them into a contemporary world. Think werewolves owning the local leather goods store, or running the ski resort. Gargoyles serving as bodyguards. Dragon-shifters forming a detective agency. It’s fantastical, yet if done right, can be made to seem real…as if the fantastical character truly lives next door. To me, the paranormal is other than what we view as in the normal realm…ghosts and psychic phenomenon. Vampires were part of this…humans who were undead. Zombies, people brought back from the dead, also. But the lines blurred. And some call werewolves paranormal, and vampires can be thought of as urban fantasy. 

For a while, some purists would say that urban fantasy had no true romance. It was more fantasy in an urban setting. But many of us write urban fantasy with romance, so a spinoff is urban fantasy romance. There are no hard and fast rules that define the genres. In romance, you have to have a happily ever after. In urban fantasy/paranormal stories, you have to have something that isn’t normal in our normal everyday world. Think, Cowboys and Aliens.

What is the future? It runs in cycles. I loved werewolves and vampires when I was a kid and teen. I loved ghost stories. But westerns were big too. Then police stories and detective stories. And epic historicals! And then more paranormal, Night Stalker—where the detective was searching for the vampires, though they were not supposed to exist. So though the pendulum swings one way and then another, I believe we’ll always have our favorite genres that return during another upswing in the cycle of storytelling.

Kim:  Your new book, A SEAL IN WOLF'S CLOTHING, coincides with our current obsession (and admiration) of Navy SEALS. Why did you choose a SEAL over a Green Beret, Delta Force, or other special forces/special ops? Where did you find your research for SEALS?

Terry:  We had a Green Beret drill sergeant at one of our summer camps who was just too cool when I was training in Army ROTC. I also was very much impressed with Rangers, too. But I liked the idea of having a SEAL also. I had the idea (in the first book, To Tempt the Wolf) way before the SEALs made such terrific headlines more recently with their successful missions, but my wolves were living on the Oregon Coast, and it seemed appropriate to make Hunter Greymere from To Tempt the Wolf, a SEAL, rather than a more land-bound special ops military man. When my editor, Deb Werksman, mentioned how cool it would be if his whole team were wolves, I kept thinking about that aspect until I’d had so many requests from fans to hear Hunter’s sister’s story, Meara, that I believed I had just the man for her. Although she knows he’s definitely not the right one for her. A SEAL? Like her brother? No way!

I read several accounts about SEALs, although I had to smile when I read about how many say they were SEALs, and so few really are! But I also love guys in their flight suits and since my son just became an AF navigator, I can’t help thinking about hot shot fliers and the rest of their crew…

I’m afraid I’m just a sucker for a man in uniform. 

Joint Honor Guard at the Pentagon
defense.gov

Kim:  Who isn't?!?  Mahalo, Terry, for joining us at SOS Aloha!  Congratulations on the release of A SEAL IN WOLF’S CLOTHING:

Her instincts tell her he's dangerous...

While her overprotective brother's away, Meara Greymere's planning to play—and it wouldn't hurt to find herself a mate in the process. The last thing she needs is one of his SEAL buddies spoiling her fun, even if the guy is the hottest one she's ever seen...

His powers of persuasion are impossible to resist...

Finn Emerson is a battle-hardened Navy SEAL and alpha wolf. He's a little overqualified for baby-sitting, but feisty Meara is attracting trouble like a magnet...

As the only responsible alpha male in the vicinity, Finn is going to have to protect this intriguing woman from a horde of questionable men, and definitely from himself...

Experience the sensual, action-packed, critically acclaimed world of Terry Spear, author of a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year… 

Elf reviewed this book for me on her blog at this link.   Sourcebooks is giving away two print copies of A SEALS IN WOLF'S CLOTHING.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about SEALs (and other military men) in movies - do you have a favorite?

I know, I know, there are too many to choose.   From WWII, I can't help but think of John Wayne's IN HARMS' WAY.   For a more contemporary setting, I enjoyed Tom Cruise and Demi Moore in A FEW GOOD MEN.

2.  Sourcebooks' giveaway is open to North American residents only .... but I will giveaway a SEAL prize to one international readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, March 17, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 18.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

To learn more about Terry and her books, find her on the Internet:

www.terryspear.com 

www.facebook.com/terry.spear
www.myspace.com/terryspear
http://terry-spear.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/TerrySpear 

IN HARM'S WAY was filmed, in part, on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor.  During filming, John Wayne lived in a Navy house (below).   In fact, he even filmed part of the movie in the house.   The house is currently occupied by a chaplain.   He opened the house to the public during the "Tour of Homes" charity fundraiser.   The chaplain played IN HARM'S WAY on the TV!

Remember March Madness here at SOS Aloha! All commenters to my blogs in March will be entered into a special drawing for prizes from RT in Chicago - 3 US, 3 Canadian, and 3 international readers will win a package with books and goodies. Comments can be made at:

- SOS Aloha, sosaloha.blogspot.com
- Aloha On My Mind, alohaonmymind.blogspot.com
- My guest posts at the Reading Reviewer (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) at marygramlich.blogspot.com

I'll post the winners of March Madness on Monday, April 2.