Wolves in Peril

I thought Linda's post about folks contacting her concerning story ideas was a pretty neat blog, so I wanted to share that I've had several emails from fans who wanted me to know about the fact wolves are being delisted--hunters can now shoot them because they're no longer on the endangered list in areas such as the Rocky Mountains, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

Of course this impacts on my stories, because before this, wolves were protected in some areas, so my werewolves had immunity also, as long as hunters just didn't shoot them anyway for sport. But now in some areas, during hunting season, or not, werewolves can be targeted in their wolf suits. Oregon still hasn't delisted them, though hunters have shot and killed wolves there.

When I lived in Oklahoma, hunters had exterminated the black bear. Then hunting of bear wasn't permitted. Arkansas didn't permit the hunting of bear so when their numbers increased, the bears got smart and moved to Oklahoma. We began seeing them in trees, on the highways, getting into friends' beehives, and in our own yard!

So the same has happened to the wolves in the Idaho reserve, they're crossing the state line and moving into Oregon. One was a female wolf that observers said was looking for a mate. Some day, I'm certain, the hunting of wolves will be permitted there too.

I love to research my stories, to make them as accurate as they can for an urban fantasy, so I really appreciate it when fans email me to let me know what's going on with wolves--anywhere they exist. My mother was mentioning to me the other day about a program she watched about a group of real "phantom-like" wolves, that I'd like to incorporate into a future werewolf story also. It's a sad story, so not sure how I'll handle it, but truth can certainly be stranger than fiction.

Right now I'm learning about the Canadian Arctic, the Inuit, and the Cree to write Allure of the Wolf. I only use a fraction of what I learn because I don't want to overwhelm readers with facts, but adding reality to an otherwise unreal world makes it a lot more--real.

Of course, my wolves wouldn't be half as fun without their other halves--the hunky humans.

I was just reading about the find in Texas where scientists believe they've found the missing link between frogs and salamanders. Fascinating! If I mention it to my family, they'll shake their heads. :) But to me, stuff like this is interesting and can be the beginning of a new fictionalized story, based on fact.

Have you read something recently that you didn't know about either in a fictionalized novel or in the news and thought, why, how neat? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Terry Spear

Heart of the Wolf, Don't Cry Wolf

www.terryspear.com
Note: Starting June 1st, everyone here will be posting to a story called "The Bachelor Auction." I'll start it off, and can't wait to read what all the other ladies do with it...so please join us to check out our newest venture....