Thursday, November 1, 2012

Realism and Fun by Terry Spear



I went to Cameron Park Zoo a couple of days ago to take pictures of some of the zoo animals to share on my blogs. But one of the animals I wanted to take pictures of most were the jaguars, and if they had any...wolves. No wolves. Just signs for wolves.

I wanted pictures of them because I write about wolf shifters and jaguar shifters. Part of the realism in writing unreal stories is to research the real and add it to the unreal. In Savage Hunger, I did a lot of research about both the Amazon and about jaguars. Jaguars are more elusive than most big cats. They don't kill people like most big cats are known to do--mountain lions, lions, and tigers. Yet jaguars are the third biggest roaring cat behind lions and tigers with the strongest bite of any of them.

When I watched them, I observed a jaguar hunting a Jurassic Era catfish, humungous fish, and included that fishing scene in Savage Hunger. Reality in a jaguar shifter unreal world. I also included the jaguar shifter playing with her tail, because I'd seen one do that when she was lying down and all of a sudden started playing with her tail!

When I was taking pictures of the jaguars, suddenly one of them began to run along the fence, tail swishing, whiskers on alert, ears twitching. The jaguar wanted so badly to hunt! I wasn't sure what had caught its attention, but it was ready. Can I use this in a book? You bet!

So I went to the zoo to take pictures, but also to ensure no jaguar shifters had been caged by accident. At first, I was thinking that this was just another big cat. Now I'm not so sure.

I have to share this gorgeous sleeping jaguar. I think it might be Wade Patterson, after all.



 Do you use reality in your unreal worlds?

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality."
www.terryspear.com

6 comments:

Terry Spear said...

More Zoo pictures coming up. The animals were really active, but I caught the jaguar snoozing in the sun at first! :)

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

Such beautiful animals, Terry. I have a vampire/jaguar shifter in my Crimson Storm series. Can't wait to get to Jagger's book, but I need to write Raven's first. Bet you can guess what she shifts into. :)

Terry Spear said...

Sounds like fun, Dawn! Isn't it hard when you are dying to write someone's story and someone else's needs to be done first???

Josie said...

Terry,

Interesting post.

I write Tudor historicals and use reality (like references to King Henry VIII) in my books.

Terry Spear said...

I so agree, Josie! In my Highland Medieval, I enjoyed reading all about Henry I!

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