Researching the Big Cats (Guest post & Giveaway by Terry Spear)

Thanks so much to Brooklyn for having me here today to talk about those big cats, which includes jaguar shifters! Yum!

When I decided to add a new series that would be compatible with my wolf (canine) series, I thought why not felines? Big cats.

Four roaring cats exist in the Panthera genus—Tiger, lion, jaguar and leopard.

They are considered big cats, not in a biological classification way, but informally.

Other big cats would include: Cougar, cheetah, snow leopard and clouded leopard.

So why jaguar and not one of the other big cats?

They have lived in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. They're exotic. And they don't normally attack people. They're reclusive and a mystery. Natives revered them for their elusiveness and hunting ability. They were considered jaguar gods. Some reference to them shifting exists.

Their roar is not the same as a lion's or tiger's. It's more of a coughing/huffing sound. And unlike some big cats, they love the water. They can be found in trees also and can carry large prey into a tree to protect it from other predators on the forest floor. They are smaller than the tiger and lion, but they have the most powerful bite that can sink through a tortoise shell. They also have a stunning or fatal blow they can deliver with one swipe of the paw. They are a stalk and ambush predator rather than chase down their meals. And they are all carnivores.

The biggest problem with jaguars is that they don't maintain a family unit like wolves do. So that means their human shifter half has to make up for it. No being a stray cat looking for all kinds of different kitty cat loving. The females also have to protect their offspring from the males, even if he could be their daddy.

But no problem for a group of jaguar shifters that are hot, hot, hot, just like the steamy jungle they love to run through while on vacation. Oh, sure, they seem to always be running into trouble down there, but wow, can the nights…and days…heat up with other wondrous delights.

So here's a scene from Jaguar Fever I wanted to share with you to give you a little taste of the jungle…and the big cats visiting there!

            In the middle of the night, Wade reached the treetop cottages where Maya was staying. He and David hadn’t needed a GPS to locate them. In their jaguar forms, they’d followed Kat and Connor’s scents to the resort. Wade had smelled another jaguar in the area—a female, which didn’t bode well if Bettinger and Lion Mane got wind of her and led the smugglers this way. He wanted to warn Maya and the others that Bettinger and Lion Mane were in on the jaguar smuggling plans. As jaguar shifters, the men could scent another jaguar and tip off the smugglers who would take the big cat into custody.

While he suspected that Bettinger and Lion Mane wouldn’t lead the smugglers to a shifter, Wade didn’t like the fact that they could make a move on Maya, if they learned she was here.

David nudged him when the treetop cottages came into sight.

They appeared to be suspended in the trees, a walkway connecting each to the next. Wade and his brother roamed through the trees below the cottages, listening for sounds of people up and about. Everyone appeared to be sleeping. No talking or laughing, just silence from the human population.

The jungle noises still cloaked Wade as he searched for the cottage that could be Maya’s. He leaped into a tree next to a deck and smiled his jaguar smile as he smelled that Maya had been sitting in one of the rocking chairs a short while ago. There was no sign of Kat or Connor’s scent on the deck, so he assumed this cottage had to be Maya’s.

He glanced down at David, who motioned with his large spotted head in the direction he planned to go while Wade checked on Maya. David would leave him alone, but he knew his brother would stay close by until Wade left Maya. After that, they’d return together to search for the smugglers and their guides.

His paws muddy, Wade shifted, then turned on the shower on the deck. If she was asleep, she wouldn’t hear him. After he cleaned up, he planned to check on her and tell her about Bettinger and the other men. A bottle of eco-friendly soap was sitting on a table nearby, so he poured some out into his hands and then started to soap himself down, the citrus scent pleasantly natural and sweet. He hoped she wasn’t running through the jungle tonight, though he hadn’t smelled her scent down below. Probably too busy dealing with her brother and explaining why she smelled of four male cats.

As soon as he had rinsed off, he saw a wide-eyed Maya staring through the glass door of her cottage, taking in every inch of him. He couldn’t help his reaction.

Then, I had to cut off his reaction—you know, for G-rated-ness.

One lucky commenter has the chance to win a copy of Savage Hunger, US or Canada address only.

If you saw Wade Patterson soaping up in your outdoor jungle shower, what would you do?

Jaguar Fever(Book 2) Sourcebooks

August 7, 2013

She's being pursued by everyone, in more ways than one.
Even in an exotic world of humans, jaguars, and tantalizing creatures who shift between the two, Maya Anderson stands out from the crowd. Interest from human suitors is bad enough, but when male shifters give chase, the real trouble starts.

Who's the hunter and who's the prey?
Investigating the black marketing trade of exotic animals keeps Wade Patterson more than busy. When he and Maya both get entangled in a steamy jungle mission, it becomes impossible to tell who is being hunted or who the hunters are. Wade is desperate to survive this deadly game of cat and mouse. But it's Maya's piercing eyes that keep him awake at night.

B&N

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bestselling and award-winning author Terry Spear has written over fifty paranormal romance novels and four medieval Highland historical romances. Her first werewolf romance, Heart of the Wolf, was named a 2008 Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of the Year, and her subsequent titles have garnered high praise and hit the USA Today bestseller list. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry lives in Crawford, Texas, where she is working on her next werewolf romance and continuing her new series about shapeshifting jaguars. For more information, please visit www.terryspear.com, or follow her on Twitter, @TerrySpear. She is also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/terry.spear .