Author Interview: Amanda Tero

Hey, Amanda! Welcome to Keturah's Korner! Can you tell all of us a little about yourself?

Hi Keturah! So glad to be here! Let's see, I am a born again believer in Jesus Christ, the fifth of twelve children, a home school graduate, the family kitchen cleaner. ;) I enjoy writing (of course), music (teaching, playing piano and violin, arranging hymns, recording YouTube videos), photography, web/graphics design (especially book covers), and reading.

Wow!!! That's pretty impressive...especially all the musical stuff!! :) Tell me a little a bit about your blog - what makes it unique and yours!

I started my blog almost five years ago as a place to give me a place to do a 52-verse challenge (accountability). From there, I began sharing articles that I wrote for a girls' newsletter and then, more recently, it has been a place to share about my writing, photography, and music (from "look what I've been up to" to "here's a tutorial for you!"). It's kind of a cacophony of my interests.

Have you published anything? Can you tell me about your published works?

Yes, I started out the publishing journey with short stories. I'll just link the titles so you can find out about all of them on your own.

Short stories: Debt of Mercy, Coffee Cake Days, Maggie's Hope Chest, Noelle's Gift, Letters from a Scatter-Brained Sister, and Peace, Be Still (which you can get for free by signing up for my newsletter).

This year, I started the Orphan Journeys series with a stand-alone novella, Journey to Love.

Neat! I have Coffee Cake Days in my kindle books...I downloaded a while back before I knew who you were. I'll have to read that soon. What are your future plans for writing?

Currently, I'm working on the first full-length novel for Orphan Journeys, Journey of Choice. I'm taking projects one at a time, praying for the Lord's direction as I go. I have two dream series I'd love to write one day: a medieval series and a Colorado mining series.

What is your ultimate goal for your writing?

My ultimate goal is to glorify God and point people to Christ -- whether it is with the salvation message or discipleship.

Besides writing, what else would you like to do?

Well, it's kind of like "besides writing, here is what I do." ;) I teach piano and violin lessons (currently I have fifteen students, but that number is looking like 20+ with the upcoming semester) and am also working on getting a music website up and running to share the arrangements that God has allowed me to work up (www.withajoyfulnoise.com). Our family also has a singing ministry I'm involved in.

What are some things ( not writing related ) that makes you YOU!?

Hmm ... I'm kind of a serious thinker yet have moments of being goofy. I love theological discussions (sorry, not really debates). Music is a big part of my life. I'm clumsy. I am very task-oriented (yes, to a fault).

If you could choose a favorite(s) word that you use or think a lot what would it be? Example: for me everything is "Neat" and "Interesting" and I love "crazy" "unique" things. I use these four words all the time, among others.

Technically. Wowie. Sweet! Hysterical. Or any other new word that catches my fancy.

Haha! Love those!! Out of all emotions, or an ideal thing to be strived for, which one is very important for you? Example: Joy, laughter, generosity, honesty, respect.......

The top is a tie between humility and a servant's spirit. Yet things like honesty and sincerity are very important. That's a hard question to answer. :)

Those are great things :) When did you start writing?

I started writing well before I was ten (you know, the "use wide-ruled paper, but you're writing on two lines because you're a beginning writer" age). It has kind of come and gone in interest throughout the years.

What sort of stuff do you like to read?

Christian. Historical. Clean. Some modern. No magic. I enjoy trying out different genres though.

How are the best ways to contact with you and keep in touch?

Oh dear ... I'm afraid I'm not nearly as good at keeping in touch with people as I used to be. Email is probably the best way (amandaterobooks - at - gmail - dot - com), though my friends realize it might take a month for me to get back to them, even though I thoroughly enjoy emailing!

Thanks, Amanda, for taking the time to answer all these questions! I hope you had fun! Have a great and awesome week!!!!!!!! 

Thanks for doing this interview! I had a blast! :)

About Journey to Love

Now orphaned, Marie is swept miles away from the only life she knew to be sheltered by unknown.      guardians. Caught in the challenges of a new life, she cannot prevent changes from happening, but she can keep the Bowles and their friends at arm's length. Or can she?

While things appear to transition smoothly on the outside, Marie struggles against the turmoil she faces on the inside. She sees something in the Bowles and her new friends that she had never experienced before...but should she trust what the preacher is teaching when it goes against everything she had accepted as truth? Is God really a God of love? If He is, then is Marie willing to accept it?

Follow Marie as she begins the journey to love.

About the Orphan Journeys Series

Imagine yourself as an orphan, struggling for survival on the filthy New York streets, where disease and crime run rampant. Journey from these wretched streets to a temporary lodging in an overcrowded orphanage and then to the train station. After riding the train for hours, picture yourself lining up with other children, waiting as adults look you over. Would you be chosen—or would you have to hold onto the hope that maybe, at the next station, someone would want to bring you home?

Minister Charles Loring Brace had a vision for New York orphans that brought them through this journey from streets to homes. He began his orphan work in 1853, then in 1854, because of lack of orphanage space, Brace sent the first orphans by train to Dowagiac, Michigan, where the children could be sheltered by local families. The "orphan train" continued until 1929, bringing at least 150,000 children to new homes where they were fostered and, occasionally, adopted.

Brace desired to place children in good, Protestant homes. Many orphans experienced Brace's desire, but some orphans had different stories: siblings were separated, and some couples took orphans to use for cheap labor. Though many orphans ended up as successful men and women, not all of them turned out to be trustworthy citizens.

Orphan Journeys is a fictional novella series based off of the American Orphan Train saga, following orphans not only as they adjust to a new life, but also as they embark upon a spiritual journey.

About the Author

Amanda Tero is a homeschool graduate who desires to provide God-honoring, family-friendly reading material. She has enjoyed writing since before ten years old, but it has only been since 2013 that she began seriously pursuing writing again – starting with some short stories that she wrote for her sisters as a gift. Her mom encouraged her to try selling the stories she published, and since then, she has begun actively writing short stories, novellas, and novels. If something she has written draws an individual into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, it is worth it!

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

Connect with Amanda

Email: amandaterobooks@gmail.com

Website: http://amandatero.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/amandaterobooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandateroauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/truthpicsart/

Blog: www.withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AmandaTero

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/amandatero