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Countdown to Release: 7 days

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

One week away!

A reviewer asked if there was a flyer she could share with her local homeschool group. Since I’m a homeschool graduate (AND my illustrator is a homeschooler), I’m totally in on that idea! I created a flyer for her… but if any of you would like to print it up and share it with friends, feel free to do so! It would mean a lot to me.

You may access the file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qCiz8iXPc1mFNvgpsCk-m3hVnIheUVO-/view?usp=sharing

Also, if you’re a Pinterest fan, I’ve got a board up and running here!

Porch Swing Girl | Book Review

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What would it be like to lose your mother quickly, unexpectedly, and tragically to cancer? Then, what if your dad left on top of that? These are the issues that Olive faces as she stays the summer with her grandma and younger sister in Hawaii—except, Olive isn’t planning on staying in Hawaii. She’s determined to earn money for a ticket to Boston to join her dad and prevent him from throwing out all their memories of her mom.

Olive was a very believable, hurting girl. Yet, she also took the believable journey to healing as time progressed. She is surrounded by people that she really hasn’t asked for—Gramma, sister Macie, and new friends Jazz and Brander. Each of these characters play an important role in Olive’s life, and help her to step out of her misery and selfishness.

The Christian thread in this book was more of a contemporary perspective with youth groups, Jesus freaks, Christian rock, and being on close terms (or not) with God. There was a strong emphasis on seeking God, praying, and of being in church. A few verses were quoted, but I realized after I finished, that there didn’t really seem to be an emphasis on God’s Word in personal life. That is probably just me being nit-picky, but it is a danger that I’ve seen personally in the modern church movement, so maybe that is why it stood out to me as missing here.

With this being a teen book, I wasn’t expecting much romance. But Olive is sixteen. Given the contemporary nature of the book, as the story progressed, it didn’t really surprise me when she begins to notice a guy and have feelings toward him. Apart from my personal conviction that sixteen is really young to begin serious dating, the romance was handled fairly well and was clean. The guy was clearly trying to follow God before pursuing a girl, and he was determined to only date a girl who was serious about God. The only kisses were those on the cheek and forehead. But there was an underlying thread of emotional longing and attention toward the guy.

Olive did have a lot of attitude issues. They were all very understandable, and for the most part, they were resolved in this book. Her disrespect toward her dad was not resolved, but I understand there is another book in the series, so this could be something the author is planning on developing with Olive’s future life.

Would I hand this to a teen? If they are your typical, public school-going teen or if they’re your modern, less conservative Christian, then yes. There are no drugs or explicit moral issues displayed. However, if it’s a conservative teen, I would hesitate to do so. Had I read this when I was a teen, it probably would have fed my romantic fantasies of boyfriends and probably would have made me discontent in some areas. There also seemed to be very loose standards for dressing (shorts, tank-tops, off-the-shoulders), which some conservatives would have an issue with.

In looking at the book as a whole (the author in me is speaking), this is one of the best books I’ve read by a teen author. There is a definite goal, climax, purpose, conflict, and resolution. It is a very satisfying read.

*I received this book from the author and happily provided my honest review*

Countdown to Release: 8 Days, How Many Words?

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments
The author in me is always interested in other authors’ word-counts. Usually when I write a story, I just write until the idea’s out. However, for “Quest for Leviathan,” I wanted to write at least 4,000 words so that it would be well above the flash-fiction category, but I didn’t think I had a novella-suitable idea. Sure enough, it totaled at…

Which of course, I realize after-the-fact that if I had added JUST one more word, we’d have an even 4, 350. But I don’t notice these things until too late. 😉

How does “Quest for Leviathan” line up in my short-story word counts?
Letters from a Scatter-Brained Sister – 7,000+ words
Quest for Leviathan – 4,300+ words
Coffee Cake Days – 3,250+ words
Hartly Manor – 3,000+ words
Letter of Love – 2,900+ words
Maggie’s Hope Chest – 2,700+ words
Noelle’s Gift – 2,700+ words
Peace, Be Still – 2,600+ words

That makes it my second-longest short story.

Countdown to Release: 9 Days, Favorite Quote

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I’m fairly certain I’m not the only author guilty of coming up with a quote that HAS to go into the manuscript and then working the story around the quote. Such was the case for “Quest for Leviathan.” The quote, in essence, is not a new quote nor is it original to me. It comes from a thought I’ve heard portrayed in sermons and stood out to me as mind-blowing and very necessary for us as humans to understand. I was very happy to weave it into the wisdom of Joed, as he counseled Anath.

Countdown to Release: 10 Days, What is a Trireme?

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Anath’s vessel, Valor, is based off the Minoam’s Trireme. I was first introduced to this war-vessel years ago, when I watched the classic Ben-Hur (1959 Charlton Heston version that I adored as a pre-teen; little do you know how much you glean as a child!). But it wasn’t until I was researching ancient ships that I realized that this was the perfect type of vessel for Anath to use. It took a bit of research to figure out how to portray this ramming-ship. I cannot verify that triremes were actually in use during Anath’s era, so I did use a bit of historical license there.
My illustrator, Natalie, did a fantastic job capturing the beauty of this vessel! If you’d like an even more thorough introduction to this ship, visit: https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/ancient-greece/trireme/?_escaped_fragment_=&_escaped_fragment_=#

Countdown to Release: 11 Days, Some Q&A

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments
In preparation for “Quest for Leviathan’s” blog tour, I have been having several bloggers send me interview questions. I thought that it would be fun to pick a few of their questions and answer them here. So here are three Q&A’s about “Quest for Leviathan.”
Q) Do you think you will do more stories like Quest for Leviathan?
A) I have longed to write a seafaring story for years now. It actually wasn’t until after I was into “Quest for Leviathan” that I realized I was finally doing something I had dreamed of doing! I imagine that it will not be my last sea-faring story. As for the era, I have several other ideas for Biblical-fiction type stories. So it won’t be the last for those either, Lord willing!
Q) Since this is Biblical fiction, were you nervous about taking too much historical license?
A) Oh yes! I love historical fiction, but what I love most about it is being accurate in my portrayal of the era. Since there are limited resources for researching this far back I had to use my imagination a lot, and that definitely made me nervous. As for the Biblical-fiction side, because I don’t actually portray any Bible characters, I wasn’t nervous about that (actually, that was the reason I didn’t portray Biblical characters; I would be too nervous there!).
Q) What was your favorite scene to write?
A) Ooh, I definitely had a favorite scene, and that was when Anath actually faces Leviathan! I loved exploring Job 41 and then portraying Leviathan on the pages of my fictional story. Not to mention a sea-battle between man and monster! The confrontation between the two was definitely my favorite!
Now, readers, do you have any Q&A? Next Monday I might try to answer more questions! 

Scripture Graphics #93

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And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
(Luke 9:23-24)
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
(Mark 10:29-30)
God’s ways are not our ways. Where we see loss, He sees an opportunity in which to bless us, He is not trying to steal good things from us. Rather, He is longing to bless us—and not just in heaven, but now, here on earth. Do we cling to that which is temporal and refuse to follow Him—thus robbing from ourselves the very blessings He wants to give us?


And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
(Mark 11:22)
Faith is a big thing today. We are often exhorted to “have faith.” Have faith, and it will all turn out. Have faith and hope for the best. But what is the object of our faith? Faith in anyone or anything but God is misplaced faith. It’s not just about how strong our faith is, but about how powerful our God is. So, do we have faith…IN God?


“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark‬ ‭12:30-31
We know these verses well, which sometimes lead us to quote or read them in a hurry. But have I stopped to truly ponder these words? “All” is all—every part, completely, wholly. Jesus describes more though: ALL our heart, soul, mind, strength. That should leave no part in me for self-love, self-exaltation, selfishness. Above that, our love is to go next in line to our neighbor (according to the Good Samaritan parable, “neighbor” means anyone who crosses our paths). This powerful, all-consuming love for God and others can be overwhelming—because I know my selfishness and shortcomings. But God has not given us the command without help: “but the fruit of the Spirit is love…” He is ready to help us love—but first, we need to realize how we lack love and how we need His help.



What attitude do we have when others violate God’s Word? Are we grieved because of the neglect of God’s Word, or does a fleshlier attitude take place?

What well-known verse has taken a new meaning for you lately?

Countdown to Release: 13 Days, How Did it All Begin?

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

Every story begins with an idea. Sometimes, they’re big ideas, and sometimes they’re small. Sometimes, I get an idea that has great potential, but I have absolutely no clue where it’s going from there. That was what happened with “Quest for Leviathan.” 

It was June 2017 and I was reading through Job when the idea came. I jotted down a thought in my phone and saved it for later ponderings. The entirety of the idea? “A boy whose father was killed by Leviathan. He is angry at L, and he is angry at God—yet just like Job needed to realize the power of God, so does he.”
Little did I know that this idea was one that would take a full year to get from idea to publication (“Just a short story” should be easy, right? Not so with “Quest for Leviathan!” but looking back, God’s timing is impeccable and He knew that June 2018 was exactly when I needed to publish this story!)

Ever Faithful | Book Review

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I got this book in, and immediately my sisters and I had to “ooh and ahh” over the cover and inside pages. It is truly a beautiful book and a delight to just look at and flip through with a firm cover that will last throughout the years.
I obviously didn’t have time to read all 365 devotionals in order to review this book, but the portions that I read were amazingly deep for their simplicity and shortness. They are like little crumbs of manna to get us going each day. Whether it is a reminder to step away from our phones and spend quality time with God, relying on His strength, or just a list of encouraging verses, the devotionals are good little thought-provoking reminders to put our focus on Jesus Christ throughout the day.
I’m looking forward to using this in 2019 as an addition to my devotions.
*I received this book from Book Look Bloggers and happily provided my honest review*

Countdown to Release Day: 14 days, ordering print copies!

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
The time is getting nearer and nearer… “Quest for Leviathan” is getting ready to be launched. 🙂 I’m super excited for this release and am looking forward to a fantastic blog tour (more on that another day).
I don’t know how faithful I’ll be with the countdown, but today marks just two weeks until release! Readers have already been reading and reviewing it on Goodreads and I am blown away by their kind words. God is so good!
Today I’m preparing to make my first paperback order! Would you like to reserve a signed copy? They are $8 plus $2.75 shipping (USA only). Send me an email at amandaterobooks@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to be sure to order enough to send one your way.

I’m still working on getting 99 reviewers. I am just three away! So if you’d like to read a free e-copy of “Quest for Leviathan,” hop over and sign up and I’ll send one your way! Or, if you’ve already read it and can think of a reader friend who also might enjoy it, then send them to the sign-up form.

Until later!