Tag: Orphan Journeys

Feeling nostalgic…

Published on by Amanda Tero4 Comments

I’ve been thinking about this little book a lot lately. 

An author’s first “real work” holds a special place in their heart. Sure, a few of my short stories reached the Amazon shelves before this one, but this was the story that really made me believe that I was an actual author, not a hobby writer. I learned so much while writing and publishing it–lessons that I have applied to every single project I have done since its release. And yes… sometimes I just get nostalgic over it… guess memories do that to you. 😉

What is the book that holds a special place in your heart (this question can apply to both authors and readers, so have at it!)?

Journey of Choice | Quote Day 05

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Well, Journey of Choice has taken an interesting turn this month. My goal was to write 20,000 words and finish the rough draft. I wrote 10,414 and reached a dead end. 🙂 So, I printed out what I have and am about to read through it — to get ideas, to critique, that type of thing. I may actually start my editing/rewriting before I have the ending solidified. 🙂 There isn’t a law against that, is there? 🙂
This type of thing has happened before in my life: where I thought I knew what direction I was going then slammed to a halt and had to regroup. What about you? What is one area that you thought you had something mapped out, then God allowed things to go differently than you planned? How did you grow from that experience?
Now for the promised quotes…
Envisioning the battle…
Honestly, reading up on what our brave ancestors went through, I feel like I just cannot do their service justice. But to imagine the battle, men in action… it is sobering and exhilarating. 

^ True story ^

Journey of Choice | Quote Day 03

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Time for more quotes! One of the things that I “dreaded” the most about writing Choice was the battle scenes. I’m not so sure I’m doing a swell job with the rough draft, but it’s coming. In fact… I think I like writing fighting scenes!

The following quote about the Hornet’s Nest is true history. A regiment is supposed to be 1,000 men. From what I’ve researched, The 18th Missouri never really reached full strength. But after the Hornet’s Nest, there were only about 300 men left in the regiment who were not killed or captured.

*spoiler alert* Yes, one of my characters that is close to Nat ends up captured by the confederates in this chapter! 🙂

Journey of Choice | Quote Day 02

Published on by Amanda Tero4 Comments
Before I share more quotes, I just have to say, y’all are an amazing encouragement! I’ve not really shared many WIP’s as I go along… there is the pressure of people wanting me to finish this, and I’m just trusting in God to help me reach “the end.” 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy another glimpse of Nat’s life, and thank you for your encouragement and excitement!!

Yeah, I’m liking Zeke and Nat’s relationship. Kind of an antagonistic type of love. And then, let me introduce you to one of my top favorite characters. This guy is loosely inspired by my younger brother, Samuel. 😉 

And another character who “popped up” there is Gregory. He’s not a favorite of mine, but he serves a purpose, so he needs some room to shine.

The following quote is between Grits and Camden. Those two… I envision their relationship and am hoping to get that idea clearly on paper.

"Journey of Choice" | WIP

Published on by Amanda Tero6 Comments

Now that Befriending the Beast is out there, my focus has turned to my WIP, Journey of Choice. I have shared snippets of it off-and-on, here and there… I’m really bad at keeping track what I’ve shared here on this blog, and what I’ve shared here or here or here. So bear with me. 😉

So, I’m going to pretend you know nothing about Journey of Choice. Let’s get a few things straight.

1) Journey of Choice is part of the Orphan Journeys collection. But let me explain this collection.

     a) There are stand-alone novellas (like Journey to Love).

     b) There are spin-off short stories, when I can’t leave a character alone (like “Letter of Love“).

     c) There is going to be a connected novel series, Lord willing (the two I know of now are Journey of Choice and its sequel, Journey of Purpose).

     d) Journey of Choice is NOT connected to Journey to Love in any way except that Marie and Nat both traveled on the orphan train.

2) Journey of Choice takes place in 1861-1865. That’s right, you history buffs: Choice spans the Civil War! 🙂 I am having a B-L-A-S-T digging into the history of this war. I’m now officially a CW fan for life!

3) This is my first time to really write from a guy’s perspective (I tried a little with “Debt of Mercy” and “Peace, Be Still” but short stories aren’t near the caliber as novels). It has been challenging and super, duper fun! I mean, I get to let my character do things that wouldn’t be seemly for a young lady to do — especially in that era. Oh, there’s so much versatility!! 🙂

4) I have no clue what my “goal” is for word-count or chapter length. It definitely won’t be a novella, though. For example, Journey to Love is around 25,000 words in completed form. The first third of Journey of Choice reaches 24,000 words. There is SO much more territory to cover! So, with your prayers and God’s help, I will finally unearth a full-length novel. 😉

Okay! Enough about me and my project. What about you? Are you a writer? If so, what are you working on? If you’re not a writer, what other projects do you have that you’re working on (is it music? crafts? baking?)? I’d love to hear about it!

Letter of Love | Short Story Release

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It is with great excitement I announce one of newest short stories that God has allowed me to complete: “Letter of Love!” I had several people ask demand what happened to Marie’s brother, Edward. I’ll admit, writing this short story took me a lot of time and prayer. I knew what the gist of Edward’s story, but getting it down on paper was surely a task. But, praise the Lord, that is all in the past and the first Orphan Journeys Short Story is now available on Amazon!

Now, some of you have blogs and might be interested in featuring Edward’s story on your blog. Fantastic! Today to August 1, “Letter of Love” will be bouncing back and forth between various blogs, but it’s not too late to sign up for it to visit your blog! I would love to include you!

In honor of “Letter of Love’s” release, I’m having a giveaway!!

If you live in the US, enter here.
If you live out of the US, enter here.

The fun doesn’t end here though! Mark your calendars, because both Journey to Love and Letter of Love will be FREE on Amazon, August 1-2!! You’ll only have two days to snatch them both. Share, share, share about this free deal!