Tag: Short Stories

Free today and tomorrow

Published on by Amanda Tero1 Comment

You can still get “Wedding Score” free today and tomorrow! So hop over and submit your email for a free eBook!

Don’t forget, if you are in the States and want a chance to get a paperback, enter the giveaway (which also ends tomorrow).

Once again, a shout-out to all of the amazing bloggers who helped make this release amazing!!!

Needed: Beta Readers for "Protecting the Poor"

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments

Who likes a good Robin Hood story? I have both hands in the air! I have loved Robin Hood since I was little. When I was praying about book three in the Tales of Faith series, I decided to veer away from fairytales and go with good ol’ Robin Hood. My character who plays this role is none other than Dumphey, from “The Secret Slipper.”

Before “Protecting the Poor” can be published though, I need a few beta readers (or pre-readers).

What are beta readers? I’m glad you asked. 😉 The technical beta-reading “responsibility” is to monitor the flow of the story and let me know the “feel” of character development. However, I don’t mind if beta readers point out typos or things that just don’t make sense (E.g. Does it bring up any questions you feel unanswered? Does it feel like there are any gaps in the story? Something that wasn’t clearly explained? Something that seems too repetitive?)

Now that you know what a beta reader is, you know what you might be getting yourself into. 😉 There is a slight hitch, though. I work best with a team of about ten beta readers. This means that I have to pick and choose. 😛 I hate having to do that, but… if you don’t make it for the beta reading team, there is always the review team coming up in the future, Lord willing!

Sign up for the beta reading team here.

Have you read my summer releases yet?



I am still ecstatic that the Lord allowed me to release two short stories this summer! (AND finish writing the rough draft of “Protecting the Poor”–it’s been a great summer of writing!)

I am open to five more reviewers for both “Finding Christmas Joy” and “Quest for Leviathan.” If you’d like to review either of these (click on the titles to read their blurb and what reviewers already have to say), just email me at amandaterobooks(at)gmail(dot)com! First five will get a free e-copy to review!

It’s Here! Finding Christmas Joy (with a giveaway, of course)

Published on by Amanda Tero4 Comments

Ahhh…. the day has finally arrived! “Finding Christmas Joy” is live for local and international readers alike!!! I’m super duper happy to share this little story with you all. Not only does it bring the joy of winter (which we’re all longing for in this summer heat), it also has such a special message that is near to my heart–that of true joy.

If you don’t know anything about the book… here’s the official blurb.

About the Book
Melonie Brown just wants to get away from all of the pain and heartache that this year has brought upon her, and Starlight Lodge seems like the perfect place to do so. With no plans beyond a Christmas escape, she drives out to the lodge. Can she bottle up the peace and joy that she finds in this special place to help her face the challenges she may have in the upcoming year?
Available on Amazon (paperback and Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGKSWS5
Add to your Goodreads shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40309103-finding-christmas-joy

Giveaway

And, because it’s me… and I love giveaways…

I’m giving away a copy of “Finding Christmas Joy” with one of my piano CD’s! You’ll be able to enjoy the music of the season as well as a story that brings you the happiness of the season. (Note: there are two giveaways: one for physical copies for residents of USA, and another for international residents)

Finding Christmas Joy | Excerpt 7 of 7

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Release day!!!!! I’ll be posting later on with a full post about a giveaway and other such stuff… but let’s finish out our excerpts first.

EXERPT 7/7
Patricia walked past two doors on the left of the upstairs hall. Her fingertips graced the railing opposite of the doors, overlooking the large family room. At the third door, she stopped. “Here you are, honey. You get the gold room.”
Gold was right. Melonie stepped into a tinsel-and-ornament festooned room. A small tree of deep green stood in the corner, its branches decked with gold and red ornaments, bringing a happy balance to the glitter that cheerfully spread around the four walls.
“Well! I’ll let you get settled,” Patricia said. “If you need anything, just holler ‘til you find me. Wander around. We don’t have any secrets here—except for the gifts. Don’t open anything wrapped.” She winked at Melonie and headed back down the stairs.
Melonie retrieved her suitcase and shut the door. She sank down onto the red-and-white quilted bedspread and looked around the room. Alone. No fiancé, no friends or family who would wrap their arms around her and mourn with her over the loss of her dreams—of her life. She grabbed a pillow from the bed and buried her face into its thick sham as she let the sobs release from her bleeding heart and tear through her throat.
(From “Finding Christmas Joy” by Amanda Tero;
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGKSWS5) 

Finding Christmas Joy | Excerpt 6 of 7

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EXCERPT 6/7
Melonie followed Patricia through the living room, only half-listening as her hostess chatted about Starlight Lodge’s plans for the week. The rooms passed in a flash of green, red, and gold. Melonie hoisted her suitcase higher and walked up the wooden steps, her elbow brushing against the garland that wrapped around the banister. Little red ornament balls hung tastefully from the greenery.
“It’s beautiful in here!” Melonie inserted when Patricia paused in her monologue.
“Why, thank you, dear.” Patricia twisted her head slightly toward Melonie and gave a genuine smile. “Decorating for Christmas is one of my most favorite things of the year. Richard set his foot down, and I can’t pull out any of the boxes until after Thanksgiving, which I’m fine with. I get all decked out for the fall too. But Christmas…” She gave a happy sigh as she walked up the last few steps. “Christmas is my season.”
Melonie had thought Christmas was her season too. Differences were always pushed aside for Christmas, wrongs made right. Holiday cheer hid all of the dirt and grime of daily living. At least, it was supposed to. She had been cheated of her joy this year.

(From “Finding Christmas Joy” by Amanda Tero;
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGKSWS5) 

Finding Christmas Joy | Excerpt 5 of 7

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments
EXCERPT 5/7

“Pardon the wait.” The woman’s white hair was fixed in a short perm, and she wore a red sweater and black pants with a pearl necklace and matching earrings. “I am Patricia Hayes. You must be Melonie?”

“Yes.” Melonie pasted a smile on and shook Patricia’s offered hand.

“We are delighted to have you here! And for the entire week! I hope you’re ready to have a lot of fun.”

Melonie nodded. Yes. Fun away from all that was familiar was exactly what she needed.

“Do you have your suitcase? Richard can give you a hand if you need it.”

“Oh, no, I can get it all. Give me just a minute.” She returned to her car and threw her duffle bag over her shoulder as she wheeled her suitcase toward Patricia, who was waiting for her with the door open.

“Come along, honey. Can you maneuver both of those up the stairs, or do you need to save one for a second trip—or I can find Richard?”

Melonie managed a carefree grin to assure the old lady. “No worries. I can get it.” She avoided the grandmotherly look of doubt Patricia gave her before turning to lead the way into the heart of the lodge.

(From “Finding Christmas Joy” by Amanda Tero;

Finding Christmas Joy | Excerpt 4 of 7

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EXCERPT 4/7
She opened her door and her slick black boots crunched on the snow-encased rocks. Did one just arrive with their bags and claim their room? Or enter and sign in first? She hadn’t really read up on it—just chosen the closest Christmas lodge she could afford that wouldn’t leave her stranded too far from her job in case of a freak snowstorm. The boss had already grown impatient with the days she had been late because of sleepless nights. He wouldn’t take the excuse of a snowstorm delaying her return from vacation. Losing her job would be icing to top the cake for this year—and it sure wasn’t a tasty cake.
She grabbed her purse and walked to the front entrance. A bell announced her arrival as she pushed the door open. From somewhere in the depths of the house, she heard a cheery, “Hello! Welcome to Starlight Lodge! Give me just one moment.”
Melonie waited by a mahogany desk in the foyer, peeking at the next room. Garlands decked the support beams, candles rested on many of the surfaces, nearly hidden by sprigs of fresh greenery. A soft hum of Christmas piano music filled the room. She’d have to talk with Josh about—no. No Josh. She clenched her jaw as an elderly woman walked into the front room.
(From “Finding Christmas Joy” by Amanda Tero;
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGKSWS5) 

Finding Christmas Joy | Excerpt 3 of 7

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EXCERPT 3/7
“You have arrived,” her GPS broke the silence. She punched it off and drove into the small parking lot to the left of the lodge. Only three other cars were lined up. Two of them were coated with snow, as if they hadn’t moved since the last snowstorm.
She turned off her car and stopped. This had been a whim of an idea, something she had never done before. She had thought she could survive Christmas just fine alone at home, but as the day neared, every shopping trip, every present—even her work—teemed with happy couples that reminded her that she was single. Single, when she was supposed to be married on New Year’s Day. She forced herself to breathe in. Out. In. Out again—in a mournful groan.
I can do this.She had to. This was her only escape.

(From “Finding Christmas Joy” by Amanda Tero;
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGKSWS5) 

Finding Christmas Joy | Excerpt 2 of 7

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EXCERPT 2/7
She was just a few minutes from the lodge. The place was well away from everything familiar—away from work, the drama of family…and miles away from Josh and all of the heartache he had caused.
Her knuckles grew white like the snow outside as her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. She pressed her lips together. Her stomach knotted at the thought of Josh. He had torn out her heart, trampled it, and left it bleeding without a thought when he broke off their three-year engagement. It had been just months before the wedding, but he claimed they were no longer compatible. No, Christmas was not a time to be in her hometown, with memories of everything she had once cherished.
At the GPS’s command, she slowed and took a right. She stopped her car under the colorful sign announcing Starlight Lodge. A white fence ran alongside the road, embracing the borders of the lodge property. The driveway disappeared over a hill, so Melonie accelerated, causing her car’s engine to rev as she continued up the slope.
Melonie stopped again at the crest of the hill, and tears finally filled her eyes. The pictures online hadn’t done Starlight Lodge justice. The lodge was a two-story wood and stone cabin. Bushes dotted the yard in front of it, and decorative candy canes lining the walk up to the front door. To the right of the lodge was a life-sized nativity scene of painted wood. It seemed like the snow was ordered to complete the picture—a dream to save her from her living nightmare.
(From “Finding Christmas Joy” by Amanda Tero;
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGKSWS5) 

Finding Christmas Joy | Excerpt 1 of 7

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The release for “Finding Christmas Joy” is just next week! For the next few days, I’ll give you an excerpt (seven in total) that will complete the first scene.



EXCERPT 1/7
Melonie Brown braked at the four-way stop and waited as a black pickup whizzed in front of her. She took a left turn and released a long sigh as her GPS announced, “In 3.4 miles, take a left on Candy Cane Lane.”

A sardonic half-grin slipped over her face as she rolled her eyes. She had already passed through an idealistic town and was continuing down the road that led to countryside speckled with remnants of a snowfall. It was the type of town that Josh would find ridiculous.

Ice slid through her veins at the thought. There wasn’t any Josh. Not anymore. She glanced over the fields of white to keep herself from looking at her left hand, where her engagement ring should be. She sucked in a deep breath and tightened her throat against sobs that crept up against her will.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… The lyrics passed through her mind unwarranted. As she turned onto Candy Cane Lane, it was as if her mind was on musical shuffle, changing from one cheerful melody to another. She bit her tongue and pushed the songs from her mind. They had no place in her life. Not this year when everything looked bleak and dreary.

(From “Finding Christmas Joy” by Amanda Tero; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGKSWS5)