Welcome back to our series where we look a little closer at different authors and their works. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy learning more about the people behind the stories. So come with me today and let’s take a closer look at musician, indie author, and graphic designer, Amanda Tero!

Born in Louisiana, the fifth of eleven children, Amanda has spent most of her life living down south where it is warm. Always an avid reader, Amanda also began writing her own stories when she was about eight and continuing on into her teens. Somewhere around that time she realized that she was becoming obsessed with writing and put a halt to her stories for a time, but not forever. Now she finds inspiration in sermons, other well-written stories, movies, and random events. Currently, Amanda is focused more on her college studies and teaching violin and piano than on writing, though she still continues to pen stories when God gives her time.

Descriptions:

It’s easy to picture things in Amanda’s stories. She doesn’t spend pages on descriptions, or even long paragraphs, but you aren’t left feeling like the characters are wandering around on a nondescript cloud or left wondering what season it is. You can feel the cold and smell the Christmas cookies, or warm up under the hot sun in the middle east. Grasses wave and water feels cold to your feet.

Conversation:

The characters hold real conversations without feeling stilted or forced. They also don’t freeze while they talk but act like normal people with movement, expressions, and changes of tone. One thing I really liked is that the conversation is woven into the stories and not dumped in by the page full.

Plots:

Amanda has a variety of stories, and plots vary from sweet, simple children’s stories, to fairy tale retellings with excitement, danger, and trouble. However, each one, whether long or short, has a strong Biblical message.

Hard Issues:

I wouldn’t say that Amanda addresses really hard issues, though she’s tackled situations such as loved ones dying without Christ, dealing with life troubles, and faith and trust in God.

Romance:

One thing I’ve loved about Amanda’s stories is that if there is any romance, it is sweet and clean. You don’t have to worry about details you don’t want, or situations where you wish the characters would just disappear. But most of her stories don’t have romance at all.

Doctrine:

Every story from Amanda has been Biblical with a strong Christian message. Truths found in Scripture are presented in the story and the message of salvation is often included.

Time Periods and Places and People:

The variety of places you can visit in Amanda’s stories is vast. And time periods vary from the time of Job in the Bible, to medieval, to modern. Her characters differ just as widely from children, to young people, to adults. With her shorter stories the characters might not be as developed, but in her longer stories they are well done.

Objections:

Frankly, I haven’t found anything to object to in Amanda’s stories. They are clean, and I wouldn’t hesitate to hand them to younger readers.

Favorite Advice:

This might be a bit difficult to decide on, but I do love how she points her readers to Christ even if it’s to remind them to trust Him, or for salvation. I think that is a good reminder to everyone.

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And there you have it. Have you read any books by Amanda Tero? If so, what did you think of them? If you haven’t, do you think you’d enjoy them?