Interview with Amanda Tero

Welcome to an author interview Amanda Tero agreed to do with me on Reveries Reviews for the blog tour she’s doing to release her novella, Befriending the Beast. You can find it on Goodreads and Amazon now! 🙂

Welcome to Reveries Reviews, Amanda Tero! It’s great to have you today! Could you tell the readers a little bit about Befriending the Beast?

I’m glad to “be” here, Kellyn!

Befriending the Beast is a non-magical, Christian retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It has quite a drastic twist, though: what if, the beast was Belle’s father? She has returned home to gain favor with her father, and only has a few months in which to do it. When her father refuses to see her, she must hope against hope that something will happen to change his heart.

What is the main character, Belle, like?

Belle is spontaneous, warm, tender-hearted, and lovable (well, for me she’s lovable — guess my other readers will have to decide for themselves).

Definitely spontaneous! She reminded me a bit of myself in that …

Where did the idea for Befriending the Beast come from?

One night I was sitting with my sisters watching a random movie, and the single question came to mind: “What if the beast was Belle’s father?” I seriously wasn’t thinking about rewriting fairy-tales and we weren’t watching anything like it either.

God-inspired, perhaps? 🙂

At any point during the writing, did you have the soundtrack from the Disney movie running through your head?

Haha! You know, I’m not sure… if I did, it’s because one of my younger sisters loves playing “Beauty and the Beast” (the song) on the piano, and was definitely playing it the weeks that I wrote. 🙂

Tale as old as time …

What is the world Befriending the Beast is set in like?

It is a fictional medieval setting. You actually don’t see much of the outside world, because Belle has chosen to return to the castle — and in a way, has chosen confinement. There is a lot about her castle and garden, though!

Yes, I loved the descriptions of the garden! 🙂

How has Befriending the Beast changed since you started writing it, if at all?

Oh, it has definitely changed! My author friend, A.M. Heath (look her up, she writes amazing Civil War novels!) kept pushing me to “keep the time-bomb ticking.” What started out to be just a sweet story changed to be one that makes readers edgy to find out what happens next. I definitely went from putting Belle into a sad situation to making her downright stressed and uncomfortable (in a good way!).
Yep, there’s nothing more annoying than a sad character who just mopes about! I like to see them pacing! 😉

What takes up most of your days?

Wow… um… every day is different, so this one is hard to answer! On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I teach piano and violin all day (I have 23 students). On my “off” days, I am either arranging music, working on writing, doing graphics design, doing music with my family, and a collage of other things. Most recently, I’ve done some Louisiana flood relief work.
Wow, lots of work!

Coffee or tea?

Coffee. Preferably iced. 😉

Pen or pencil?

Hmm… both! I love using a pencil, but I also like the colored G2 pens.

Handwritten or typed-up?

Typed. My fingers can fly about as fast as my brain on the keyboard… but not so much wrapped around a writing utensil.
I know what you mean; I feel the same way … only my computer is too slow for my fingers … 😛

Fiction or nonfiction?

Another hard one. I prefer a balance of both. 🙂

Is there anything you’d like to go back in time and tell yourself a year ago (writing-related or not-writing-related)?

Well, life-related: be sure that all you do is for the glory of God. It is very easy to let ulterior motives slip in, so stay on the guard!
Well, thanks for being here with us today, Amanda! God bless and happy writing! 🙂

Thanks for reading, everyone! Remember to go to Amanda’s website or blog to find out more!
~Kellyn Roth