Who Is Your Jolin?

Raoul gripped Jolin’s shoulder as Galien left. “Sometimes you enrage me.”

Jolin nodded. “And sometimes you are too hasty.”

“We can plan our next step as we ride together.”

No response.

Raoul shook Jolin. “Give me three good reasons why I should remain here.”

Jolin looked down at his boots. His shoulders rose then fell under Raoul’s grip before he looked up. “M’lord, you are angry. I fear you shall do something you will regret.”

“That is one reason.”

“Aye.” Jolin brought his gaze up to meet Raoul’s. “That one is enough.”

Excerpt from "The Secret Slipper "
Amanda Tero

Friendship is a precious gift. Today, my good friend and fellow writer, Amanda shares about one of the friendships in her novella, "The Secret Slipper" and how God intends us to be an arrow pointing our friends to Him!

Who Is Your Jolin?

by Amanda Tero

Jolin is that one-of-a-kind fellow. He is steady and level-headed. A friend who tries to keep Raoul in check. As I think about my own personal journey—whether it be in writing, music, or just life in general—I have my own “Jolins” who have helped me along this pathway and it has been a blessing beyond words.

But I’m just as guilty as the next person in not actually stopping to think about friendship. I appreciate them in books, but in real life, I too often take my friends for granted. The honest truth is that I can only write a solid friend character like Jolin because I’ve experienced that type of friendship in my life. He is the type of friend that we all need in our lives. But more than that, he exemplifies the type of friend we all need to be to others.

This world is full of counterfeit friends. Those who only hang around you because of what they hope to gain (see Proverbs 19:4). Those who will smile to your face and slander you behind your back (Proverbs 16:28). Those who will chat with you for an hour, but of nothing of substance.

A real friend is one whose walk with God is a continual upward progression. This friend will encourage us to walk closer to the Lord (Proverbs 27:17)—not tempt us to stray away from God (1 Corinthians 15:33—also read 2 Samuel 13 for an example with Amnon and his friend Jonadab).

A real friend will not be afraid to speak the truth—even when it hurts (Proverbs 27:6). At the same time, a genuine friend is quick to forgive and look beyond mere temporal differences and arguments (Proverbs 10:12).

This friend will pray for you and with you (Philippians 1:3-4). They will keep you accountable in your spiritual walk.

Friends who chit-chat, laugh at jokes, and grab a bite with you “just because” are a dime a dozen. But a true friend who genuinely cares for you, your walk with the Lord, the decisions you’re making, and whether or not you’re doing what you feel God is leading you to do… those are rare gems in our day.

If you don’t have that type of friend, it will be easy to look at this list and become discouraged. But remember, even if there isn’t a friend like this for you, it doesn’t mean you can’t be type of friend. Focus on your relationship with God and He can use that to draw others closer to Him. Then pray—pray that God will provide you that invaluable friend, and pray that He will help you to become the type of friend you need to be.

Verses Referenced

Proverbs 19:4

Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

Proverbs 16:28

A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

1 Corinthians 15:33

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Proverbs 27:6

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Philippians 1:3-4

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

Have you read the "Secret Slipper"? This summer we're highlighting"The Secret Slipper" along with all the novellas in Amanda's Tales of Faith series as she prepares to release her final triplet, "Protecting The Poor"!

About The Tales of Faith Tour!

Welcome to the second month of the Tales of Faith 3-Month tour! For the month of June,
Amanda guest posted on a dozen blogs, featuring “Befriending the Beast.” This month, we’re
getting a deeper look into book two of the Tales of Faith series: “The Secret Slipper.” Each post
by Amanda is unique to the blog—an inspirational post, an article on the writing craft, an excerpt
from one of the Tales of Faith books… you’ll just have to visit each blog to see what comes up.
;) Amanda will link to each blog on With a Joyful Noise, so check in every week and see what
blogs have a special Tales of Faith feature!

About Amanda

Amanda Tero began her love for words at a young age—reading anything she could get her
hands on and penning short stories as young as age eight. Since graduation, she has honed her
writing skills by dedicated practice and study of the writing craft. She began her journey of
publication with a few short stories that she had written for her sisters and continued to add to
her collection with other short stories, novellas, and novels. It is her utmost desire to write that
which not only pleases her Lord and Savior, but also draws the reader into a deeper relationship
with Jesus Christ.

Connect with Amanda
Email
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Blog
Goodreads 
Amazon

Top 5 Tips For Christian Authors

Today I'm thrilled to share with you a guest post from my dear friend, Amanda Tero! And it is for no ordinary occasion. Dive in to read Amanda's top tips for the Christian writer AND a special announcement for June only.

Top 5 Tips for Christian Authors

 By Amanda Tero

I’m sure if you ask any author what their “top five” tips are, you’d get a variety of answers. Even in my personal writing journey, I’ve seen my “top five” change depending on what I’m learning or going through at the moment. But as I was thinking about what I’d tell a new or younger writer, today here are my top-five.

1) Get the foundation straight

As a Christian writer, my goal shouldn’t be to write to please myself, to please my audience, to make me feel productive, to become popular, or to fulfill a perceived need in others’ lives. My ultimate and final goal should be the glory of God (“…whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31). I consider this the fundamental basis for Christian writers because if you don’t have your motive straight, it will be hard to have anything else in the process in line. There have been many times (last week, even) when I’ve had to pause and get my focus back on why I write; for whom I write.

2) Write when it’s the season to write

This is something that I wouldn’t have considered even a year ago. I mean, God gave me the passion and desire to write, so shouldn’t I write? Ah, but no. Perhaps it is that writing is meant for certain seasons of life. Right now, I’m juggling teaching piano and violin while obtaining my Associates’ Degree in Piano Performance, and… well, yeah… that doesn’t leave much time for writing (ah, the bliss of summer!!). I could make myself miserable wishing that I had more writing time, or I could be grateful for the time that God has given me now to write and work on the stories I believe He has given me. This can be narrowed down even further, though. Today what is my season for writing? Do I need to use my time to serve others, or is it time to write?

3) Be part of a community

Nothing in the Christian life is meant to be solo. “A three-fold cord is not quickly broken.” I have spent months writing alone, but some of my richest blessings have come when I’ve allowed myself to step out of my comfort zone and reach out to other writers. It can be something as simple as finding friends who write and “talking shop.” Or, you could contact your favorite authors; you never know what kind of friendships will take place—for me, I’m now writing a four-novella set with three authors who I first came to know by their books that I appreciated. In being a part of the writing community, I would give two sub-tips: 1) Work closest with those who have the same ideals, morals, and goals as you, and 2) Don’t be competitive.

4) Always learn

There are so many ways we can learn as writers. Learning comes through reading others’ works. Is it good? Learn from it. Is it poorly written? Learn from it. Ask yourself “why” or “what did I like/not like?” Have some self-control and read non-fiction: research books, writing craft books, business books. Learn from reading. Then beyond reading others’ works, step out on a limb and have others read your work (do not—do NOT—publish until you’ve had more than a dozen sets of eyes on your manuscript!—that tip was free ;) ). The best way to learn from others is to be open to their critique. Does critique hurt? Yes, it sometimes does. Does it make you want to just say, “This is good enough. I don’t care what they say?” Yep, been there, done that. But really listen to what your readers have to say—even if it’s from negative reviews after you’ve published. Sure, you can’t please everyone, but you can definitely learn from others’ comments.

5) Get a good team

Speaking of others’ comments… the more books I write, the more I have come to value “my team.” This team consists of various sets of people:

a) My go-to group. These are my friends who know more about my story than anyone else does from the moment of conception until publication. They’re my brainstorming partners and most often my complaint-hearers (working on that one…). This group consists of 3-5 friends (depending on the day, time, and need) whose vision coincides with mine. They’re the people you usually see in the acknowledgments of all my books.

b) My beta-reading team. These are a handpicked group of 10-15 people who read my stories before they hit the shelves. They give me feedback on content, flow, and readability—and sometimes even help me with grammar edits. Many an embarrassment has been spared because of this team.

c) My social group. These are the larger circle of friends who make up my street team as well as those who follow me on FaceBook and Instagram. I don’t love social media, but it has its perks, and one of those is connecting with supportive and encouraging readers and writers.

d) My friends and family. Then, there is the group who isn’t always intrinsically involved in my writing. They don’t read everything I write. But they still support and encourage me.

Now, ask me in a year, and my top five tips may change. But these are some pretty solid points that have helped me as an author.

What five tips do you have for other authors? Has your top-five changed in the last year?

Thanks so much, Amanda! I can vouch for Amanda's tips as I've watched her live them out in her own writing journey. If you'd like to learn more about Amanda or her Tales of Faith series (non-magical retellings of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Robin Hood) keep reading.

About the Tour

In anticipation of the release of “Protecting the Poor” (book three in the Tales of Faith series), Amanda is guest posting or being featured on over a dozen blogs each month. Each post is unique to the blog—an inspirational post, an article on the writing craft, an excerpt from one of the Tales of Faith books… you’ll just have to visit each blog to see what comes up. ;) Amanda will link to each blog on With a Joyful Noise, so check in every week and see what blogs have a special Tales of Faith feature!

 

Interested in discovering the Tales of Faith series? Check out "Befriending The Beast" on Amazon for a special deal!

Connect with Amanda!

Amanda Tero began her love for words at a young age—reading anything she could get her hands on and penning short stories as young as age eight. Since graduation, she has honed her writing skills by dedicated practice and study of the writing craft. She began her journey of publication with a few short stories that she had written for her sisters and continued to add to her collection with other short stories, novellas, and novels. It is her utmost desire to write that which not only pleases her Lord and Savior, but also draws the reader into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Email: amandaterobooks@gmail.com

Website: http://amandatero.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandateroauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandateroauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amandaruthtero/

Blog: www.withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AmandaTero

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/amandatero