Amanda M. Cetas

Author Bio:

Amanda is the author of the historical action & adventure series A Country for Castoffs, which combines her family history with the larger historical context to educate and entertain a new generation of readers. She has researched her family genealogy for decades and taught middle and high school history for fourteen years. She loves the fragile beauty Sonoran Desert where she lives most of the year and the vibrant Willamette River each summer. Though her best inspirations reside with the ever-changing Sea of Cortez, where she has watched her three children grow up over the years, and now enjoys watching her grandchildren making new discoveries for themselves!

A Home in the Wilderness

“The children were screaming, as I picked them up in both arms and ran towards the doorway. I thrust them outside just as the burning roof collapsed on top of me.” It is June 10, 1663 and Etienne runs through a field, startling a flock of grouse into the air. Amid a frenzy of feathers and squawking,…

Thrown to the Wind

“It would have to be now or never. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and jumped!” Based on a true story. In October 1660, Etienne Gayneau rushes through the cobblestone streets of La Rochelle, France, to the harbor, where a ship carrying King Louis XIV’s fabled musketeers is docking. He senses…