About the Book

Book: The Covenant: Book One the Messiah Brigade

Author: Terry Overton

Genre: Middle Grade Reader

Release date: November 12, 2024

Middle schooler Zeke just wants to survive school unnoticed, but his intelligence and small stature make him the target of a gang of bullies. One afternoon, he stumbles upon a mysterious old box hidden in a pile of trash. Inside are trinkets, notes, and a Bible he’s never read, all hinting at life-changing truths if he can solve the clues. With the help of new friends in the “Messiah Brigade,” Zeke embarks on a journey of faith, courage, and discovery. Together, they hope to use what they uncover to bring positive change to their school and stop the bullies.

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About the Author

Terry Overton is a retired university professor of educational and school psychology. She has an Ed.D. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her professional experience includes teaching public school, teaching at the university level, and being a college dean. She has two children, seven grandchildren, one great granddaughter. Her writing and publication experiences include textbook and journal articles in the fields of special education and school psychology. She seeks to answer God’s call to share the good news and grow the church by writing Christian books and devotionals. Her books have won Firebird Book Awards, American Writing Winner Awards, Bookfest Winner Awards, Reader Views Silver Reviewers Award, and International Book Award Finalist. Her books examine real world events with a Christian worldview. She enjoys writing for young children, middle grade readers, YA fiction, and adult level novels.

More from Terry

My love of history, especially the WW II era, inspired me to write this book. It was an effort to combine the history of the world, specifically the cruelty of the Nazis to the Jewish people, and how bullying can result in kids taking over the culture of a school if not stopped. The three main characters decide to try to change the culture and make it a safe place from bullies. The discovery of a mysterious box of memorabilia of the WW II era sets the curious kids on their way. They find out there were three good friends who went off to fight in WW II to stop the Nazi movement in Europe. They see the parallels between their school, taken over by bullies, and Europe when Nazi forces were running over it. They soon figure out the meaning of trinkets, scribbled notes, and Scripture and use these to steer their middle school in a better direction.

Author Interview

What is your favorite genre of books? Why?

Christian fiction for all ages. To me it is important to incorporate the Christian faith into the lives of the characters and the plots of the stories. This gives the books more depth.

Are you a one project at a time author or do you have multiple projects going at once?

Most of the time I have multiple projects going. This year has brought many personal changes such as relocating, family health issues, and my writing has been broken into smaller bits of time. Getting one project completed is now my goal but hope to have more writing time in the future.

How has your life experience helped in your writing journey?

Because my life experiences have been planned by God, all of my life experiences grow my faith which in turn helps my writing. Obstacles, challenges, and tests of life have strengthened faith.

What is the funniest thing to happen in the process of writing one of your books?

Oh, my goodness! Not long ago I got my first proof copy of a book and panicked because as I thumbed through it, it skipped from chapter fourteen to sixteen! Of course, I thought I had deleted an entire chapter and went crazy. Needless to say, I misnumbered the chapters and there was never a chapter fifteen! It was an easy fix, but my heart certainly jumped around.

How do you relax after a long day of writing?

A hot shower followed by movies for pure entertainment.

Where do you find your greatest inspiration?

In Scripture and prayer.

Who is your favorite author? Why?

Perhaps Judy Blume for kids and Earnest Hemmingway in general because of his writing style. But my contemporary author is John Grisham.

Do you have extensive outlines when writing or do you write a book as you go?

I write as I go along and usually the characters take over inside my mind. Then the story can take on a life of its own.

Do you remember the first book you read? What sort of impact did it make on you?

I read the simple Dick and Jane books to learn how to read but other books, like Nancy Drew (for the plots) and Huckleberry Finn (for the characters) left impressions on my mind.