by Roseanna White | Aug 8, 2013 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I’ll be honest–the week turned pretty crappy on me. I had a couple nasty-bad days there.
My first response? Wallow. Only, it’s hard to wallow with kids and a hubby who need me on my game, with a gazillion books still needing sent out and edits pending on the WhiteFire book releasing in one short week.
Maybe, were it just me in my cave, I’d wallow. But it’s not me–or not the me I can be right now anyway. I know everyone deals with disappointments in their own way. My best friend cries, my sister works out, I know some who opt for retail therapy.
I don’t really do any of that. It’s hard for me to get outside my head, but my head says I need to stay strong. Handle disappointments with grace. Easy? No. But I say a prayer, suck it up, and…well…get on with it. But it’s difficult sometimes. So I try to tweak my mindset. For me, that means getting out of the jammies and ponytail and showing the world I’m okay. I put on my favorite outfit, fix my hair, and even break out the makeup bag. This is a rarity, LOL. And maybe to some, it seems strange to go all-out just to sit at home in front of my computer. But when I look bad, I feel bad. When I take the effort to look better, I start to feel better. Call it vanity–maybe it is. But it’s also me taking control of something and making an effort to change my attitude.
Which leads me right into my party. =)
On August 14th, next Wednesday, I’m turning 31. So when a friend of mine from one of my writing groups asked me if I’d host an online Mary Kay party, I thought, “Oh, fun! It’ll lead straight into my birthday!!” This was before the week turned sour. 😉 But you know, I think it’s just what I need. A reason to look beyond blips on the screen and focus on something else.
I really want to support Terri Harr, one of my most dedicated readers and a friend to boot, as she’s launching this new enterprise. And she’s even promised a few goodies for giveaways down the line, if the party goes well!
So you are hereby invited to my online Mary Kay party, beginning today and extending through next Wednesday, my birthday. Obviously, I want you to buy lots, ’cause then I get free stuff, LOL. But I also just want to hang out here on the blog, chat about some simple things like mascara and lipstick, and support my friend in the process.
Here’s how it works–really simple.
1. Go to http://www.marykay.com/terriharr and browse through the catalogue.
2. Add whatever you please to your cart.
3. When you check out, put “Roseanna White Hostess” in the memo box
4. Voila! Your order will be sent straight to you!
5. Share with a friend. Cuz, you know, the more the merrier at this party. Since I don’t have to clean my house for it or anything. 😉
My question for you today:
What’s your default when you’re feeling down?
or
What item of makeup can you not live without?
by Roseanna White | Aug 7, 2013 | 17th-19th Centuries, Remember When Wednesdays
Since I’m still in the first week of Whispers from the Shadows officially being out, I thought I’d share today a repost of something I wrote for www.RegencyReflections.com–about the War of 1812, but from the British perspective. — And stay tuned!! Tomorrow I’m announcing a week-long party for you Mary Kay fans to help a friend kick off her new business and lead into my birthday. =) For now…enjoy some tall ships!
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The Chasseur, one of the most famous privateers of the War of 1812
This Baltimore captain harassed the British merchant fleet in their own waters. |
You know, it’s really kind of funny. When reading the Regency-set novels I so love, I often find references to the on-going war with France and the audacity of Napoleon. Only rarely, however, do we see the British perspective of another war going on at the same time, one with the upstart Colonists that had declared their independence a generation before. Even America often forgets their War of 1812, and in Europe…well, it tends to dim in comparison to the Napoleonic Wars. It’s become overlooked by both sides.
But oh, how interesting it is!
In 1811, England had been fighting France for long enough that the escalating troubles with America were little more than a nuisance at first. They sent men and ships, but for the first two years of the war, their focus remained set upon France. In North America, they were concerned largely with protecting their Canadian assets, using raids along the Chesapeake to distract American forces from their invasion northward. After Napoleon surrendered, however, everyone–both British and American–new exactly what it meant.
It was time for the fighting to get serious in America.
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| Privateers engaged in battle during the War of 1812
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Not only were those in the Admiralty tired of fooling around with the upstarts, but the citizenry were beginning to fuss about the audacity the Americans demonstrated in this second fight, even sending privateers to harass the British in their own waters! They demanded that the Americans’ cities be burned and her people crushed for their impudence. Ready, I daresay, for a breath of peace, more men and ships were sent from Europe to Bermuda and then, finally, to either the Chesapeake or Canada.
But the men were weary. After months and years of suffering in the war with Napoleon, followed by months idle on the ships across the Atlantic, their hearts weren’t in it. More, the humid mid-Atlantic summer–one of the hottest recorded–caused heat-stroke left and right. More men were felled by vicious storms and intense heat for the first few months than by the sword or shells.
For many, this second war with America was but a P.S. to the first. The Revolution went wrong, they were sure, because of bad leadership decisions. Their men–the fathers of those now in charge–were killed or injured because of this. So it was their duty to put it to rights, especially when America persisted in ignoring the laws of citizenship and rights-upon-the-seas that England had held to for centuries.
It was, for many of those involved, a war no one wanted to fight. It was an afterthought to some and forgotten by many more since. A war based on little more than affronted prides.
But like any other, it was also a war with heroes and bravery and determination. And as such, it deserves to be remembered. Especially now, during its two-hundredth anniversary.
My question to you today:
Which war’s history always interested you
the most in your school days?
by Roseanna White | Aug 5, 2013 | Word of the Week
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Edgar Degas – Ballet at the Paris Opéra
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I have a little ballerina in my family…and also a Fancy Nancy fan. So when she got her hands on Fancy Nancy: Too Many Tutus, you may be able to imagine the results–she had to go through her entire closet and pick out every dress, shirt, and skirt with a tutu in it, and schedule her entire week’s clothing choices accordingly.
It’s a funny word though, and one I’ve often wondered about but never looked up. So here I am, looking it up. =)
Tutu comes from the French word, which is no big surprise, as most ballet terminology does. What I had no clue about is that it’s a variation of cucu…which is baby talk! Who knew, right? Cucu is “intantile repetitiveness” of cul, which means “bottom or backside.”
And I’m sure my daughter won’t give a hoot, LOL. But a bit of fun trivia to begin your week. =)
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| Xoe (on the right) with her best-ballet-friend |
by Roseanna White | Aug 1, 2013 | Uncategorized
Today, in case you’ve misplaced any time this week, is August 1st. Do you know what that means? That it’s the official release date for Whispers from the Shadows!
I don’t know about you, but I’m excited. 😉 July has been a blast with the loooooong giveaways, and now I’m looking forward to basking with my newest book-baby.
You can read the official blurb here, but since you may have already done that, I thought I’d write something fresh today. Some behind the scenes. =)
Ring of Secrets includes the first chapter of this one in the back, so it’s not exactly a spoiler to share that the book begins with the murder of my heroine’s father. She’s British, and given that they are once again at war with America, I needed a really good reason to send my heroine to the U.S. At first I’d planned for her father to have died in a rather typical way–illness–and she went to Maryland to obey his dying wish.
Which, yeah. Isn’t much motivation. Not enough to send her through a blockade and all that. Plus, there was no urgency. So I thought to myself, “Okay…what if he sends her to keep her safe? And what if instead of illness, he’s murdered??”
Muuuuch more interesting. =)
Still. When I sent that chapter to my editor for inclusion in Ring of Secrets, I believe her response was something along the lines of “What? YOU KILL FAIRCHILD? You’re kidding, right? He’s not really dead, is he? He comes back later? RIGHT??” 😉
It’s a suggestion she made several times, in several ways, LOL. But hey, starting with such a sad ending for Fairchild is what inspired me to write Fairchild’s Lady, so readers would know he’d been happy between the books. =)
So here we are with Gwyneth, daughter of Isaac Fairchild, and Thaddeus Lane, son of Winter and Bennet. Thad was an interesting hero because he’s so stinking good. He’s nice, he’s personable, everybody loves him, and he’s a man of rather staggering faith. I mean, this guy can hear the Spirit’s whisper so clearly… How was I to make him likable then?? LOL. Well, he has a few secrets that come halfway through, tied to his first wife. He also has a bit of a hero-complex. He has to save the day. Every day. So what happens when he can’t?
Gwyn was a lot of fun to write too. She’s suffering from some severe post-traumatic stress, which results in extreme insomnia. Nothing livens up a book like hallucinations and a heroine that might just fall over asleep in the middle of a conversation, right? 😉
And of course, a cast of secondary characters that I just adore. You should totally rush to get a copy and get to know them. 😉 (Subtle, right?)
So Happy Birthday, Gwyn, Thad, and the rest of the Whispers crew! I’m so happy to welcome you officially into the world, where I pray you’ll engage, enthuse, and most of all, make people stop for a moment and wonder if the Spirit whispers in their ear like He does in Thad’s.
I guess I’ll close today with something that still makes me giddy. =)
In this second installment of the Culper Ring series, Thad Lane gathers
information for the American government during the War of 1812. When
Gywneth Fairchild—daughter of a British general—escapes London after
witnessing her father’s murder, she finds refuge with the Lane family,
whom her father had assured her were friends despite the war between
their countries. Gwyn then battles a crippling despair that threatens
her health and her budding feelings for Thad, who is likewise drawn to
her. As the British menace Washington and Baltimore, Gwyn and Thad’s
relationship must reckon with family secrets and forces both spiritual
and military. White (Ring of Secrets) skillfully illustrates depression
and PTSD in the traumatized Gwyn. Secondary characters shine—new readers
will likely seek the first installment to acquaint themselves further.
The characters’ Christian faith is artfully integrated into their
personalities, words, and actions. The combination of romantic tension,
spiritual contention, and wartime intrigue makes for an engrossing,
entertaining read.
~ Publisher’s Weekly
by Roseanna White | Jul 31, 2013 | Uncategorized
And we have our final two winners! The winner of the last Ring of Secrets is:
Kathy Walton!
And the winner of the Puritan prayers, Valley of Vision, is…
Emma! (augustlily)
Big congratulations to all our winners of July, and again my biggest, heartiest thanks for joining me for this month of celebration, reflection, and becoming acquainted.
I can’t tell you all how awesome it’s been to get to know everyone a bit and see such energy and enthusiasm around here. Though I can’t promise continual giveaways anymore, I do hope you keep stopping by regularly for conversation. =) After today, I’ll be going back to my standard Monday~Wednesday~Thursday routine, with special featured like reviews and interviews appearing occasionally on Tuesdays and Fridays.
And now to sum it all up with what this month was about–join me in officially welcoming into the world, my latest, Whispers from the Shadows, available at all the online retailers now, and should be showing up in stores no later than tomorrow!
I Love Her…Can I Trust Her?
I Love Him…Is He Safe?
1814—England and America are again at war. Sudden and implacable
treachery causes Gwyneth Fairchild’s world to crumble in a moment’s
time. The daughter of a British general, she barely saves her life by
fleeing London aboard a ship bound for America. Her goal is to find
refuge with the Lane family in Maryland. Yet after meeting the Lanes’
son, Thaddeus, Gwyn wonders how safe she is. For she discovers that this
family trades in a dangerous commodity—espionage.
Thad Lane is a prominent citizen in the city of Baltimore. He has the
ear of everyone, and he is in a unique position to pass on to leaders
of government exactly what he hears. Not long after the beautiful and
British Gwyneth Fairchild finds safe haven in his community, he
experiences the tug of love, though he fears it may blur lines of
loyalty. With family playing the part of enemies and enemies proving
themselves friends, a future with Gwyn is more than uncertain—it could
be life threatening.
In the end, with the British advancing relentlessly on Baltimore,
Thad and Gwyn have to trust in their shared faith in God to be a shield
about them. To give them a future and a hope.
Thanks again!! Oh, and did you notice the new header up there? Here are my daily questions:
Whatcha think of the new look (matches my website) or
Where do you usually shop for books?
We have no Christian bookstore in our town, and only one very small BAM whose Christian Fiction section is miniscule, so I’m afraid most of mine is online. How about you?
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. 