by Roseanna White | Oct 19, 2016 | Ancient World, Remember When Wednesdays
It’s only a week and a half until November. That means a week and a half until this releases…
In all the excitement of visiting England and seeing the settings for my Bethany House books, Giver of Wonders hasn’t been talked about much. But now, with November and release upon us . . . well, it’s time to talk about Christmas. =)
I wanted to write a Christmas book–that’s one of the reasons that I sat down, a couple years ago, and began this story. Except that it isn’t a traditional Christmas book. It’s set around 290 AD, well before recognizable Christmas traditions began. There were no evergreen trees lit up. No snow, certainly, where this takes place in modern-day Turkey (Lycia at the time). There were no stockings and tinsel and jolly elves in red.
But there were gifts. And they came down a chimney. And there was the man on whom the jolly elf in red was, loosely, based.
There were miracles instead of magic. There was Jesus and his birth, celebrated among the early church on the Winter Solstice (December 25 at the time). There was sacrifice, and there was family, and there was love.
It took me forever to write this book. Or at the very least, a year longer than I intended it to do. I struggled a bit to put my vision for who the real St. Nicholas might have been onto the page, and to do so in a way that stuck with my usual formula for a biblical novel. Because, of course, this story isn’t primarily about Nikolaos (as it would have been spelled in Greek…with English letters, LOL.) It’s about fictional characters Cyprus Visibullis and her sisters. Who are, in my version of events, the sisters around whom one of our most beloved Christmas traditions was born.
Because Nik gave more than gifts to children who really don’t need them. He gave gifts to those who needed them most, and he gave them anonymously. He gave hope to those who were lost. He gave life and healing to those who were broken and desperate.
Nikolaos was a man of God. And though my novelized version of him is probably pretty far from the real man who led the church in Myra all those centuries ago, I pray it gets to the heart of him. And to why he’s still celebrated today.
So though my focus hasn’t been on it much yet, I’m so excited to share Giver of Wonders with the world, and I look forward to talking about parts of it each Wednesday in the next month or so. It’s a Christmas story that you can read in any season. Because ultimately, it’s not about the day Jesus was born.
It’s about the love that ought to fill His followers all year.
by Roseanna White | Oct 17, 2016 | Word of the Week
I have long loved the word eccentric for an odd, unique person. Ever since I learned it back in . . . middle school? . . . it was my choice word for those like me. A little different (you know, like someone who has scads of people living in her head begging to have their stories told), a little unusual, and infinitely interesting (perhaps not part of the standard definition, but I maintain that it’s true, LOL.)
It was in college, studying Ptolemy and Apollonius, that I learned about the ancient mathematics, derived from studies of astronomy, and how an eccentric orbit was one where the earth was not precisely the center (as they assumed everything was, more or less).
It never once occurred to me that these two meanings of the word eccentric were related. But of course, they are!
Eccentric as a mathematical concept of an off-center, elliptical orbit dates back more or less forever, directly from the Greek word ekkentros, which means simply “off center.” (Compare that to concentric.)
Eccentric as an odd or whimsical person dates from 1817, and once you realize they’re the same word, it’s easy to see why, right? Because we eccentrics are a little off-center. A little different from the norm. Just a little odd.
And infinitely interesting. 😉
by Roseanna White | Oct 12, 2016 | Book News, Cover Designs
There’s something about seeing the cover for the first book in a new series.
Maybe it’s because it’s a whole new style, a whole new look that you know will carry out through the subsequent books.
Maybe it’s because there are new themes, new characters.
Or maybe it’s just because it’s always exciting to get a new cover, no matter the number in the series. 😉
Regardless, I was sooooooo excited to see this when I got my first glimpse a month ago, and I am equally excited to get to share it with you now! This cover totally and completely (in my opinion, LOL) captures the essence of the story. Rosemary–perfect. The books!–perfect. The pose–perfect. *Blissful sigh*
A Name Unknown will release next July. Description below. But for now . . . THE COVER!!!!!
About
Edwardian Romance and History Gains a Twist of Suspense
Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped
her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate
on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class
society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman
is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime.
How does one steal a family’s history, their very name?
Peter Holstein, given his family’s German blood, writes his popular series of
adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own
neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change
his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a
historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might
be answered.
But as the two work together and Rosemary sees his gracious reaction to his
neighbors’ scornful attacks, she wonders if her assignment is going down the
wrong path. Is it too late to help him prove that he’s more than his name?
~*~
I know, I know–you are now so eager to get your hands on this book that you want to rush out and pre-order a copy. Ahem. 😉 The Amazon link is live–I’ll post others as they appear.
by Roseanna White | Oct 10, 2016 | Word of the Week
I honestly don’t remember why I was looking this up . . . but I’ll share the results with you anyway. 😉
Sappy in a figurative sense of “foolishly sentimental” has been around for quite a while! Dating from the 1660s, it comes from an intermediate meaning of “wet, sodden.” How we get, I guess, when we’re sappy. 😉 Interesting to note, for a while in earlier days, sappy could also mean “full of vitality” (that one’s from the 1550s) and, around 1620, “immature.”
Sap, as a figurative noun meaning “simpleton” is from around 1815. It was English and Scottish schoolboy slang, deriving from the idea that one had soft, sappy wood in their heads.
Have a great week!
by Roseanna White | Oct 5, 2016 | Giveaways and Contests
I know, I know. I usually have my big book-release giveaway right when the book releases. But I was kinda traveling. And then had to make sure it was going during Bethany House’s next newsletter. So you know–this was the first I could get it up and going. 😉 But it’s worth the wait!
I’m super excited to announce The Manor House Giveaway! This giveaway has been months in the making, carefully selected to coordinate with the books in the Ladies of the Manor series, and is without question my biggest giveaway to date!
One lucky winner will receive:
Word Cloud Classics Books, including:
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Dracul
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Great Expectations
The Brothers Grimm: 101 Fairy Tales
The Brothers Grimm, Volume II
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
(Several of these books are mentioned in mine–bonus point, ahem, if you know where, LOL.)
Complete Set of the Ladies of the Manor Series
Bone China Tea Set
Winner’s choice of pattern – because nothing says “English setting” like tea!
$25 Teavana Gift Card
So the winner can select her favorite blend, or try something new,
and get any tea balls she might need for the awesome loose leaf varieties she picks.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Void where prohibited. Chances of winning depend on number of entries.
Contest
open to US and international residents, with the understanding that a
non-US winner may be required to accept substitutions, depending on
availability of products in their country.
Contest will run through 21 October. Winner will have two weeks to claim prizes before another winner is drawn.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. Having successfully launched two homeschool grads, she now spends her time writing fiction, 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, as well as a fantasy series and contemporary mysteries and romances. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.