by Roseanna White | Feb 8, 2016 | Bible Study
First of all, big thanks to everyone who signed up to be an influencer for The Reluctant Duchess. I have far more than I need this time around, so I’ll probably be employing the wonders of Random.org to help me fairly narrow it down, and then will be emailing both those who got into the group and those who didn’t. First I need time to sort through the list though. 😉
And though I’ll continue to post book news to the blog as it comes (including my cover reveal tomorrow and new series announcement on Wednesday!), usual Word of the Week and Remember When posts will be suspended through Resurrection Day as I accept and extend a 40-day challenge.
Beginning this Wednesday, I’m going to be participating in a 40 Days of Jesus challenge, where each day we read a chapter of a Gospel. We’ll start in Mark and then go into Luke (40 chapters total), beginning on Ash Wednesday and going through the entire season of Lent (this has a built-in day off once a week, which I’ll be taking on one of the weekend days). The idea isn’t just to read it by yourself, but to talk about it–because it’s through conversation that we see things from a new perspective and often discover new truths He wants to show us.
The purpose of all this? To focus my heart and mind on Him.
To look, each day, at this Life that changed the world, and maybe see something new.
To pray, each day, Lord, help me to be more like this Jesus I just read about.
My church has done a shorter version of this before, and honestly, I fell way behind. I found myself getting bored reading the same ol’ Gospel for the gazillionth time. And yet, when I did manage to read it and have a conversation about it, I saw something new.
This time, I don’t want to fall behind and push it away. I want to really prepare my heart and mind for Him. So I’m hosting the challenge here on my blog as a way to hold myself accountable.
If you want to join me, I would love-love-love to get your insights into the chapters! We can converse in the comment section here, and also in the 40 Days of Jesus Facebook group. Please feel free to join that group and chat through the chapter each day.
So take a day (or two) to pray and see if God would like you to do this this year. Or just swing by now and then, when you can. Up to you. But I look forward to getting to know y’all a little better as we delve together into the Word.
by Roseanna White | Feb 5, 2016 | Announcements, Book News
As usual, I’m collecting names of people to receive a copy of The Reluctant Duchess from Bethany House in exchange for helping promote the book (book description is at the bottom of the post). You can help promote by:
* Posting reviews to Amazon, B&N,
Christian Book, etc.;
* sharing about/reviewing the book on your blog;
* asking your Library to order it; snapping a photo of it on the shelf of a
store and posting;
* sharing on Facebook, Twitter, etc., both about the book once you’ve read it and posting pictures when you get it;
* recommending to a
book club;
* other ideas uniquely your own
Influencers for the first book in the series had first shot at signing up for the second, so my spots are limited and few. The form will only be live until Saturday morning, which is why I gave you notice in my blog on Wednesday of when it would be going live. =)The form is at the bottom of this post, and you can also access it here.
(Due to shipping costs, Bethany House has a US-address-only policy. If you’re an international reader interested in influencing, there are digital versions available; just email me at roseannamwhite at gmail dot com.)
Right now I have about 20 slots open. Those remaining slots will be selected based on your answers to that question of “What will you do to help promote?” so please be sure to tell me about any blogs or places where you habitually post reviews and any super-cool influence you have. 😉
It’s been such a blessing to have a team of happy readers to share in the joys of a book releasing! I’ve so enjoyed getting to know the members of my team with The Lost Heiress and look forward to getting to know some new names and faces too!
Now, what in the world is The Reluctant Duchess about? Well this is the publisher’s description from Amazon:
A Riveting Edwardian Series Set among Britain’s High Society
Lady
Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she has
never felt good enough–not for her father, not for the man she thought
she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to
be forever an outcast if it means escaping Loch Morar.
Brice
Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has found himself in possession of a
rare treasure his enemies are prepared to kill for. While Brice has
never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, the last thing he
needs is the distraction of Lady Rowena, who finds herself in a
desperate situation. But when Rowena’s father tries to trap Brice into
marrying his daughter, Brice makes a surprising decision.
Rowena
wanted to escape the Highlands, but she’s reluctant to marry a notorious
flirt. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in questionable
business with a stolen treasure, she fears she’s about to end up
directly in the path of everything she was trying to avoid.
“With the momentum and drama of a modern
thriller and the charm and intrigue of an Edwardian upper-class romance, White
balances hearty helpings of names, ranks, and family history with highly
entertaining situations and plenty of humor.” ~ Booklist
by Roseanna White | Feb 4, 2016 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Last weekend my husband, dad, and I went to visit a local church and speak about the missions trip they had taken in October, and of the service organization we’ve begun. After speaking of the trip for so long, the mike got handed to me to cover the org–though I’d said I was just there for moral support, LOL.
As I stood up there in front a group of strangers who are my family in Christ, as I tried to convey why this was important, a truth settled in my mind.
We’re not all called to foreign missions.
We’re not all called to domestic missions.
We’re not all called to adopt.
We’re not all called to minister to refugees.
We’re not all called to any one thing.
But we’re all called.
We’re not all asked to sacrifice our riches.
We’re not all asked to sacrifice our houses.
We’re not all asked to sacrifice our days.
We’re not all asked to sacrifice our hold on our children.
We’re not all asked to sacrifice our dreams.
But we’re all asked to sacrifice.
And if we don’t think we’ve heard a call or been asked to sacrifice…then it’s not because God hasn’t spoken. It’s because we’re not listening. And if we’re not listening, how long before He asks someone else to do, in our place, what He’d intended for us?
My husband put it like this on Saturday, and it’s so good an analogy that it’s stuck in my mind. Let’s look at our relationship with God like a romantic one. We’re told, over and over, that we need to learn to listen to God’s voice.
So maybe we sit around on the phone with him. We pray, we read the Bible. We concentrate on that voice.
Then one day, God says, “Hey, wanna catch a movie?”
We say, “Well…not tonight. I’ve got all this other stuff going on.”
So the next week, God says, “How about dinner?”
And we say, “Well…I’m kinda busy.”
If this plays out time and again, how long is it before you can’t honestly call yourself “dating” anymore? If you have the opportunity to DO and choose not to, is that an active relationship?
God doesn’t call us to an inactive faith. The Great Commission doesn’t say, “Stay ye at home and pray.” Jesus doesn’t answer the rich young ruler’s question about what he needs to do to be saved with, “Give a nice offering every week and pray you use your wealth wisely.”
He calls us all to GO.
He asks us all to GIVE.
Where to go? What to give?
That’s where we’re all different. But I say this: the example of the rich young ruler is a good one. Because He doesn’t ask for the easy way. He doesn’t ask for a sacrifice that costs him little. He asks for complete dedication. He asks for the removal of the thing that the man valued most.
What do you value most?
Family?
Security?
Ritual?
Comfort?
What if He asks you to sacrifice that? What do you do? Do you give it all up? Let your family members go? Give up the steady job and good insurance? Leave the comfortable confines of the denomination you know best? Give up your home?
Or do you just stop picking up the phone when God calls?
Because here’s the thing. He always calls. And if we don’t hear that phone ringing…maybe it’s because we ignored it too long.
American Christians are very good at talking. We value hearing His voice. And honestly, we’re good at throwing money at things…so long as it’s not enough that we’ll notice it missing when we’re at Walmart or browsing Amazon.
But when it comes to sacrificing…when it comes to going…when it comes to doing…
Are we really Christ-like? Or are we content with a mask of Christianity that costs us nothing?
by Roseanna White | Feb 3, 2016 | Announcements, Book News, Remember When Wednesdays
I’m so excited! We’re at the 2-months-to-go mark for the release of The Reluctant Duchess. In my world, that means chatting with Bethany House about fun things like bookmarks, personalized tea bags, Facebook covers, and when I can share the cover for the third book in the series.
I’m beginning the process of gathering influencers, so if you’re interested in being on my launch team this time around, be sure to check my blog Friday morning (10 a.m. EST) for a link to the sign-up form! (Last time some folks missed out because the list was filled before they even saw my blog, so this time I’m giving you warning, LOL!) An influencer will get a complimentary copy of the book from Bethany House with the understanding that they’ll help spread the word about the book through reviews, tweets, posts on Facebook, talking to family and friends, requesting libraries carry it, etc.
When The Reluctant Duchess releases, I’ll be having another big giveaway. This one’s piece de resistance will be another necklace. Not crafted by me this time. No, this one is from the lovely folks at Tiara Town.
This red crystal necklace is a fair imitation of the famous Nottingham rubies that play a vital role in the story of Brice, whom readers met in The Lost Heiress, and Rowena, the heroine from the Scottish Highlands. Who grew up in a castle modeled on Eilean Donan.
(No, I’m not sending anyone there as part of the giveaway. If only I were…I’d send myself along with them!)
But that’s not the only fun in the works! Next week I’ll be doing TWO fun reveals. First, the cover for book 3, A Lady Unrivaled. Cover reveal will be on February 9. Then, on February 10, I finally get to share some exciting news about my next series!
So, to sum up:
1. Come back here Friday at 10 a.m. EST to sign up for a few select influencer spots for The Reluctant Duchess, if you’re interested
2. Tuesday, February 9 is the cover reveal of A Lady Unrivaled
3. Wednesday, February 10 you’ll hear about the series I’m working on now
Have a fabulous Wednesday!
by Roseanna White | Feb 1, 2016 | Word of the Week
I’m busy working on a new project, which means the chance to look up a bunch of random words as I write them and then go, “Wait a minute. Did that exist yet?”
Last week, I looked up brainstorm. I knew I’d looked it up before for a book set pretty early and deemed it off-limits, but I couldn’t remember when it came about. As it turns out, it’s recorded in 1849, meaning, as one would expect, “A brilliant idea, mental excitement.” (The figurative use of storm entered English waaaaaay back in the Old English days.)
Here’s the only thing to keep in mind with brainstorm–it was only a noun. You didn’t brainstorm an idea. You had a brainstorm. The verb form didn’t follow for another 70 years.
Now off I go to see what my characters’ brainstorm results in. 😉
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.