by Roseanna White | Dec 19, 2014 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Merry, merry Christmas, everyone!
I hope everyone has a wonderful week. I intend to spend mine having fun with the kiddos and finalizing our plans for making Christmas Day a day of remembrance for Jesus.
With this on my mind this year, I’ve been quite struck by a few things I’ve come across. A week or so ago we went on a field trip to a local historical house, which had a World War 1 display up for the holiday. The children got to hear the story of the Christmas Truce, when the British and German troops declared a cease-fire for Christmas and ventured into No Man’s Land, exchanging rations and playing soccer and remembering what peace on earth is really about. The fighting began again the next day–and the command was none too pleased when they learned that the soldiers in the foxholes took it upon themselves to do this–but looking back, it’s an inspiring story.
And oh, how I love touring this historic house. When you step into the ballroom, you see the grand, 16-foot-high Christmas tree. And learn that in 1914, the tree wouldn’t have been decorated until Christmas Eve, and would be closed off so the kids couldn’t see it until Christmas Day. But not first thing–oh no! First came church. Then a family brunch. And only then did the family open those doors to the ballroom and reveal the tree and the presents.
I’m really coming to love the simplicity of these sorts of celebrations. The fact that the gifts were few but meaningful, the emphasis of the day on Jesus first, family second, and only afterward the things. I find myself longing to recapture some of that. And wondering at the roots of our traditions.
So being me, I do a little research. 😉 I started in Ancient Rome, where they celebrated a winter holiday called Saturnalia. They would give gifts, light candles, and celebrate for a week…but while this celebration led up to the winter solstice, it’s not, as some would suggest, the roots of our Christmas. Nor, as other have suggested, is the Roman festival to the sun god, also celebrated on December 25. For centuries people have suggested this–with outrage–but in fact, the date of Christmas pre-dates the holiday of Sol Invictus. So if anyone was stealing, it was the Roman emperor. 😉
Why December 25th then? Well. *Grins* As it turns out, it all goes back to March 25. At the time, that was the date of the spring equinox. In Jewish tradition, it was believed to be the date that God created the earth, the date of the Passover, and so the date that Jesus was crucified. According to another Jewish tradition, important men were believed to live in whole years–which is to say, their life began and ended on the same date.
So how did the early church ascertain the date of Jesus’s birthday? They assumed that conception took place on March 25–that Jesus’s life as a human being began that day–and then counted exactly nine months forward. Hence, December 25.
Let’s not argue whether the math is exactly right or the validity of the whole-year supposition. Let’s just accept that it’s what people round about 300 A.D. believed. That is where the date of Christmas comes from, and the fathers of the early church were fully convinced by this. Me? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t think it matters. But I accept the beauty of their reasoning, the simplicity of it, and I embrace their desire to celebrate the birth of our Christ.
In our house, we’re determined to keep only the traditions that bring us
Joy and keep our eyes on the Lord, not the ones that bring stress. Presents will be simple. Baking will be fun. Honestly, if I’m stressing about something–be it gifts or decorating or cookies–then that’s my cue to examine it and wonder if it’s pulling my eyes off Jesus. And you know what? It usually is. So those will be the first things I let go of.
I pray your celebration this year is filled with the Light of the World. That each candle you light is a testimony to Him. That each gift you give is out of love–the same love you received from the Father when He gave His Son. The same love
St. Nicholas embraced when he dropped gold down a chimney to save a family from the streets. The same love that raises man out of the mire and stretches him toward the Holy.
I pray that this Christmas is about the gift of Jesus to the world, and that new understanding of that amazing Gift falls on your heart and keeps you warm through the holidays.
God bless and Merry Christmas!
by Roseanna White | Dec 17, 2014 | Remember When Wednesdays
It’s been a pretty cool week in terms of writing progress.
First of all, on Friday I finished The Outcast Duchess, book 2 in my Ladies of the Manor Series. Yay!! I’d been so close for weeks, and had it been a time of year that allowed for ignoring the outside world and writing…
But alas. It wasn’t. So amidst field trips and The Nutcracker rehearsals, I found what time I could and ended up writing 9,600 words on Friday to get me to The End. (No, I don’t actually type The End, LOL. I just sit back and breathe a sigh of relief and then shout out a loud “DONE!” for anyone within earshot.) For reference, that’s writing-retreat sort of numbers for me. The realm that I can usually only accomplish when all outside distractions are removed. But I managed it on Friday with a half day of school and then a couple blessed hours of solitude while my mother-in-law took the kids Christmas tree shopping. Well, and then my awesome hubby picking up pizza for dinner. And me ignoring that the kids ought to have been getting ready for bed while I finished the epilogue, LOL.
So now I’m reading through it before sending it to my critique partners. And on Monday I got the word that my editor at Bethany House had just finished her pass of book 1 in the series, The Lost Heiress. Always a relief to get the nod on the revisions I’d turned in and be assured that she loves it. =)
My thoughts then naturally turn to the third book in the series. I’ve written this whole series before in a different time period, so I already have a decent idea what will happen to my lovely Ella. And I gotta say, I’m pretty excited to focus on her. Why? Because she’s hilariously bubbly and optimistic. In this version of The Outcast Duchess, she has a note of whimsy she hadn’t had in my original version one I love. It’s going to be fun to see how she carries through on that when tossed headfirst into the action of book 3.
But it also makes me wonder what people really love to see in a heroine. Oh, I know we don’t ever just read one type, and we love many of them. But what’s your favorite type? My series, at the moment looks like this:
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| A young Diane Kruger is how I picture Brook, though with curly hair |
1. Brook – the trend-setter. Bold, daring, given to mischief, quite likely to fly off the handle and do something impulsive that could get her into serious trouble…but wary about romance after seeing disastrous results in her family.
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| Emma Watson (styled sweetly, not for sexy) is how I imagine Rowena |
2. Rowena – the outcast. Quiet, reserved, and seriously injured by relationships in her past. Rowena expects the worst from people and can’t quite believe herself worthy of love…until God and Brice prove to her otherwise.
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| Amy Adams in her role in Enchanted is pretty much a perfect Ella |
3. Ella – the optimist. Always on the lookout for romance, Ella expects a fairy tale out of life…and won’t believe in anything less, even when reality insists otherwise. Ella is traditional, feminine, confident…and prepared to wait a lifetime to find true love, if that’s what it takes.
Which character type (or personality type, in reality) are you most drawn to? Which one (or a different one) are you?
Me, I’m an optimist. Guess that’s why I’m looking forward to Ella. 😉
by Roseanna White | Dec 15, 2014 | Word of the Week
First of all, the winner of my giveaway is
Susan Poll!
Congrats! Now on with the word of the week. =)
This weekend past was the annual performance of The Nutcracker by the ballet studio my daughter attends, so we were occupied with all things stage and dancing. I thought it would be fun to take a look at the word limelight. =)
I’d never paused to wonder where in the world that word came from, but it’s pretty simple. The popular name for the Drummond Light, this type used an incandecent of lime to create a brilliant light first put to use in lighthouses. It was then adopted for the stage in Victorian days, used to spotlight a principle actor.
Created in 1825 (for the lighthouse light), by 1877 it had adopted the slightly metaphorical sense of being the center of attention from its theatrical uses.
Do you like to be in the limelight? My daughter loves it…my son hates it…not so different from their parents, LOL. I always loved being the center of attention (odd for someone who considers herself otherwise an introvert), but my hubby will find some amazingly creative ways to avoid it. 😉
by Roseanna White | Dec 10, 2014 | Holidays, Remember When Wednesdays
So I have a story idea. Shocking, right? 😉 I need to finish The Outcast Duchess before I really dig into it, but my goal is to make that transition in the next week.
Why? Because I’d like to write a Christmas story, and I figured it would be fun to do, you know…over Christmas.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a Christmas-themed book, though. I used to read several every year, but, well…then I had kids and started homeschooling, and I’m lucky to read one book a month for pleasure.
If you have read any Christmas books in recent years, would you mind sharing your quick “must” and “must not” list? The parameters of my story will make it by nature very different from most that are out there, but I still want it to capture that feeling…
So I figured I’d offer a hand-dandy giveaway of my latest, and all you have to do to enter is answer some/all of my questions. =)
Here they are:
- What on a cover draws your eye and screams “Christmas!” in a positive way? Color? Certain items? People or no people?
- Are there specific words in the title that attract/repulse you?
- What themes most attract you? Just the seasonal setting? Christmas miracle stories? “Finding the true meaning” stories?
- Is there a particular “feel” you associate with Christmas stories?
- Traditionally, these books are shorter than a standard novel (perhaps because of seasonal busyness?)–do you like that or not?
And now more specifically…
- What would you expect/want from me if I were to write a Christmas story?
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. =) Now, to enter to win a copy of A Soft Breath of Wind (hello, Christmas gift! To you or someone else, LOL) just fill out the form here.
(The giveaway will only run through the end of the weekend, so I have time to get the book to the lucky winner before Christmas!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Roseanna White | Dec 8, 2014 | Holidays, Word of the Week
Well here’s one that made me smile. I have to say that most times when I hear the word jolly, I think of Christmas. Jolly old St. Nick, jolly elves, etc.
And apparently, that’s a good thing to think of! Though the word comes most immediately from Old French jolif, meaning “festive, amorous, pretty,” there are also suggestions that it’s a loan-word from Germanic tongues, akin to Old Norse jol…which is the word for their winter feast, i.e. Yule…which is Christmas! How fun is that? So it’s totally appropriate to think of Christmas when you hear the word jolly, because it’s related!
I hope December is indeed jolly for you, and that you’re not too stressed out over gifts and wrapping and shopping and budgets. I’m enjoying the music and decorations and doing my darndest to keep that focus on the Lord this year with my kiddos. =)
Have a holly, jolly Christmas!
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.