Seeing the Story

by Roseanna White | Jan 14, 2021 | Thoughtful Thursdays

I’ve always believed that stories change the world. This is no surprise–it is, in fact, one of the reasons I love writing novels, editing novels, publishing novels, and designing covers for novels. I believe in the power of fiction to touch hearts and tug on souls. But it’s also a power that is true of any story–including YOURS.

As I was rewriting Dreams of Savannah, these themes about the power of stories and storytelling really emerged more than they’d been in the original, and I absolutely LOVED exploring that theme! Cordelia doesn’t fully see the slaves in her house as people until she realized they have stories–that they love and hate, fear and hope, mourn and rejoice. That in their stories, she is not the heroine…she may in fact be the villain.

And that changes everything.

In the novel, Delia ends up collecting stories. Interestingly, this is a theme that also popped up rather unexpectedly for me in the second book in my Secrets of the Isles series, in the form a project that the heroine’s late mother and brother had been doing while she was away at finishing school. Which really just hammered home in my mind how crucial it is that we preserve our stories.

They’re what connect us to each other. To our communities. To our world. To our past. To our future.

As I was editing Dreams of Savannah and writing this new book, I came to a bit of an epiphany: I want to do this too. Not just tell my fictional stories–which I adore, and which I’ll keep on doing, for sure! But I also want to know the stories of the people around me. I want to know how my family arrived at where we are, and how yours did. I want to collect the stories of other people. I want to help them tell their own stories and preserve them for future generations and for their own kin.

That’s where the idea came from for a new project we just launched, called Seeing the Story. You can find the website at SeeingtheStory.com, and I hope you go and explore it. More, I hope you USE it to tell us your story!

Here’s what the site is in a nutshell: it’s a place for story-seekers, story-tellers, and story-collectors to gather. You can tell your story either in written form, in an audio recording, or in a video. If you have one written or recorded already, awesome! You can just upload it. But if you’ve never put down your stories and want to, we’re here to help! You can request a private Zoom link that you can access at any time, and either call in on your phone or do a video recording. All these stories will always remain your own; the only rights we request are to share them on the site and in the associated newsletter and social media.

So on the site, there will be sections for watching, listening, or reading the posts; you can also search by location, theme, family name, etc. You can sign up to receive the latest stories each week (once everything’s running fully with new stories to share, LOL), and you can share as many stories as you’d like!

Know this sounds interesting but not sure what stories you’d want to preserve? We have a list of interview questions to get you started.

Excited about this and want to record stories from your family or community? You can become a Story Collector and download the Collector Kit for free; it includes release forms, starter questions, a checklist of things to include in your bag, and advice on conducting interviews at your church, library, or family events! You can even request (or purchase) some stickers. =)

It’s when we know each other’s stories that we can truly begin to understand each other, and to love each other. Would you tell me yours?

Word of the Week – Jovial

by Roseanna White | Jan 11, 2021 | Word of the Week

For the next couple weeks, I’m going to do a little mini-series on some adjectives we have that are based on the names of ancient mythological gods. As I was reading through a list of some of these, I found it so fascinating!

So we’ll start off with Zeus. Now, I know what you’re thinking–I don’t know of any words with Zeus as the root! Which is true…sort of. Zeus was his Greek name, but English is derived far more from Latin than Greek. And what was Zeus’s Latin name?

Jupiter…also known as Jove.

By jove! Now we’re on to something! 😉

Of course, when you hear Jupiter, your first thought is the planet, right? Well, interestingly enough, that’s actually where this word of the week comes from. Jupiter was given as a name not just to any planet–it was given to the BIGGEST planet. And when people were born “under the sign of Jupiter” (astology has its roots waaaaaaaaaay back in time), they were thought to be of a more cheerful disposition than the rest of us. And so came the word jovial ~ literally “pertaining to or under the influence of Jove,” by which they mean the planet of Jupiter.

Holiday History ~ Good King Wenceslas

by Roseanna White | Jan 7, 2021 | Holidays

I don’t know about you, but I always enjoy learning about the true story behind things like songs, poems, and stories…much like the one that goes along with the carol “Good King Wenceslas.”

This song is based on the famous life of a Bohemian duke, Wenceslaus I (known in Czech as Svatý Václav). Wenceslaus was renowned for his piety and Christian devotion, and nothing could stop him from doing good…even terrible weather. The event memorialized in the song took place on December 26, the feast day of St. Stephen, a day traditionally reserved for delivering alms to the poor. Wenceslaus was so determined to take these alms to his people that he trekked out in the middle of a blizzard to accomplish it. The song is from the perspective of one of his servants, who thought at one point during the journey that he’d surely die from the cold; the snow was so thick he couldn’t see what was ahead of him. But he made his way by literally following in the footsteps of the duke, which led him unerringly to the door of the people he was helping.

Wenceslaus lived from 907-935 and is famous for his midnight vigils and dedication to protecting and providing for his people, especially the poor. Upon his death, many biographies were written about him, and he was soon named a saint. So great was his popularity that the Holy Roman Emporer Otto even posthumously conferred on him the title of “king.” How fascinating is that? He has been held up for centuries as what a true, noble leader should be.

Wenceslaus has remained a popular figure in both Bohemia and England for centuries, resulting in the poem and Christmas carol we all know, written in 1853 by John Mason Neale. The variation in the spelling of his name has happened in the time since the song was written; it originally had that ‘u’ in there.

It’s HERE! Dreams of Savannah Release Day

by Roseanna White | Jan 5, 2021 | Announcements, Book News, Books, Giveaways and Contests

I first came up with the idea and wrote the manuscript way back in 2011, fully expecting it to be published in the next year. But God (thankfully!) had other ideas. Nine years later, it’s finally coming out, and let’s just say a lot has changed in those nine years–not just in my story, but in the world. The book originally meant to hit a few Gone with the Wind notes now has a very different goal. Themes I never would have considered back then became the central ones. Lessons I didn’t know I needed have become so important to me.

In many ways, the process of this book opened my eyes to the noble ideals of racial reconciliation. I certainly won’t make any bold claims that this story will do any amazing work in that vein–I have no idea what it will or will not strike in the hearts of any readers. But I know what rewriting and editing have done for my heart. I know how the lessons my heroine learned have opened my own eyes. And I pray–I pray with fervency and hope–that it will do the same for you.

One of those lessons Delia learns is that it’s through learning each other’s stories that we can really come to understand and love each other. And so, I’d like to invite you all to share yours. Your personal story, your family’s story, your community’s…whatever you feel is what led you to where you are today. I love it when readers contact me to say, “My grandfather had a role like this character’s in the Great War!” or “My family came from this same area!” Those many emails I get actually inspired me to begin a new project. I’ll have a post dedicated SOLELY to it soon, but for now, a quick invitation. If you’d like to share your story, I’ve created SeeingtheStory.com as a place for you to do so. You can type it up, or you can record it either just with audio (even just calling in!) or with video. We’ll then index and post your musings, so you can share with your own family and everyone else’s! Let’s preserve our stories. They’re what keep us connected to our past and give us the courage to face the future. How? Because stories change the world.

About the Book

Cordelia Owens can weave a dream around anything and is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope and comes up with many a romantic tale of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother and sister.

But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him.

As the War Between the States rages ever nearer and Savannah’s slaves start sneaking away to the islands off the coast to join the Yankees, both Phin and Cordelia get caught up in questions they never thought they’d have to ask–questions that threaten the very dreams of a future they’d cherished.

Dreams of Savannah Prize Pack

Dreams of Savannah PRIZE PACK Includes:

One (1) Signed Print copy of Dreams of Savannah
One (1) “Because Stories Change the World” tote
One (1) “Once Upon a Time” pendant

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Prizes subject to change due to availability. Open to US mailing addresses only. Void where prohibited. Giveaway open 1/5/21-1/11/21. One (1) winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and will be notified via the email provided. Winner will have 48 hours to claim prize before a new winner is selected. See roseannamwhite.com for more information.

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International Giveaway

International Prize Includes:

One (1) print copy of Dreams fo Savannah – shipped through Book Depository, not signed.

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Prizes subject to change due to availability. Open to residents outside the USA only. Void where prohibited. Giveaway open 1/5/21-1/11/21. One (1) winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and will be notified via the email provided. Winner will have 48 hours to claim prize before a new winner is selected. See roseannamwhite.com for more information.

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Bookish Tees & Totes

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Tea Party Book Club

Coming up in February, we have a special Tea Parties for Dreams of Savannah! Mark your calendar and follow the link below for more info!

Saturday, February 20 & Friday, February 26 ~ with me
talking about Dreams of Savannah

Friday, March 19 ~ with Hannah Currie
talking about Heart of the Crown

More Info

Holiday History ~ Cookies

by Roseanna White | Jan 4, 2021 | Holidays

Ah, Christmas cookies. The baking, the decorating, the consuming…all part of the holiday tradition in many families. And it’s been that way for hundreds of years.

Feasts have been a part of Christmas celebration for untold centuries, and since it was counted as one of the most important days of the Christian year, that meant that all the expensive, special foods were reserved for that day. Which included spices, sugar, butter, and lard. So naturally, when one wanted to make a special treat for Christmas, one brought out these prized ingredients and created a sweet delicacy, often in the form of cookies.

The concept of beautiful decorated cookies originated with the Germans, like many of our other Christmas traditions. Why did they go to such trouble to cut out and decorate their cookies? Because they then used them as decorations on the tree! Cookie cutters became widely (and cheaply) available in the late 1800s, helping this tradition to spread.

So when did we start leaving these sweet treats for Santa? Interestingly, that dates only to 1930s America. In the throes of the Great Depression, most families didn’t have a lot…but they wanted to instill in their children the idea of not only being grateful for what they had and what they received, but of giving too. Cookies were something small and relatively inexpensive but nevertheless precious that families could offer in gratitude. Originally, stockings were filled with such treats for Santa. But over the years, people instead put the cookies and milk out for him and left the stockings empty, to be filled by him.

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