by Roseanna White | Jul 22, 2013 | Giveaways and Contests, Word of the Week
Hope everyone had a great weekend! We participated in a fundraiser walk for some friends of our adopting from Ethiopia, watched Captain America, and did some much-needed straightening up around here. =) Two of those activities were much more fun than the other, LOL.
As a reminder, here’s this week’s bonus prize, in addition to a daily copy of Ring of Secrets! And if you haven’t watched my new video book trailer yet for Whispers from the Shadows, I added that to my left sidebar. It’s so much fun!
Now onward we go. =)
Word of the Week . . . Calm
Did you know that calm is related to heat? I sure didn’t! But our word calm comes from Old Spanish and Portugese calma, which meant “the heat of the day.” The time of day when everything came to stand-still, when work stopped so animals and people alike could find some shade and take a siesta. 😉 The Spanish in turn came from the Latin cauma, meaning “burning heat.”
So if your July is anything like mine, it’s been full of cauma to be sure–so a fine time to seek out some shade (or a pool) and enjoy some quiet and calm.
Your question of the day:
Which is your favorite season and why?
Mine is spring–love the new life, that brilliant green of fresh growth, and the moderate temperatures. Fall’s a close second…but it ends in winter, which is my least favorite, so… (And yet, yes, I named a character Winter, and I adore her. What can I say? LOL)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Roseanna White | Jul 21, 2013 | Uncategorized
Sorry this weekend’s posts have gone up a bit late–someone schedule them for the wrong time. Don’t know who that could be. 😉
Also a little behind on announcing winners! We have two winners of Ring of Secrets from Friday and Saturday:
Rachel Kasperson
Debra Dawn Smith
And the winner of last week’s Tea Light Garden is (drum roll, please):
Randi!
This week, not only are there daily drawings for Ring of Secrets, but also for this fun set! (Or something else from Victorian Trading Co of equal or lesser value.)
Weekends are just for fun, so without further ado, my question for you today:
What’s your favorite hobby?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Roseanna White | Jul 20, 2013 | Uncategorized
It’s time to unveil this week’s bonus prize! Ready? Drum roll, please…
The Silvery Plume Pen and Ink Set
Inspired by the days when feather quills were dipped into ink to write,
your handwriting will adopt a romantic air
with surprisingly few “dips”
needed.
Includes pen, ink bottle and bundled envelopes.
So keep entering every day for a daily chance at
Ring of Secrets, and amass those entries for Friday’s drawing for this beautiful pen, ink, and paper set!
My question to you today:
Do you still send letters by post, or are you all email?
*I’ll be ordering this and having it shipped directly to the winner; if for some reason it is unavailable at the time of purchase, winner can choose another item from VTC of equal or lesser value in its stead.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Roseanna White | Jul 19, 2013 | Uncategorized
First, I just want to say how awesome it was to read everyone’s responses yesterday. You all have some great words to live up to this year! I’m blessed that you shared with us here. =) And yesterday’s winner of Ring of Secrets is:
Patty Hamblin
Now, don’t forget that today is your LAST DAY to enter for the candle garden! Tomorrow a new prize will be unveiled, so jot yourself a note to check that out. 😉
Now, since
this month is all about celebrating the release of my second spy novel,
I jumped at the chance to be included in the blog tour of another spy
story…this one for kids! I don’t know about the little ones in your
life, but mine love to play super-spy.
So put on your cloak, hide your dagger, and come play with May, the K9 spy! KC has a great giveaway going on–follow the link below for details on how to enter!
About
Book 1
May on the Way: How I Become a K9 Spy
Sometimes I start
with a well-thought out plan, and sometimes, me being me, things just happen.
In my imagination I’m on my way, heading anywhere. Because anywhere’s better
than here.
Which is why I’m
staring at this latch. I’m going to escape today. I’ve been watching closely to
see how they work it, though no one’s noticed.
Humans…
So unaware…
Available
in Kindle format for $2.99 on Amazon.com.
FREE for Kindle: July
16-20, 2013
About
Book 2
May Finds a Way: Peril in Paris
An enterprising
escape, a perilous mission…
After going astray during K9 Spy boot camp, May tries to find a way to the
American Embassy in Paris.
Join her and Léonce, a feral cat, as they sniff out an evil plot leading from
Benjamin Franklin’s park through the historic Passy Cemetery to The
Pantheon…including a journey under the city!
Available in Kindle format for $3.99 on Amazon.com.
FREE for Kindle: July 23-27, 2013
Giveaway
Information:
Check
out the rules and join May the K9 Spy’s Scavenger Hunt at May’s Blog
Tour HQ!
**Entries for the K9 blog tour will all need to be made at May’s Blog Tour HQ. Enter here only for my giveaway.
My question of the day:
Have you ever imagined one of your toys or pets
had a secret life?
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by Roseanna White | Jul 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
Yesterday’s winner of Ring of Secrets is:
Abbi Hart
Keep entering for your chance for today’s copy of the book and for Friday’s drawing of the Tea Light Garden!
I’m also guest posting today on Christian Bookshelf Reviews, which means a whole other giveaway over there! Feel free to come by!!
Thoughtful About . . . Shining On
I’m not used to blogging everyday–just sayin’. 😉 I used to blog 5 days a week, then cut down to 3 once I had deadlines to meet. So this month has been challenging to me–and also so rewarding! As I sat there yesterday thinking about what I wanted to talk about today, I realized that the post many of readers most love and remember sums up perfectly why I do what I do…and how hard it can be.
Those of you who have been around for a while might remember this. But since many of you are newer to Writing Roseanna, let me introduce you to “Shine.”” (The original post has been tweaked to fit the current context.)
At the start of the year 2011 (two months, as it turns out, before the contract for my first big-press book, Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland), I was praying for a word from the Lord, both for me and our small church. A word that was either something to live up to and strive toward, a goal, or a promise from our Father.
Saturday
morning (we’re Sabbath keepers) I was making bulletins for church and
choosing the songs to sing. My usual method of doing so is to consider
time of year, sermon topic, and otherwise just do a quick prayer and
flip and pick whatever catches my eye. Said method resulted in our
opening hymn being “
Shine, Jesus,
Shine.” I typed the page number and
title without thinking much about it.
Then
in church, as we sang it, I got that shiver of awareness all through
me, and my voice wobbled. My heart welled up inside. I could barely
sing, barely play the organ. Because I knew the Lord had just given me
my word: Shine.
Still
playing, still singing, I started to pray. Was this a private word,
just for me, or did it go for the church too? I’d been praying that
whatever He gave us for the church, He give to several of us for
confirmation. So I asked Him to make clear who all this word was
intended for.
After
we sang the chorus the final time, my mom (the worship leader) raised
her hand and said she wanted us to sing that chorus again. And more, she
wanted us to make it our prayer for the year. That the light of the
Lord would
Shine through us, and that we would be the mirror to reflect
Christ and his love. My dad (the pastor) added that the words “set our
hearts on fire” struck him, and that we ought to pray for that too. And
so I also added what I’d been praying for, and how this leaped out as an
answer.
I
get shivers again remembering. We’re a small church, a tiny
congregation of mostly-family. Yet in this little body of believers,
I’ve grown closer to the Lord, I’ve heard from Him more, and I’ve felt
the moving of the Spirit more than in all my life before, combined. And
on Saturday, I latched onto this newest whisper of my God.
Shine.
Shining
isn’t easy. It means being bright when you feel dull. It means
projecting out when you want to huddle in. It means being filled with
light and heat when you might want to crawl into a cool, dark corner and
sleep for a century or two.
And
not just that–because we are not light in ourselves, because we are,
on our own, empty vessels, it means, like my mom said, being that mirror
for Christ. Not just when we’re “on,” not just when we’re trying, but always. It means, like my Dad pointed out, having hearts on fire for our Lord and Savior.
I’m
not going to claim that I’m this brilliant, shining creature,
enjoying the success of the Lord’s word. But I choose to share it with you all
because I want to be accountable, and because I think it’s a word we
can all share. If ever you see me stuck in a shadow, remind me to
Shine.
And if ever I see you in one, I’ll point my mirror your way and try to
share what light I’ve got with you.
That’s
the beauty of being a mirror–we can reflect on others without losing
anything. So come on, friends.
Shine with me. Let’s fill the land with
the awesomeness of His presence.
If your year’s goal could be summed up in one word,
what would it be?
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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. 