by Roseanna White | Dec 21, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays
I’ve never written a novel set solely around Christmas. But as I’m contemplating fun holiday stuff I could write about here, I realize that both of my last two books have Christmas on the page.
Love Finds You In Annapolis, Maryland does in fact take place from the end of November through the end of January, so it’s full of Christmasy goodness and many traditions from the day.
If you missed it last year, I blogged about many of these traditions in a post called
Remember When . . . Christmas Was Banned? which also (obviously) touches on how Christmas was not an observed holiday in New England.
In
Annapolis, Christmas was far from banned. Being Anglican–the only church in the city was what came to be renamed the Episcopal church when it became unpopular to name them “church of England”–the city celebrated in the style of Merry Ol’ England. I had a lot of fun writing that chapter too, with mention of wassailing, of the hanging greens, and of the simple gifts they gave each other. (
They certainly didn’t have to check five different online stores for that remote control car their sons really, really wanted and then bite their nails when they saw it wasn’t due to arrive until December 23rd . . .).
When I started writing another Colonial and did all my research, I realized this next one, too, would have to include the Christmas season–though it goes from November to October so certainly doesn’t focus on it. Still, Christmas Day gets a chapter.
When I first realized that both my hero and heroine had been either living in or raised in the parts of New England that would not have observed Christmas, I had a moment of panic. Oh no! They wouldn’t view Christmas like I do!!! How in the world do I capture their thoughts??
As it turns out, their views of the day came naturally to their characters and in fact really helped me form those characters. See, Winter (my heroine) grew up in a Congregationalist home on Long Island that could trace its roots back to the Puritans. In her home, Christmas was a day of quiet reflection. No gifts, no music, no parties.
Now all of a sudden she’s in a home that celebrates–loudly and boisterously. Winter isn’t wowed by it–she’s saddened and disgusted by it, and feels far, far from home. All she wants on this holy day is to close herself into her room, read her Bible, and spend some time in quiet contemplation and prayer, thinking about what it truly means that Jesus came down as a babe.
Instead, she’s forced into an elaborate gown, paraded through a drawing room full of mercenary, shallow socialites concerned only with who got the more expensive gift, and forced to listen to the drunken jolly-making of New York’s elite.
Merry she isn’t. Because she longs for the quiet of communion with the Lord. Much like she does through the rest of the book.
Though I’ve always celebrated and loved Christmas, writing that chapter really helped me understand how a different approach could be precious and beloved.
This year, no matter what
your traditions are, I pray that you observe them with
Joy, share them with your loved ones, and come away with that unmistakable Christmas feeling–the one that says, “God has blessed them, one and all.”
by Roseanna White | Dec 20, 2011 | Uncategorized
It is 1812, and England is awash with enemies. The French that they’ve been fighting for years . . . the renewed conflict in America . . . and now there are even uprisings in the north over the mills. Young widow Lady Lydia Gale knows this, knows that England’s true enemies may be hidden under a fair facade–but still she must do what she can to help those who need it, those to whom her late, unloving husband took the liberty of pledging her support.
And so she ventures to that dark prison in Dartmoor. So she meets with the strangely compelling Frenchman, Christien de Meuse, and obtains his freedom. So she entrusts him with her last belonging of any worth, the last gift her husband sent her.
So the adventure begins.
Lydia never dreamed that a month later, Christien would arrive in her drawing room in London, directly on the heels of a few other questionable personages. Then again, she also never dreamed she would have been approached by someone claiming to be from the Home Office, who would blackmail her into introducing these unsavory gentlemen into London society. For the sake of her family, she must comply. But at what risk to her country–and to her heart?
Laurie Alice Eakes has done it again. With A Necessary Deception she has penned a novel that combines heart-stopping romance with heart-pounding suspense, crafting characters at once strong but consistent with their times, blind in some ways and brilliant in others. These true-to-life characters of Lydia and Christien–not to mention the wonderfully made secondary characters, especially Lydia’s younger sisters–will pull you in from the start and keep you flipping the pages as surely as the espionage and intrigue.
Needless to say, I love this book. I love the cover, so very Regency and elegant. I love the characters, so very real and true. I love the plot, with its questions of who you can trust, whether a man’s place of birth determines his loyalties. And I love the romance, its depth and charm, its scope and breadth. As we watch Christien and Lydia dare to open their hearts, it makes us ask ourselves what we would do if drawn to a man who may just be our nation’s enemy . . . what we would do if we fell for someone whose life may be endangered by our attention. How far we would go to protect our families.
Beautifully written, masterfully crafted, A Necessary Deception is a book for any lover of historical novels, especially those that combine suspense with romance. This is one you don’t want to miss!
by Roseanna White | Dec 19, 2011 | Holidays, Word of the Week
In Old English, Christmas day was called geol (not to be confused with gaol, which is jail–ha ha ha), taken from Old Norse jol. Jol was a heathen feast day, taken over by English so long ago that no one’s sure exactly when it happened. Though we do know that “jolly” comes from jol. 😉
Origianlly, geol, or yule, meant solely Christmas Day. It also happens that there was a cognate, giuli, that was the Anglo-Saxon name for a two-month midwinter season of feasting, so the two got mixed together. When English first borrowed the word, it meant the 12 Day Feast of Christmas–December 25 through January 6, the Epiphany. It was largely replaced by the word Christmas by the eleventh century, except for in Danish-settled parts of England.
Writers, however, revived the word in the 19th century to capture the particular charm of Christmas in Merry Ol’ England. Oh yes, it’s always the writers, LOL.
Yultide (literally yule time or Christmastime) was recorded in the 15th century, and the first written mention of the yule log is from the 17th century and was a ceremonially chosen log (sometimes and entire tree) picked to have an enduring burn for Christmas.
Can you believe there’s less than a week until Christmas?? I hope everyone is enjoying this yuletide season!
~*~
And today I’m on
Go Teen Writers! It was a fun interview, so be sure to check it out to learn what I would do if captured by kidnappers. 😉
by Roseanna White | Dec 16, 2011 | Uncategorized
And the first (of two) winners for the Great ANNAPOLIS Giveaway is . . .
Elaine Marie Cooper!
Congrats, Elaine!!
For those of you who didn’t win this round (and there are a lot of you–we logged around 330 entries into this baby!), keep on entering, because the second drawing will be on February 15, 2012.
by Roseanna White | Dec 15, 2011 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I’ll just come out and admit it–I like getting presents. I do. That surprise of ripping open the paper and finding something underneath that you didn’t choose for yourself. That feeling of appreciation that comes from knowing someone took the time to select something for you. And, well, just getting new things. 😉
I like giving presents. I like putting thought and care into what each person in my life wants and needs. I love finding those gems–like the year we gave my mother-in-law the leg lamp from her all-time favorite move, A Christmas Story. (Or as she calls it, Shoot Your Eye Out, LOL.) I love picking things that I know will make my kids squeal with delight.
But this year . . . I don’t know. We’re trying to clear some accumulated junk from our house, so I’m rather loath to bring in new junk. You know? In years past when buying for my kids, I would often just grab things to fill out the allotted funds from, say, my grandmother. To fill up the stocking.
After throwing out all the cheap toys that had broken and giving away many of the ones they just don’t play with, I’m not doing that this year. This year, my thought is, “I’m not spending the money unless I know they’ll love it.”
I think it’s a good philosophy–accept that it means I’m still not done shopping, and there are only ten days until Christmas. Aaaaggghhhh!
For someone who grew up in a family that celebrated Christmas with
Joy and generosity (even those lean years, my Mom managed to stretch each dollar so the under-the-tree looked bursting!), I feel downright guilty sometimes for choosing an approach that doesn’t result in such bulk. I’m afraid my kids will be disappointed–though we’ve never bought them a whole lot for Christmas, given how much they get everywhere else.
They never are–my kids don’t expect a gazillion gifts from us, and we try really hard to keep their focus on the giving, the giving in honor of Christ.
Still, this year . . . my daughter’s dresser is literally bursting with clothes. Literally. I cleaned out probably half their toys, and there are still so many . . . And the rest of my family?? What do they really want, really need?
Well, we solved the dilemma for the kids with these little bundles of
Joy. The two grays will be ours. =)
I was still stressing about some of the other members of our family, but last night my hubby and I went out on our annual Christmas Shopping Date, and we came up with good things for all, I think. Things that aren’t just going to clutter, but are rather going to add meaning.
See, shopping with my husband keeps me in that mindset. He’s from a family that gives only what, and when, they think will be special. I don’t always like this approach, but shopping with him keeps me from buying junk. It makes me think about how I’m spending each dollar. I needed that–that shift in focus. Our shopping date is in its third year now, and it’s a tradition I’m going to cling to just to keep myself in line. 😉
What are your shopping traditions for this often-hectic time of year?
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.