by Roseanna White | May 17, 2011 | Uncategorized
Would you believe I haven’t read any fiction in the last week-plus? Primarily because I’ve spent my free time doing research for a story idea. So I figure, eh, might as well talk to you about that! =)
I’ll confess it from the start–I don’t read much non-fiction. Why? Because I read so much of it during college that I just got burned out on it. But apparently it’s now been long enough since then (where did that time go, anyway?) that I can read it again without feeling at all put out about it. Handy, since in looking up info about the subject of my newest idea, I came across a very interesting-sounding book that I knew would be helpful: Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose.
My Library didn’t have this one, but thanks to the wonders of ILL, they had it for me in three days, and I cracked it open with genuine enthusiasm. I haven’t read any non-fiction on the Revolutionary War since college (and then it was more political treatises of the era, not history of the war), so I found this to be a wonderful refresher on the history in general. Better still, it focused entirely on the use of espionage in the war, by both sides. And really, what could be more fun than that? 😉
Rose doesn’t follow a strict chronology in this–he follows stories, usually about the particular people, and uses those to take him from point to point. Which means you know exactly where to flip back to if you need to remind yourself about where someone was born, or who his father was, but locating a date for a particular action of his requires the help of the index.
The writing of this book was never dry and at times downright witty. I actually chuckled at several places. And at several others I found it necessary to interrupt my reading to share a particularly interesting factoid with my hubby. Mr. Rose found many ways to integrate little-known facts from the day that only had the smallest thing to do with the main subject; and he integrated them in such a way that you knew without doubt he had submersed himself fully in this era as he wrote the book. Something I, as I writer, certainly appreciate.
I did find a few typos in the dates given, like saying something happened in 1778 that happened in 1780. Typos, which I understand, but which confused me endlessly, LOL.
Overall, if you’re a history buff who loves reading about lesser-known portions of well-loved times, this is a fabulous book. It presents a fair, honest picture of what life was like from 1776-1784, not embellished by glamorous ideas or romance.
But no worries–I plan to embellish with plenty of romance when I write a novel set in the time. 😉
by Roseanna White | May 16, 2011 | Word of the Week
Intelligence is a pretty old world. It’s been around since the 14th century, meaning exactly what it does now. And even the secondary meaning–“information gathered, especially by spies”–dates back to the 1580s. I found this pretty surprising.
As I’m doing research for a spy novel set centuries ago, I’m paying close attention to all this stuff, and this one jumped out at me. Especially because General Washington often referred to his spies as “intelligencers,” a word I just love (though Spell Check sure doesn’t!)
It’s not often we find a word that hasn’t changed its meaning so fully over the course of 700 years!
And that’s apparently all the intelligence I can muster on a Monday morning before even a whiff of coffee. Hope your day is full of it! 😉
by Roseanna White | May 12, 2011 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
As I’m doing some basic research for a new story idea, I wanted to figure out what my heroine would call the Lord. She comes from a congregationalist, rather Puritan background, so I started by looking up Puritan prayers. And wow, am I glad I did.
These prayers are so beautiful that I copied them into a document and broke them into lines and stanzas as if they were poetry. Reading through them like this . . . it really showcases the perfection of faith, how it combines our weakness with His strength. I was so very blessed by these yesterday that I wanted to share these two with you today.
Also, the Colonial Quill is sharing first lines of stories today, if you want to check it out!
The Deeps
Lord Jesus, give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin, a dread of its approach.
Help me chastely to flee it
and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be Thine alone.
Give me a deeper trust, that I may lose myself
to find myself in Thee,
the ground of my rest, the spring of my being.
Give me a deeper knowledge of Thyself
as saviour, master, lord, and king.
Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in Thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.
Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from Thee.
Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until Thou alone art seen in me,
Thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
Thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.
I have no master but Thee, no law but Thy will,
no delight but Thyself, no wealth but that Thou givest,
no good but that Thou blessest, no peace but that Thou bestowest.
I am nothing but that Thou makest me.
I have nothing but that I receive from Thee.
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.
Quarry me deep, dear Lord, and then fill me
to overflowing with living water.
Devotion
God of my end, it is my greatest, noblest pleasure
to be acquainted with Thee
and with my rational, immortal soul;
it is sweet and entertaining to look into my being
when all my powers and passions
are united and engaged in pursuit of Thee,
when my soul longs and passionately breathes
after conformity to Thee and the full enjoyment of Thee;
no hours pass away with so much pleasure
as those spent in communion with Thee
and with my heart.
O how desirable, how profitable to the Christian life
is a spirit of holy watchfulness and godly jealousy over myself
when my soul is afraid of nothing
except grieving and offending Thee,
the blessed God, my Father and friend,
whom I then love and long to please,
rather than be happy in myself!
Knowing, as I do, that this is the pious temper,
worthy of the highest ambition,
and closest pursuit of intelligent creatures and holy Christians,
may my Joy derive from glorifying and delighting Thee.
I long to fill all my time for Thee,
whether at home or in the way;
to place all my concerns in Thy hands;
to be entirely at Thy disposal,
having no will or interest of my own.
Help me to live to Thee for ever,
to make Thee my last and only end,
so that I may never more in one instance
love my sinful self.
by Roseanna White | May 11, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
I’m in the process of doing research for a historical spy novel. And boy is it fun! This being before the age of super spy gadgets, most espionage was conducted through secret messages. And some of those secret messages were written in invisible ink. Ooo, fun!
I did some basic searching on what they used for this stuff, how it worked, etc. First I found simple instructions on household items you could use to make invisible ink. Though my source didn’t bother telling me what they looked like, what the ratio of substance to water should be, which developed best, etc.
Well, I decided, why not figure it out for myself?
Can you see me rubbing my hands together in delight? I can’t remember the last time I did an impromptu science experiment that had nothing to do with my daughter’s home school. I may have been heard cackling as I got out a piece of paper, a paintbrush, and then pulled out my spy tools.
Vinegar.
Lemon Juice.
Honey.
Sugar
Saliva (the least-gross of the recommended bodily fluids)
And of course, water.
Nothing gave me ratios, but I knew that the whole point was to dilute the substance so that it would not dry visibly on the paper, but only appear when heat is applied. So I mixed each substance with water (totally guessing on the recipe) and wrote a line with each, just the name of which substance I was using at the time.
Imagine me fidgeting while it all dried, and wondering which would make the paper wave the least. Though that was more a matter of silly me using too much, I think . . .
Finally we were dry. Because I’m just so silly, I got out my pot of ink, my glass stylus (no quill right now, though I used to have one) and wrote a “real” message too. Time to develop!
These are all heat-revealed, and one resource recommended a light bulb, an oven, or an iron. But come on–who had those on a battlefield (Or in this era in general, if we’re talking light bulbs)? I turned on my gas stove (no matches handy for a candle, LOL) and held out the paper.
Nothing.
I help it closer, just briefly. Waved it over the flame.
Nothing.
Grrrrrrrrr. I know this works. So swallowing my fear of burning the whole house down for a stupid experiment for a novel, I take the paper closer. I can smell the paper heating. I watch it begin to discolor above the flame. And there! Words appear.
“Lemon juice dilute.”
Yay! We have a winner! Not to give up on the others so easily, I moved the paper and watched “Sugar water” appear next. Along with a smoky brown spot that made me think any amateur spies had better practice this a few times to learn how to best develop without burning the message whole. 😉 Also learned that these must not have been the inks used in National Treasure, because they sure don’t disappear again, LOL.
Later that night I had my chemistry-inclined hubby help me figure out some of the more complicated inks, but I gotta say, this impromptu experiment was a ton of fun!
Happy researching to you all! 😉
by Roseanna White | May 10, 2011 | Uncategorized
Rose has all she needs on her farm outside Baltimore. Her pigs, her cows, her chickens . . . and an escape from the rest of the world. She has lost so much, she fears so much–but surely here she is safe.
Alexander Reed knows well that his only chance at redemption in the eyes of his family lies with finding glory in the British navy. But when a dastardly fellow officer makes to attack yet another American girl on yet another farm, solely because she is American, decency demands that Alex take action. Unfortunately, he gets injured for his trouble.
Rose has no idea what to do when she’s faced with being saved by a now-hurt British soldier. On the one hand, he saved her life. But on the other, he’s British? What’s she to do with this handsome officer? If she helps him, she could be hanged for treason. But if she doesn’t, what kind of person would she be?
Surrounded by war and prejudice on both sides of the battle, threatened with the attention of a distasteful suitor who will use anything in his power to make Rose–and her farm–his, and faced with the ultimate decisions of faith and loyalty, Rose and Alex must find their own course in a time of treachery . . . before all they love is destroyed.
Can I just say I LOVED this book? I loved this book! It was heart-thudding romance, it was excitement in war, it had the star-crossed lovers vibe, and it was, as MaryLu’s books always are, a test of faith that shows us the power of our prayers when all is at its worse.
I not only enjoyed this awesome historical novel, I also learned some incredibly interesting facts about the War of 1812 that I hadn’t known, especially concerning the burning of Washington, D.C. Given the setting and characters, this one wasn’t quite as adventurous as the first book in the series, but it was a page-turning read that I had serious trouble putting down.
Lovers of historical romance won’t want to miss this one!
*This book was provided to me free of charge
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. 