by Roseanna White | Mar 9, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
It was about a hundred and fifty years ago. Society was still Victorian, complete with strict morals, expectations, and a rising influence of middle class prosperity and individualism. Younger sons of gentry were still expected to go into the church whether they felt a call or not, and scientists had made such amazing leaps and bounds in understanding the invisible forces of the world that in consequence, that world was changing.
People still cried out for faith in something. They still wanted to believe. But science told them they must have proof. Fashionable people were making a whole culture around questioning one’s faith. And the church . . . well, it was still more about lip-service in a lot of places. How can lip-service possibly fight against scientific evidence?
And so Spiritualism was born, along with two types of people involved in it–the spiritualists, who were masters at suspending their disbelief in the face of even the most outlandish claims, and the psychical researchers, who approached this new quasi-science-faith with what they told themselves were scientific principles, though often they thoroughly messed them up.
The goal of Spiritualism? To prove scientifically that there is life after death, and so a God. They wanted to prove faith. They wanted to communicate and ask questions of those who had gone before them. They wanted to question, and to find answers.
I’ve undoubtedly mentioned this movement on here before at some point, because I have a story idea that revolves around this bizarre, oh-so-popular Victorian trend. Strangely, I keep thinking of this story as something that exists–something I ought to be able to talk to people about. Yet all I’ve written in it is 10 pages, LOL.
So I broke out a rather intimidating tome I bought three years ago to research Spiritualism and figure I’ll do my homework on the story while finishing up a few other projects. I have a feeling I’m going to be coming across some really interesting things to share with y’all, and thought I’d first remind everyone of what in the world this strange movement was all about.
So brace yourself–the war between science and religion is underway in research world, and it spawned some truly bizarre little battles. Careful of flying shrapnel–in this particular war it was reputed to take the form of moving chairs and knocking on walls. 😉
by Roseanna White | Mar 8, 2011 | Uncategorized
A while back, I posted about a great book of Bible stories for kids, but I’d only read the first few stories in it. Well, we have since finished the book and start ed over, so I though I’d share my full review. =)
The Read and Share Bible is a collection of over 200 stories from both Old and New Testaments, each one broken down into short snippets with brightly colored pictures to hold your little one’s attention. So the story of Joseph, for instance, is actually 13 stories starting with the coat of many colors and stretching through when Jacob brings the whole family to Egypt.
Here’s what I adore about this book–my kids adore it. Each night I let each child pick which book they want me to read, and each night my five-year-old daughter says, “The Bible stories.” She loves discovering these stories, loves when she already knows one, loves asking questions about them . . . and loves that when she asks, “Really? That happened for real?” Mommy answers, “Yes, it really did.” (Unlike with all the other books and TV shows she watches that aren’t ‘real.’)
I also love that this book has so many stories in it, the familiar ones along with some of the more obscure. Most of the bloody or violent ones have been left out (or seriously) downplayed, but they still get a full view of the hand of God through many generations. The stories are accurate if abridged, and when we finished it up, I knew my kids had just gotten a great foundation–one we could talk about and build on. And best of all, when we read the last story, my daughter said, “Yay! Now we get to start over tomorrow night!” Is there any better recommendation for a children’s book??
Here’s what I don’t love about it–in an effort to make the stories child-friendly, some facts I deemed key were left out. I’m not a big fan of dumbing down language to the degree they did (like only calling Pharaoh “the king.” Teach them a new word, it’s okay.), and the biggest complaint I have is that it tells about Moses getting the Ten Commandments but doesn’t tell us what they were. I was looking forward to a kid-friendly list and was seriously disappointed when it wasn’t there. My kids wanted to know them, too–so I explained them in my own words, as I did in several places where the explanation stopped just a bit too short for her.
But complaints aside, this is by far the best collection of kids’ Bible stories I’ve found. It’s engaging, it’s compelling, it has lead-in/follow-up questions for each story that are natural and fun, and it’s now a part of our nightly ritual. It’s also a semi-regular part of our Children’s Church, and the other kids love it too.
And because our family loves it so much, I’m thrilled to be able to offer a copy for giveaway. This contest will run both here and at the
Christian Review of Books, and you can enter both places for two chances to win. To enter, please leave a comment below with an email address.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Chance of winning depends on number of entries. Contest ends 3/22/11. Winner will have two weeks to claim prize.
by Roseanna White | Mar 7, 2011 | Word of the Week
First of all, I’d like to say I think about this phrase for my books ONLY. 😉 It recently came up in a manuscript I’d read, where a character says, “He cheated on me.” Obviously, we all know what she meant. “Cheat,” is in fact the most common way these days to say someone was unfaithful to a spouse or significant other.
But you know what? That phrase wasn’t recorded until 1934. So all those historicals that have a character accusing another of cheating . . . well, they must mean at cards, right? 😉
There have been a few occasions in my own books where I had this situation too, and my gut told me to look up the usage of the word. When I discovered it was so very modern, that obviously forced me to find the alternate ways of saying this. “Be unfaithful to” was a little wordy, but “betray” always worked well.
I know, I know, what a note to start the week on! LOL. But it’s one of those surprisingly-modern things, so I thought I’d share. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
by Roseanna White | Mar 4, 2011 | Uncategorized
Today I’m happy to welcome Shellie Neumeier to my blog to chat about her debut novel, a YA book entitled Driven. I’ve got this book sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, and it looks great.
Shellie has been generous enough to offer a copy to one lucky reader, so please leave your comments below with an email address where you can be reached–and be sure to click “follow” if you haven’t already! 😉
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About Driven
Robyn can’t help but notice the handsome new guy at her school. She ignores, however, the arrival of another being at Brookfield Central High School—a demon assigned to destroy her…
Robyn loves her friends, enjoys her youth group, and looks forward to meeting cute Caleb Montague. But when a caustic news reporter challenges her school’s prayer team, Robyn must choose: defend their right to meet on campus and pray for whomever they wish or back down at the principal’s request.
Now she must learn what God wants her to do. And she had better learn fast, because there’s a supernatural enemy in town whose sole mission is to stop her—no matter the cost.
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About Shellie
Shellie Neumeier holds a degree in Secondary Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a minor in Psychology, Sociology and Social Studies. A devoted mother of four, Shellie previously worked on staff with Northbrook Church as the King’s Kids ministry assistant (serving children in grades 2nd through 5th), developing and writing curriculum, involving families and volunteers in King’s Kids programs and encouraging the spiritual growth in school-aged children. Shellie’s YA novel, Driven, is now available in electronic form and is scheduled for print release March 1, 2011 from Risen Fiction. She is an active member of SCBWI and ACFW as well as a contributing author at various blogs including Samiesisters.com, thebarndoor.net, and ya_noveling.com.
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What’s your latest book?
My debut novel, Driven, was released for the holidays in its kindle version and will be released everywhere else on March 1, 2011 by Risen Books.
I love the cover! But I suppose we should look beneath it. 😉 What was the hardest part to write?
The fight scene. I’ve never been in one or watched one and I rarely read about them. It took quite a bit of research, editing, and imagination to get it to work.
Where’s a fight-picking friend when you need one, anyway? =) What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?
Hopefully my readers will come away with a renewed sense of power. A sense of I-can-do-that, whatever “that” may be in their lives. And of course I hope they come away having enjoyed a great ride from the story.
What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
I love writing YA because the readers are so passionate about what they consume. And they give you latitude with creative moments, but keep you accountable with unrealistic moments too. It’s a challenge, but I’ve always loved challenges.
I have a huge appreciation for the YA genre–you definitely have a challenging, but oh-so-rewarding job! What are you reading right now—and what do you want to read next?
I’m finishing the Hunger Games trilogy and I have Brandilyn Collins’ novel, Deceit, on my kindle just waiting to be read next.
Oo, don’t forget to breathe. (Tee hee hee) Okay, let’s change directions a bit. What would your dream office look like—and what does your REAL writing environment look like?
I would love one of those warehouse loft offices with super high ceilings and tons of workspace, oh and a huge wall of windows overlooking a river, but in the real world I work at the kitchen counter once my children have been sent off to school. It’s crowded and usually sticky, but it works.
LOL on the sticky. Glad I’m not the only one with a sticky table. Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?
Google—it’s open all the time and a thesaurus/dictionary. Those pesky words slip my mind from time to time and I can’t find them without that thesaurus.
If you could take your family on a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Disney cruise. Hands down. We live in Wisconsin and its January. I think that says it all =).
You bet it does! And we are SO with you.
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Thanks so much for visiting, Shellie, and giving my readers a glimpse into your fun book! Readers, be sure to check out her website at http://shellieneumeier.com in addition to the blogs she listed in her bio. You can find Driven at Amazon.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Chance of winning depends on number of entries. Contest ends 3/11/11. Winner will have two weeks to claim prize.
by Roseanna White | Mar 3, 2011 | Uncategorized
For those who haven’t already seen elsewhere, I have the flu. On top of the sinus/ear infection (which has mostly cleared up). That makes 3 weeks of straight sickness. Fun stuff.
Needless to say, a few things have slipped. Housework primarily (ha ha), but blogging too. Sorry about that. I’ll have an interview/giveaway posted tomorrow, and next week I’ll hopefully be back to my usual schedule.
In the meantime, I thought I’d let you know that this week I’m featured on
Shannon Vannatter’s blog. Monday she posted
my wedding story, complete with our gorgeous beach pictures, yesterday was
an interview about the romance of Kasia and Xerxes from
Jewel of Persia, and tomorrow will be an excerpt from the book. You can comment on any of the posts to be entered for a chance to win a copy.
Also, I just started a Yahoo! group for writers of Biblical and Ancient World fiction. If any of you write or are interested in writing in these oh-so-awesome genres, let me know and I’ll send you an invite!
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, 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. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.