by Roseanna White | Dec 15, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
So part of my Annapolis research involves the church my characters would have attended. There really isn’t a whole lot of choice there–only one church existed in Annapolis at the time, and it was St. Anne’s Episcopal. Very excited about that, my friend Kimberly and I went into the church last week, grabbed the historical brochure they have, and chatted with a few of the ladies preparing it for Christmas while we let our jaws drop at the glorious stained glass and majestic pipe organ.
Then, of course, we learned that the current building was actually the third St. Anne’s Church to stand on the spot. Naturally, I needed the second. But I saw that the brochure had info on it, so I just tucked it away and enjoyed the building there now. It’s truly lovely, and we enjoyed our ten minutes looking around the sanctuary.
Yesterday I finally read the brochure. I learned that right before the Revolution, it was decided that the first St. Anne’s was far too small, so they tore it down to build a new one. Only, you know, war broke out. The materials got used for a fort instead (sheesh, what priorities;-). So where, you wonder, did the church meet, since the old one was already demolished?
For a while, at King William’s School, which later became my alma mater, St. John’s College. (Go, SJC!) But they outgrew that too, and moved to . . . the theater on West Street.
This made me grin, because I’d already discovered that a new theater was erected about a decade before drama was banned during the war. What, I had wondered, did they do with the building? Well, there’s my answer. It got to be the church! Apparently for quite a while, since the second St. Anne’s wasn’t finished until 1792. That’s nearly ten years when Church Circle sat without a church inside!
And boy am I glad I bothered to read that brochure, otherwise I would have had my heroine walking to said Church Circle instead of West Street here in a few days . . . ah, research. The things we discover. 😉
by Roseanna White | Dec 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
Well, I’m reviewing a children’s book today. Partially because I need to write a review of it anyway, and partly because I haven’t had time to read anything else in the past week or two. Or, when I have time, the energy. Anyhoo.
I received The Real-Life Princess from the author a while back, and my daughter was sooooo excited. At 5, she’s enthralled with princesses, and the lovely illustrations drew her in right away. A story-within-a-story, this book starts out with Zoe twirling around in a princess ballerina costume, and her mommy offering to tell her a story about a real-life princess. So they settle on the couch together, and Mommy proceeds to tell about Michaela. Michaela grew up a poor, filthy servant, despised by all . . . but when the king spots her in a crowd one day, he asks her if she would like to be a princess.
Michaela says “Yes.” And so begins the transformation, and the realization that she was made to be a princess all along. Just like, Zoe realized, we all can be if we say “Yes” to Jesus.
As an adult, I found the symbolism rather obvious and the logic of the story a bit bare, but I’m not the target audience, LOL. My daughter (thrilled from the start given that she shares a name with the little girl), loves this book. As in, she carries it over to me when I’m at my desk and nudges it over whatever I’m working on with an innocent bat of her eyes and her very sweetest, “Read it, please, Mommy? Read about the princess.”
So we do, and it has the honor of being one of her favorites. Can’t beat that, can you? And really, its message is one we all need to remember–that we all must make a choice. If we choose to turn our backs on the Lord, then we’ll spend our lives in the same state we’ve been in. But if we choose to say, “Yes,” then we’ll be princes and princesses of Heaven.
*This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for a review.
by Roseanna White | Dec 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
‘Tis the season for pointed blog posts, right? =) I don’t know about you, but my family’s is full Christmas swing–the house is decorated, the tree is up (go, blue spruce!), gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies are baked.
This morning as I got up, bleary eyed (got a bit of a cold), and began contemplating what to blog about today, I started thinking about my characters, and wondering how they all celebrate Christmas.
One of my favorite contemporary characters, Louisa, didn’t get to have Christmas on-page in her book, but I can well imagine the holiday at her family’s oceanside inn. It would be decked out beautifully, with greens everywhere and a festive, elegant tree. Her 8-year-old twins would be tearing through the place with that unparalleled “we’re off school!” excitement. Louisa would go about the holiday quietly, but with abundant laughs at her family’s antics. She’d have selected gifts very carefully over the previous months, finding deals on those special things that will make her babies’ eyes light up. And in the year my story about her takes place, Christmas will be even more special than usuall–it’s the first year she and Rem are married, their family finally complete.
In the book currently called Love Me Silly, I actually end the book on Christmas in my epilogue. Heroine Davina has gotten red and green streaks in her hair for the holiday–and to annoy her oh-so-proper mother. 😉 Her family, along with hero Keaton’s, always travels to the Big Bear Mountains for Christmas, and this year is no exception. Nestled cozily in an old-fashioned cabin (no doubt equipped with every possible convenience, mind you, just cleverly, expensively disguised to look old-fashioned, LOL), the families string popcorn and cranberries for the tree and revel in having everyone together again.
I don’t imagine the plotline of Seized will stretch from May (where the action begins) to December, but I smile to think of Cantara’s first real Christmas. She was Bedouin, you see, so wouldn’t have celebrated Christmas growing up. And though villain Andre probably put on a good show for the occasion, where she would have been expected to appear in high fashion, it wouldn’t have meant anything. But this year . . . this year she’ll have a faith rooted in the coming of the Christ. This year she’ll be surrounded by loving family for the first time. This year will be magical.
There are a ton of Christmas novels out there, of course, and I always enjoy diving into a few this time of year. Yet I’ve never written a story revolving around Christmas. Hmm, maybe one of these days I will!
Writers, how do your characters celebrate the holidays? Readers, what’s your favorite Christmas-themed book? Do share!
by Roseanna White | Dec 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
Today I’m tickled to welcome my friend April Gardner to my blog, to talk about her new release, Wounded Spirits. I had the pleasure of endorsing this book, and oh, what a treat! I’ve long loved stories that involve Native Americans, and April’s story took me back to the days when I read every book on the subject I could find.
April has graciously offered a copy of Wounded Spirits to one lucky reader. As always, leave a comment to enter, and be sure to include an email address. And click “Follow” if you haven’t already. 😉
~*~
About Wounded Spirits
On the frontier, Adela McGirth’s life is simple, rugged, and exactly to her liking. Her greatest concern is whether to marry the settlement’s most eligible young officer. When a distant war among the Natives spills over into a nearby skirmish, life takes a perilous turn.
Deep in enemy territory Adela must choose between the man she loves and a baby that has yet to be born; will she be strong enough to wait on God’s provision?
A peace-loving yet loyal Creek warrior, Totka is forced to align with the extremist Red Stick faction whose purpose is to eradicate the Whites from Creek soil. In the midst of battle, Totka is assigned to protect those he is expected to hate–and kill. Life was simpler before his enemy became a beautiful face with a quiet strength and dignity he cannot resist.
Having lived a life plagued with death and loss, Zachariah McGirth is a man on a mission – he’ll have his revenge or die trying. Blinded by grief, he can’t see his way clear of yet another tragedy. Why has God taken everything from him…or has He?
Their lives molded by the course of history, can these Wounded Spirits learn to rely on God’s grace during one of the bloodiest conflicts in the South?
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About April
A military spouse, April has performed the art of homemaking all over the world. Currently, she lives in Georgia with her children, while her husband serves a tour in the Middle East. A home school mom, she fills her mornings talking fractions and phonics with her two sweet kiddos. In her free time, April enjoys reading, gardening, and DIY. In no particular order, she dreams of owning a horse, visiting all the national parks, and speaking Italian.
April writes a weekly homemaking column on the joint blog Reflections in Hindsight. She is also the founder and senior editor of Clash of the Titles. Wounded Spirits is her first published novel.
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What’s your latest book?
Wounded Spirits from Vinspire, November 2010.
And what a great story it is! What’s your favorite part of it?
Like so many authors and their first books, I worked on Wounded Spirits for close to three years before I submitted the final round of edits to my publisher. But it wasn’t until the last weeks that I wrote my favorite part. My new editor suggested making a huge change in the book. I took her up on the challenge. In ten days, I switched the roles of a minor character and major character and virtually wrote in a whole new hero. In those ten days I fell head over heels in love with my Creek warrior, Totka. He’s reluctant to make war with the Whites, but it’s in the middle of a massacre where, with blood on his hands, he finds the white woman he can’t get out of his mind.
Let me just say I can’t begin to imagine what this story was like without Totka in the hero’s role! Oh, love that guy. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
Historicals!! Always, historical fiction. The more unique the setting and time period, the better. I think that’s why Wounded Spirits works. Few know about the Creek War or the largest massacre of Whites by Native Americans.
Fellow history buff here! And I loved learning about the Creek War from your book. Okay, now a slight change of topic. What are you reading right now—and what do you want to read next?
Right now, I’m reading, Courting Constance, a book by another Vinspire author, Teryl Cartwright. It’s really good! Set in the same years as Wounded Spirits, but takes place on the other side of the pond, in England.
Next up, is either Melanie Dickerson’s The Healer’s Apprentice or Sara Sundin’s A Memory Between Us. I’m having a hard time deciding which!
I’ve read them both–they’re very different, but both sooooo good! Can’t go wrong with choices like that. =) Next question. Aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?
Parenting! I home school my kids, so they’re always around needing to be…well, parented. I often think of how much more writing I could accomplish if I put my kids in school, but God hasn’t released me to do that yet. Until then, writing takes second place to my kids. Which is really how it should be anyway.
I know exactly what you mean. With ya there. Okay, onto the fun, frivolous question. 😉 If someone were to give you $5,000 to spend on anything you wanted, what would you buy? (No saving or gifts to charities allowed!)
I would tile my kitchen and bathrooms. This horrid linoleum has GOT to go. With the leftover money I’d save from my DIY tile project (DIY rocks!), I’d buy my husband a new desktop. Sorry, hun, but this 6 yo dino has seen better days.
LOL. What writing goal have you set for yourself that would be the hardest (or unlikeliest) but most rewarding to achieve?
I dream of seeing my book on the front cover of CBD’s fiction catalogue. So that’s my goal, and I actually have it written down to be accomplished before the end of 2013. Get back with me then, and I’ll let you know if God’s goals for me lined up with my own. 😉
So noted. 😉 What are you writing right now?
Right now, I’m writing Warring Spirits, the sequel to Wounded Spirits. It has a really different feel from Wounded Spirits. Smaller scale, more character driven versus plot driven, less action, more romance. It’s different! A good kinda different. I’m likin’ like.
I’m also editing a middle grade WWII novel that I’m hoping to see published one day.
Thanks for having me, Roseanna, and for being a fan of Wounded Spirits. I’ll be around today if anyone wants to leave a question or comment.
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So glad to have you, April! Readers, you can check out her website at www.aprilgardner.com and her blog at www.aprilwgardner.blogspot.com. Look for her book on Amazon, or a signed version at CrossPurposes!
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 12/16/10. Winner will have two weeks to claim prize.
by Roseanna White | Dec 9, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Do you believe in Santa?
I still do. Well, I mean, I don’t expect a mountain of presents under my tree from a jolly old elf. But I still believe in the idea of
Santa Claus, in the ideal of
Santa Claus. I still believe in that magical something that surrounds this most blessed season and finds a symbol in that red-clad, generous man.
But when it came to what to tell my kids about Santa, I hemmed and hawed for years. Part of it was pure selfishness on my part–I put a lot of effort into gift-selection, and I didn’t want to share the credit with an anonymous stranger! But more than that, my kids already have SO MUCH STUFF. I really didn’t want to introduce a free ticket for more. Christmas morning at our house finds the kids with enough, but not a ton of present. Usually 5-7 each, plus stocking. We keep it small deliberately, because once the grandparents add their gifts to the day . . . yeah, not so small anymore.
And in years past, the kids never really noticed whether something was from us or Santa. But this year–boy howdy. Xoe has been asking me since summertime why Santa doesn’t come to our house (and she was a little upset about it). She asked, “Is Santa real?”
Argh. I understand the whole “I don’t want to lie to my kids” dilemma about Santa. But . . . I love Santa stories. So I replied, “What do you think?” Xoe: “He’s real! So why doesn’t he bring me presents?” In my oh-so-quick-thinking, I informed her that I told Santa not to bring anything until she could ask for something in particular, because there were so many less fortunate kids out there who needed him to brighten their day.
Naturally, this year she wanted to write a letter to Santa. But I still didn’t want this to be a ticket to unnecessary free stuff, so I told her she could only ask him for one thing. Just one, so to consider carefully. And then I told her we were going to help Santa out by buying a toy for a toy drive. Then I bought a book that explains who Saint Nicholas actually is, and why he’s a part of Christmas.
Xoe considered very carefully, for weeks, and wavered back and forth about what she wanted to ask him for. She eventually decided on a princess ballerina costume, with shoes that have ribbons. And a tiara, of course. She wrote him a very sweet, polite letter (complete with asking after the reindeer, LOL), and drew him a picture on the back so he’d know exactly what this costume should look like.
Is my balance Right? Is my decision on how to handle things Good? How’s a parent ever to know? But when I updated my hubby on the conversations Xoe and I had had on the subject, he looked genuinely impressed. And when we took Xoe’s letter to be mailed, there was such light in her eyes that I knew it wasn’t just about the costume for her. It was about believing.
And I think maybe I haven’t handled this so terribly after all. My little girl made a conscious decision to believe–and it means more to her because of that.
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.