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.
by Roseanna White | Dec 8, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
I had great fun this past weekend exploring Historic Annapolis with my friend
Kimberly. I left the kids with David and her hubby Martin and we headed into the ever-lovely historic district, armed with a digital camera, a notebook, and a spirit of adventure.
Okay, so my camera battery died within fifteen minutes (I charged it, I swear I did! LOL), but the pen survived just fine, so it was cool. 😉 And a trifle cold, but we were well wrapped.
It was honestly a blast to play tourist in the town we’d lived in for years, to be one of those annoying camera- toting pedestrians who didn’t know where we were going, rather than a native on a mission to get from Point A to Point B. We started out at the Visitor’s Center, of course, and loaded up on brochures that probably won’t be all that helpful. The highlight there, though, was a 3-D model/map of the town, color-coded by what era each building was built in. Now that is a great way to see how little was there at the time!
Of course, there was track-lighting, and trying to get pictures proved a work in glare-dodging. =) Luckily, Kimberly knows how to do all those fancy photographer things, like playing with exposure and stuff. I think we got some decent shots.
After that I decided I should figure out where the house is that my heroine’s staying at. One problem . . . the street I’d put her on is kinda occupied by the governor’s mansion. Um . . . hmm. It wasn’t there at the time, I know–but what was? Well, so far as I can tell, not a whole lot. So I think it’s fairly safe to insert a couple random houses. Like, say, one on the left side that would give that oh-so-perfect view of the Liberty Tree. =)
The next highlight was plotting the heroine’s escape route from the State House down to the bay. Oh, fun. And oh, the looks we got as we stood there going, “Well she couldn’t run that way, she’d have to dodge all those little outbuildings. And if he’s following her, she’ll just take the quickest way she can . . .”
I love being a writer. =)
by Roseanna White | Dec 7, 2010 | Uncategorized
Well, today’s the last day of the book signing. All those hours of preparation, all those days of book sales, are drawing to a close. Have you found that perfect Christmas gift for the booklover in your life yet? Or for yourself?
Well get thee over to the CRoB!
No, I didn’t really intend to make that my entire post for the day, but we’re having water issues here–one of the pump thingies isn’t pumping drained water up to where it’s supposed to, which means all drained water is instead streaking across our basement floor, aimed at the drain there. So not right. I have been forbidden to use any water other than the toilet and bathroom sink. And given that I’m really not in the mood for “bathing” in my sink, I need to get my kiddos out the door here very soon so I can go beg a shower off my mother.
Sigh.
Yeah, so if you want to pray this water thing is an inexpensive fix (you know, the kind that DOESN’T require digging up the yard or anything) and an easy one, too, that would be awesome.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
by Roseanna White | Dec 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
Whenever I sit down on Monday mornings lately, I have an internal debate. What do I really have to write about right now that’s on contemporaries? Sure, I have a slew of them written, but they’re not in my thoughts. And which one should I talk about this time? My beach books? My romantic suspense? What??
Well, today I’ll just talk about my thoughts on the matter, which are spurred from two separate friends/family members asking this past week, “When do I get to read Seized? Every time you mention it, it intrigues me.”
To which I reply, “Whenever I finish it.”
Sigh. I can write quickly–really I can. But I still have to have the time in general, and at this point all my time’s going to historicals that, you know, actually have the promise of being published. So . . . yeah. Seized is put on hold. Though as soon as I have no deadline looming over me on Jewel of Persia and my Annapolis story, you can bet I’ll be going back to it.
But I’ve definitely come to appreciate a few things about contemporaries while writing all these historicals. Case in point–I spent my weekend in Annapolis, so I went downtown and plotted out my heroine’s escape route through the city, etc. Very handy . . . except that most of the buildings here now weren’t here then. I’m pretty lucky when it comes to Annapolis–it’s such a historical tourist town that even the street signs have dates on them, and there are plaques on each corner saying who bought and built what when. Still. One major plus of researching a place for a modern story is that what you see is what you need.
Anyway. There are my thoughts this morning. Hopefully not too dull. 😉
Now, quick reminder–there are only TWO DAYS left in the online book signing. TWO DAYS! Tomorrow it closes, so you’d better hurry yourself over to www.ChristianReviewofBooks.com and make up your minds about what books you want! =)
by Roseanna White | Dec 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
And the winner of Alice K. Arenz’s Mirrored Image is . . .
Charlotte Kay! (chakasa58@ . . .)
Congrats, Charlotte! I just sent you an email.
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.