by Roseanna White | Nov 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
Today I’m happy to have Vannetta Chapman here to help get us in the holiday spirit (continuing last week’s theme . . . ð She’ll be chatting about her debut novel, A Simple Amish Christmas. This week we have no need to run it as a giveaway, because EVERYONE can get it free from the Kindle store until November 15!
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About A Simple Amish Christmas
Annie Weaver always planned to return home, but the 20-year-old RN has lived in Philadelphia for three years now. Her time of rumschpringa is about to come to an abrupt end, bringing for Annie an overwhelming sense of loneliness as the Christmas season is in full swing. She returns home and finds herself face-to-face with a budding romance with an Amish farmer. Her passion for healing has caught widower Samuel Yoder’s attention. Will she also capture his heart? Annie has several important choices to make, all on the morning of A Simple Amish Christmas.
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About Vannetta
Vannetta Chapman has published more than 100 articles in Christian family magazines. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfatherâs birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a multi-award-winning member of Romance Writers of America. She currently teaches in the Texas hill country. A Simple Amish Christmas is her debut novel. She is hard at work on a three book Amish murder mystery series set in Shipshewana, Indiana. Written for Zondervan (a division of Harper Collins), these cozy mysteries will begin releasing in 2011.
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What’s your latest book?
A Simple Amish Christmas released from Abingdon Press in October 2010.
It sounds great! What’s your favorite part of the story?
My favorite part of the story was the medical portions.
I liked describing how Samuel and Annie worked together to meet the medical needs of their community. Although the Amish do see Englisch medical practitioners for major medical needs, they still depend on lay-persons for minor problems. I enjoyed coming up with these scenarios and developing the interplay between the characters.
Oh, that would indeed be fun–and challenging. What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?
A sense of God’s grace. That he does have a plan for each of us. That even when we leave home and come back changed, even that can be a part of God’s plan. He can use anything to his purpose.
We’ve been discussing this at church and Bible study this past week. So very true. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
I honestly just enjoy writing. I don’t think about genres. Now that I’m published in the Amish genre, that’s what my contracts are for–though I write Amish romances for Abingdon and Amish mysteries for Zondervan. But I honestly don’t think about that. I think about writing stories about characters who will come alive on the page, and then later I mold it to the publisher’s slot. As far as what I read, I do read practically every genre. I’m an avid reader–usually reading about 4 books a month (And yes, I read on the Kindle and paper versions too).
Three cheers for diversity! =) What are you reading right nowâand what do you want to read next?
I’m reading Amy Clipston’s book, A Plain and Simple Christmas, because she sent me a lovely signed copy. I’m also reading Amish Grace, the story of the Nickel’s Mine tragedy. The subheading of this book is “How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy,” which is perfect. It’s really the story of God’s grace and mercy in the lives of this very close-knit community. Lastly I’m reading Ends of the Earth by Tim Downs. It’s my first “bug-man” book. I heard Tim at ACFW this year, and I wanted to try one of his books. I’m enjoying it very much. Oh, and I’m reading Pinheads and Patriots by Bill O’Reilly.
Well goodness, you didn’t specify you read them four books a month all at ONCE. ð Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?
I do keep a stack of Amish books handy. But the thing that has helped me the most–I’m currently working on book 2 of my Amish mystery series–is a photo album. I used part of my advance to go to Shipshewana, Indiana. While there I took a lot of pictures, and I actually printed them all out. Normally I just load them on my computer. This time I put them in a photo album, and I look in that thing every single day … checking plants, buildings, the littlest details. It’s been amazing how helpful those pictures have been.
Oh, that’s so awesome! Making a mental note to do that after I take a research trip here in a few weeks . . . But back to you. ð What writing goal have you set for yourself that would be the hardest (or unlikeliest) but most rewarding to achieve?
I suppose I have the same goals that most writers have–big goals. I plan to make writing my full time job (and yes I’ve read Chip McGregor’s opinion on that). I plan to be at the top of the bestseller charts. I plan to publish 2-3 books per year. I sit down and write out my goals each year. But more than the specific goals I write down are the spiritual goals related to my writing. I have to continuously check my “compass” and make sure I haven’t strayed off course. That would seem hard when you’re not entirely sure where God is leading your career, but it seems to me that God is saying “Do what you promised me.” That might be different for every person, and for every writer, but for me that means to continue to write books about God’s grace.
Amen to that. If we’re not writing for Him, what’s the point? Do you remember where you were when you got your first or most important call about a book contract?
I was teaching a class of sophomores when I received the call that I had sold my first book. I stepped outside the classroom to take the call, which I never do. And of course afterwards, I wanted to call someone and squeal, but I had to go back in and finish teaching. We learn patience in all sorts of ways.
Oh my goodness, talk about a test of patience! Any upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?
Shipshewana Amish Mystery Series
2011
Zondervan
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Thanks for visiting, Vannetta! Readers, you can check out her website at http://www.vannettachapman.com/
and her blog at http://vannettachapman.wordpress.com/. You can purchase her book at Amazon or CrossPurposes . . . or wait and buy a signed copy during our fabulous post-Thanksgiving signing, as she’s one of our authors. =)
by Roseanna White | Nov 11, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Every now and then, I get tired. I get overwhelmed. I get bogged down with particulars, with comparisons, with frustrations. And that’s when the beast rears its ugly head.
Insecurity.
We all know it, right? It’s that voice that whispers in the back of our minds, “You’re never going to be able to pull this off. You’re doing a terrible job. So-and-so is so much better than you at this.” Which moves naturally into other whispered thoughts. “Why do you bother? Nothing ever works out like you want it to anyway. Just put it aside and take a break.”
I expect anyone who’s human goes through this from time to time. And if you’re like me, you can recognize it, but by then you’re already in its claws. Those voices tend to be sneaky, and they work fast. It only takes a few seconds for them to toss you into a downward spiral.
Those of us who are Christians know that when those moments strike, we need to pray, to give it to the Lord. I’ve tried quite a few versions of this. For years, I would pray, “Lord, send me some encouragement.” And he always, always did.
But lately I’ve turned to a different prayer. Lately I’ve stopped thinking that this is just a phase or a rut that He needs to pull me out of and have begun to see it’s one the enemy tries to push me into–and that I don’t have to go, certainly not without a fight. And if we fight in the name of Jesus, victory is guaranteed.
Several times over the past months, I’d done what I called with my friend, “Gave myself a time out and let God give me a talking to.” This is to combat the attitude resulting from that awful little voice of insecurity. And it works. Those feelings are never from God, so when I refuse to indulge them AND fill my mind instead with His word, with His truth . . . wow. It’s really amazing how things turn around.
Yesterday I had a headache, a mile-high to-do list, and I started hearing that nasty little whisper of, “You can’t pull this off, you know. It’s going to flop. And your WIP is just terrible, you’ll never get past chapter four.”
It only took me a second to realize this wasn’t something I had to indulge, that it wasn’t something I had to let be real. I squeezed my eyes shut then and there and prayed. I gave it all to Him, I soaked up His love, and I got back to work. (Okay, I also took a little nap to help the headache. Then got up feeling muuuuuuch better, so got back up to work.)
Fleeting thoughts need not rule us. Whispers need not find their voices in our mouths.
Because we serve the Word. We serve the Victor.
Whether we’re battling insecurity, fear, jealousy, or something more physical like exhaustion, illness, cancer, the battle has already been waged and won.
It doesn’t always feel like it–but it doesn’t have to. I have to remind myself sometimes that it isn’t about feeling. Feelings are emotions, which by definition involved motion–moving. But He never moves. He never changes. If we rest in Him, we don’t have to either. We can just be . . . at peace.
by Roseanna White | Nov 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
And the winner of Alice Wisler’s Hatteras Girl is . . .
Sheree! (neednspace@ . . .)
Congrats! I just sent you an email.
by Roseanna White | Nov 10, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
I love Annapolis. I love the old-world charm, I love the maritime beauty, I love the ancient facades (or as ancient as facades can get in America) of the buildings. I love that when I walk along City Dock during boating season, I can hear conversations in German and French and Italian as well as Spanish and English. I love seeing the Midshipman bustling along in their pristine whites, I love seeing the Johnnies amble along with a book in front of them–yes, the students from my college sometimes read and walk at the same time. I’ve seen it, LOL.
Annapolis is a city very proud of its colonial heritage, of its importance in the wars that came after, in how it has stood strong even as Baltimore outgrew it. And I love it for that.
One problem . . . at the time I’m writing in, it wasn’t just a tourist spot for the yachting community. The Naval Academy wasn’t there yet. There was no St. John’s College. Which made me ask all knew questions. Like . . . what was College Creek called, then? Or, more importantly, College Avenue?
See, College Avenue slices right through the middle of town, a rather important thoroughfare if you’re dealing at all with the State House–which I am. In fact, one of my primary characters lives on North Street (which connects to College Ave) and teaches at King William’s School, which was (wanna take a guess?) on the other side of College Ave.
I looked everywhere I could think to. I searched through the old book I had on Annapolis. In three more provided by Google Books. I searched for maps from the era. But I couldn’t find the answer to that question. I discovered what Main Street used to be called, I discovered that College Creek used to be Deep Creek (and that Spa Creek used to be Acton’s). I learned any number of other useful facts about what was what back then–but not as concerns College Ave. Aaaaagggghhhh!
Then I found a promising link in the Maryland State Archives, which are blessedly online. A map–not quite old enough to help, but there were links to other, older maps. I clicked on the oldest one–still 90 years after my book, but the closest I could get online. And it looked good. It looked promising. That street crossing town definitely did not say College Ave. It said . . . crease?
Aaaaaagggghhhhh! Yes, this scanned map had a terrible crease RIGHT THROUGH THE NAME I NEEDED!!!!! All I could make out was “Tab” and “cle.” But that was enough to ding the bell of memory (an adage not in use in 1783, by the way, ha ha). Tabernacle! It was Tabernacle Street!!!
So, in a way that my middle school math teachers would fully approve of, now that I had my answer, I worked backward to check my work. I searched for Tabernacle Street in Annapolis, and voila! Documents verifying this was indeed what I needed. (Though heaven forbid they come up in my original searches–noooooooo.)
See how exciting historical research can be? ð
by Roseanna White | Nov 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
The Master’s Wall
By Sandi Rog
David never thought he would see his parents dragged away by Roman soldiersâand he certainly never thought he would wake up a slave. But when he’s taken to a villa outside Rome and told he will serve there, he knows exactly what he must doâeither earn or steal his freedom, so that he can find out what became of his sister. But invisible bonds hold him to the villa. His own word of honor . . . and the spirited granddaughter of his master.
Alethea already watched her father die because he was a Christian. When she learns her new friend David is one as well, she at once yearns to know about his God and wants to avoid Him at all cost, lest she lose her life as well.
âHe fights for his freedom. She fights for her life. Together they fight for each other.â
Can I just say âWow!â? Or maybe âStunning!â? I love stories set in the first century, and The Master’s Wall ranks as one of the best I’ve read to date. The characters are exactly what a reader wantsâfull of spirit, full of fire, full of temper that leads them into trouble . . . and faith that helps them through it. The setting is so richly portrayed that you’ll feel like you’ve donned a toga and are wandering through the villa.
Sandi Rog uses these gripping characters and stunning setting to execute a plot that will keep you guessing and dreaming and yearning along with Alethea and David. The Master’s Wall is so enthralling that it even haunted my dreams when I put it down halfway throughâand you can bet I finished it the next day!
There’s so much I loved about itâthe brutal reality of slavery depicted. The sweet hope of a girl whose innocence has been marred by tragedy. The enduring faith of a boy who determines to spread the Gospel, even in captivity. And when the depravity of man butts against the perfect will of God, you can bet there’s going to be a lot of conflict to keep those pages turning!
For lovers of Biblical and first century fiction, you will not want to miss this one! And for those unfamiliar with the genre but interested in history, pick up The Master’s Wall for a trip to Ancient Rome that will make it feel like home. This is one I’m going to be recommending to everyone I know.
*This book was provided free of charge from the publisher for review purposes
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 booksâŠto offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.