by Roseanna White | Sep 7, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Some of you undoubtedly remember when a few months ago I mentioned how I read Julie Lessman’s latest but had been asked not to post the review until the book had released. Well folks, the time has come!! A Hope Undaunted just released September 1st, and now I’m gonna drive you all nuts by posting my review, which will necessitate you buy it because, well, it’s awesome. =)
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Katie O’Connor’s got her life planned out, everything in place for perfection. In the fall, she’ll be attending Portia Law School. She’s got Jack, the rich, influential beau who dotes on her and will help her use that law degree to the greatest affect. Her goal—crusade for women’s rights, so that other women won’t have to live under the thumb of a man like she has all her life. She loves her father, sure, but times have changed. It’s 1929—when will he realize she should be given some independence? Instead, he sentences her to a summer of hard labor, working for her worst nightmare.
Cluny McGee has finally grown up . . . at least until he butts heads again with little Katie Rose O’Connor. She always did bring out the worst in him. Of course, she also always made his heart pound a little too fast. Her attitude certainly hasn’t changed over their decade apart, but he has. He’s a Christian now, and he’s determined to live up to it. Quite a task, when forced to work closely with Katie at the Boston Children’s Aid Society. Temper and passion get all mixed up, and the sparks that fly do little to illuminate the right path. But one thing he knows without doubt—Katie will either make all his dreams come true or rip him to pieces.
A Hope Undaunted delivers exactly what one expects from Julie Lessman. Passion, temper, faith, love, and family tying it all together. I loved the exchanges between stubborn, proud Cluny and fiesty, headstrong Katie. We all sigh over a strong hero, which Cluny certainly is. In this book we also have the pleasure of getting to know the sassy heroine who has to learn where wisdom and spirit meet.
I have to admit that I really wondered through the first half of the book how the author was going to rein Katie in and help her to see that willfulness is only an asset when our will aligns with the Lord’s. I knew Julie Lessman could pull it off—and boy, did she!
This is the first book in the Wings of Change trilogy, which continues the saga of the O’Connors that we met in the Daughters of Boston series. Readers of the first series will definitely not want to miss this one, as we get continued peeks into the lives of Katie’s family, whom we all adore. New readers will thoroughly enjoy the dynamics and sparks between Katie and Cluny, though the subplots might not resonate as much with them if they don’t already know the characters.
As with Lessman’s other books, A Hope Undaunted has quite a few passionate moments that some readers of Christian fiction might not like—but also as with her other books, each of those is underscored with and answers to God’s expectations. That’s what I love most about books by Julie Lessman. I know the characters are going to experience in equal measures passionate love for one another and for the Lord.
Another winner from Julie Lessman!
by Roseanna White | Sep 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
And the winner of Sarah Sundin’s
A Memory Between Us is . . .
Katers!
Katers, you didn’t leave an email address, so if you could please email me at roseanna (at) whitefireprinting (dot) com with your snail mail addy, I’ll get it to Sarah.
And since it’s a holiday and all, I’m going to otherwise be lazy and not post a blog. 😉 Hope everyone has a great Labor Day!
by Roseanna White | Sep 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
Today I’m chatting with a new friend from my historical writing group, HisWriters. Jody Hedlund’s debut novel, The Preacher’s Bride, is set to release in a month, and it sounds so awesome that you should SO pre-order a copy if you don’t win.
Which of course brings us to entering-to-win. Usual drill. Leave a comment with an email address–but that’s not all! Jody has a special request too, at the end of the interview. You’ll just have to read it to see what question she’d like you to answer. And so, without further ado . . .
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About The Preacher’s Bride
In 1650s England, a young Puritan maiden is on a mission to save the baby of her newly widowed preacher—whether her assistance is wanted or not. Always ready to help those in need, Elizabeth ignores John’s protests of her aid. She’s even willing to risk her lone marriage prospect to help the little family.
Yet Elizabeth’s new role as nanny takes a dangerous turn when John’s boldness from the pulpit makes him a target of political and religious leaders. As the preacher’s enemies become desperate to silence him, they draw Elizabeth into a deadly web of deception. Finding herself in more danger than she ever bargained for, she’s more determined than ever to save the child—and man—she’s come to love.
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About Jody
Jody Hedlund is a debut historical romance novelist who was a double finalist in the 2009 ACFW Genesis Contest. She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in Social Work. Currently she makes her home in central Michigan, with her husband and five busy children.
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What’s your latest book?
The Preacher’s Bride releases from Bethany House Publishers in October 2010.
Oo, we get a sneak peak! Fun. =) And it sounds awesome–can’t wait to get my hands on a copy! Is there a theme?
Sometimes God will lead us down a difficult path or ask us to do hard things and he doesn’t want us to avoid them for the easy way. Ultimately he uses those difficulties to shape our character and deepen our love for Him.
The messages of this story are the lessons that God has been teaching me over the past years. Through my own personal struggles, God has emphasized that he’s more concerned about my holiness than my happiness, and that I need to continue to live a life of obedience to him and walk the difficult path.
That’s sometimes a tough lesson to learn–but I fully believe the difficult path leads you to the most amazing discoveries. But back to books. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
I admit! I’m a historical romance junkie! I rarely read anything but historical romance and I adore historical romance movies (my latest favorite Young Queen Victoria—it was divine!). I’m also a bit of a history geek—I love reading biographies and finding interesting but little-known facts and people from history. All of that naturally leads to my passion for writing historical romances and I honestly can’t see myself writing anything but that.
Huzzah! Three cheers for historical romance! (FYI, we met through a historical writing group, LOL.) So what would your dream office look like—and what does your REAL writing environment look like?
What I wouldn’t give for a private, quiet, spot. Nothing fancy or special. Just a quiet place where I could go without any interruptions! But at this point in my life I’m a busy mama-writer. I have 5 beautiful children ranging in ages from 5 to 13, and so the word “quiet” doesn’t exist in my house. My REAL office is smack-dab in the middle of my home at the kitchen table. There I can still see everything and everyone (because we all know moms have invisible eyes in the backs of their heads!). Amidst the chaos, I somehow manage to eke out my daily word count.
FIVE kids? You have my awe and total respect. I can barely keep up with my two. And I totally hear you–any quiet spot would do! LOL. Are there any people who you rely on when writing?
This past year, I was able to come up with a system that helped me minimize distractions (by minimize I mean take it down from 100 interruptions an hour to 50). =) I hired my older children to babysit my little ones. Every afternoon during my writing time, one of my big kids would occupy and play with the youngest of my bunch, which freed me up to concentrate a little more.
My husband is also incredibly supportive. This past year we worked out a plan where I was able to get away to the Library on Saturdays for more extended writing time. He took charge of all the kid’s activities and even cooked dinner (most times successfully!) and had it on the table when I arrived home.
That is awesome. And obviously necessary. Five! Sheesh. 😉 Aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?
I’m a full time teacher to my children, so the large majority of my day is spent grading math papers, giving spelling tests, overseeing crazy science experiments, and re-learning everything I never learned during my childhood education (five times over!). Occasionally I try to squeeze in load of laundry—but only when the kids complain that they’re out of underwear. =)
LOL–I just started homeschooling, but my oldest isn’t quite five. We’re not to the grading papers stage, but it did take me three days to fold one load of laundry this week. Who needs clean clothes, anyway? 😉 What are you writing right now?
At the beginning of the summer I finished writing my next book which is scheduled to release in 2011. And now I’m in the process of researching and plotting a new story.
Can’t wait to hear about it! It was great chatting with you, Jody!
Thanks for having me today, Roseanna! I would love to hear from all your readers! Please stop by my Facebook Page or Twitter and say hi.
For a chance to win a copy of The Preacher’s Bride, leave your email and then also tell me your favorite romance movie! (And if you don’t have a favorite romance, then shame on you! =) Tell us your favorite movie instead.)
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Be sure to check out Jody’s website and blog! You can find The Preacher’s Bride at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and ChristianBook.com.
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 9/9/10. Winner will have two weeks to claim prize.
by Roseanna White | Sep 2, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Last weekend, we had dinner down at my grandparents’ farm. It’s nestled in a bend of the Potomac River, a little outcropping of West Virginia completely surrounded by Maryland. Mountains rise up all around their couple-hundred-acres of relative flatland, creating a vista I enjoyed for most of life from the nearby hill, where my parents lived.
On another relative-flat section on top of the hill, there’s a little regional airport. Right across the river there’s Cumberland’s train yard–and a four-land highway. So on this pretty little farm that you might think is isolated, you can hear and see all the signs of civilization. One of my friends once commented, “You can’t walk anywhere but to the nearest tree out here, yet I’m afraid an airplane’s going to hit me in the head.” =)
The kids were all outside playing after dinner–but it was hot, and that didn’t last long. Not for most of them. Rowyn, however, refused to come inside when the girls called it quits. Though a safe area, I didn’t want to leave him out there alone simply because the boy has no fear–who knows what he would chase to who-knows-where. So Mommy sucked up her distaste for extreme heat and went outside.
Rowyn was standing with head craned back. After greeting me, he pointed to the sky. “Airplanes up there,” he informed me.
I grinned. “Yep, there are airplanes up there.”
He kept on looking. “Rowyn go up there too.”
I chuckled. “Oh yeah?”
He nodded and turned his attention to . . . the top of the house? “Rowyn go on roof to see airplanes.”
Visions of two-year-olds scaling the siding in my head, I shook my head. “How are you going to get on the roof, Rowyn?”
Picture an exaggerated toddler shrug. “Don’t know either,” he said. (“Either” is a new word for him, and he uses it lavishly.) “Climb ladder. Where’s ladder, Mommy?”
Mommy, praising her grandparents for hiding all large tools and equipment away in the garages and sheds and barns, looked around and was happy to pronounce, “I don’t see a ladder.”
Rowyn sighed and stomped over to the side of the house. After studying it for a minute–the little wrought-iron bench, the chimney, the plants–he pointed to a high-reaching flowering bush. “Rowyn climb flowers up there.”
I laughed–I couldn’t help it. And I delighted in the imagination, the determination of a toddler. But more, it brought me back to that feeling of no limits. That feeling that the world is yours for the taking, if only you find that magic beanstalk leading you up to the clouds.
Yes, we have limits. We learn, we experience, and we realize that some things are impossible. We just can’t climb a flimsy flower up to the roof–and if we got up there, we still wouldn’t be close to the airplanes. But how often do we use that experience and idea of limits to not even try to reach our dreams? How often do we leave it at “Nope, can’t get up there this way” and not consider that we could take this other path, and arrive at the airport? That we could dig a ladder out, if the roof was our goal?
I think when the Lord called us to have childlike faith, this is what he was talking about. How like my little boy do we look to God? Trying to use our reason, our logic, to get to a goal, when reason and logic won’t get us anywhere close? How often does He shake his head and smile at us, knowing that even if He gave us the ladder we asked for, it wouldn’t get us where we want to go? But if we trust in Him–if we hold fast to the dreams He’s given us–maybe He’ll send a car to take us to the airport we didn’t know was there. Or show us, if we make it to the roof, that that was where we needed to get to all along.
The world has limits . . . and it has history that shows us they can be broken and overcome.
My prayer today is that we all recapture a bit of that two-year-old wonder and find a flower to climb up to our dreams.
by Roseanna White | Sep 1, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Book VII of Herodotus’s
Histories ends with a story included solely for its coolness-factor. (Unlike modern historians, Herodotus was all about telling us things solely for coolness–he obviously wasn’t concerned about word count.)
See, we hear a little bit about a former king of Sparta who was exiled from his country when he recommended they align themselves with Persia’s King Darius. So when he peeps kicked him out, he naturally fled to Persia. When Xerxes launched the campaign against Greece, ex-kingy came along as an adviser.
Now, here’s the cool story. Herodotus heard that before the troops left Persia, Damaratus (ex-kingy) sent a message of warning home to Sparta. Kinda irrelevant since it didn’t come to anything, and no one claimed he included anything but, basically, and “I told you so” in the note. But Herodotus told us about it because it was so clever.
See, Damaratus took a typical message tablet–hinged wooden box that opens kinda like a book; inside are two wax surfaces, on which the message is pressed with a stylus. Close it up, and voila–your message is protected for the journey. But not exactly secure. Damaratus, though, did something never before recorded. He peeled off the wax and scratched his true message into the wood, then put the wax back on and pressed a benign one into the wax.
Of course, he peeps back in Sparta had no clue why exiled-dude was writing them with something so useless and thought long and hard on it until finally someone said, “Hey, let’s look underneath the wax.” Took them months to figure this out, apparently.
This was such a fun story, but there was absolutely no way I could work it into Jewel of Persia. So I stole it instead. 😉 I took the cleverness of the idea and made it the standard way two of my bad guys communicate when they’re apart.
Gotta love poetic license.
Hope everyone has a happy Wednesday!
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.