by Roseanna White | Aug 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
Hey, I’m blogging about what’s on my mind today. 😉 I’m sitting here thinking, “Okay, I need to detatch the munchkin and go get coffee. Coffee. Coooofffffffeeeeeeeee.” But I can make this about my contemporaries. Really I can.
I grew up aware that most people drink coffee, but in a split household. My mom always had her two cups each morning (though she often has tea instead these days), but my dad does NOT drink coffee. Or hot tea. Or hot chocolate, mostly. He doesn’t drink anything hot. As my sister and I grew up, we pretty much liked it all. For a while, we drank more tea than coffee. Then more coffee than tea. I have a few friends who don’t like coffee, some who drink it like water . . . you get the point.
More often than not, when reading a book, people just drink coffee, or just don’t. It’s never a big deal, and that’s totally cool. But when I craft my characters, whether or not they’re coffee drinkers can sometimes be a huge part of their personality.
Take Davina for instance. Davina detests coffee and is so die-hard a tea fan that she has a whole ritual around tea drinking. Her best friend and the hero are both coffee drinkers, and he at one point jokes that Davina couldn’t make a decent pot of coffee to save her life, though maybe if she drank it once in a while . . . to which she replies, “Why would I do that to my poor tongue?”
Then there’s Louisa. Louisa has never developed a taste for coffee, but she works at her mother’s inn and makes a perfect pot. She knows the science of it, the art of it, and would probably be glad to give you a few fun FYI about bean selection, how to ground it, where to store it, and the correct ratio of grounds to water. Now, she wouldn’t volunteer this info–but if you asked, she could tell you. The hero, an avid coffee drinker, when informed that she made the perfect coffee in his hands replies with, “Oh, you finally got a taste for it, did you?” Which betrays that he remembers his preferences of nine years ago, though he keeps trying to say those memories are long forgotten.
My point . . . do I have to have one of those? LOL. I think my point is simply that even things as small as whether or not a character drinks coffee, tea, or nothing at all can really play into who they are. Each small decision about them shapes who they are. And once you know them, you can have a ton of fun using those little things to make points.
by Roseanna White | Aug 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
Welcome to Part II of my interview with DeAnna Julie Dodson! Today she’ll be talking about her historical trilogy and offering a copy of the first book in the series, In Honor Bound, to one lucky winner. If you’re interested in her contemporary mysteries, check out Part I!
To enter the contest, please leave a comment below with an email address–you must be a follower to enter, so be sure to click on that if you haven’t already!
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About the CHASTELAYNE TRILOGY
In Honor Bound
His father will stop at nothing to keep the royal bloodline “pure” –even murder. But his sins have nearly destroyed Prince Philip and the future of his reign.
Forced into a political marriage, Philip tells his bride, “I will not lie to you, I will not be unfaithful to you, and I will not love you. My heart is pledged to another and I am not a man to break an oath.”
His one true love is a lowly serving girl. When Philip refuses to set her aside in order to form a politically beneficial marriage, his father has the girl tried on false charges and executed. He then forces Philip to marry the beautiful and nobly born Lady Rosalynde. Devastated and embittered by his loss and his father’s betrayal, Philip is determined to never love again . . . not his father, not his wife, not his God. Although Rosalynde adores him, he withholds his heart from her, refusing to let even death end his devotion to the love he lost. Despite his coldness towards her, Rosalynde is determined to love him and teach him to love her — as determined as the God he has turned his back on. As civil war rages throughout the realm, Philip faces a greater struggle within himself. Will he open his heart to love again or let his pride destroy him and his kingdom?
By Love Re
deemed
Complete strangers on their wedding day and separated by war since their honeymoon, can they find true love together?
Even though their time together has been short, Prince Tom is eager for his bride’s return. Though his love for her has grown, Elizabeth makes it clear that she considers him a stranger, not to be trusted. Not to be loved.
Certain the lavish love he claims to have for her cannot be genuine, Elizabeth turns to a deceitful friend who feeds her doubts and insecurities, poisoning her mind against her young husband. Just as Tom’s patient tenderness begins to soften her heart, he is left with a heavier burden. His brother the king receives news that threatens the stability of the kingdom and his marriage. Forced to go in secret to find the truth behind it, he leaves Tom to deal with the undercurrent of treason and treachery that lies beneath the deceptive quiet of the court. Will Tom be able to hold the kingdom together and win his wife’s heart? Or will she let a seductive stranger lead her away from his unconditional love?
To Grace Surrendered
He has learned to love her with all his heart. Now he must learn to let her go.
There is peace in the kingdom at last and King Philip wants nothing more than to spend his days watching his children grow and enjoying the company of his beloved Rosalynde. Reghed, Lynaleigh’s neighbor to the north, suffers greatly under the heavy hand of its king, the evil and demented tyrant Sarto. But Philip resists God’s urging to bring aid to Reghed’s people until the night Rosalynde is torn from his arms and carried into Sarto’s dark realm. Despite the serious injuries he sustained trying to protect her from her captors, Philip insists on following after her and finds himself face to face with the suffering he has till now turned away from. Sarto eventually captures Philip, too, determined to kill him in order to fulfill his sinister plans. Can Philip free himself, Rosalynde and the people of Reghed? Or has his disobedience lost him the love and protection of God?
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About DeAnna
DeAnna Julie Dodson is the author of In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered, a trilogy of medieval romances, and Letters in the Attic, a contemporary mystery in the Annie’s Attic series. She is currently working on The Drew Farthering Mysteries, a new series of books set in 1930s England. A graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, she currently lives in North Texas with four spoiled cats and, when not writing, enjoys quilting, cross stitch and NHL hockey.
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What’s your latest book?
My newest release is Letters in the Attic, a contemporary mystery coming out this summer from DRG. That book is worlds away from my first three releases from Crossway Books, my medieval trilogy: In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered. They’ve been out for a while now and can sometimes be hard to find, but I’m still quite fond of them.
Well, let’s chat about those! I’m a big fan of medievals, and these sound so interesting! What do you hope your readers will get out of the stories?
I hope that the vast depth and breadth and height of the love God has for all of us flows through every part of the series. The second book, By Love Redeemed, is in particular an allegory of how Christ loves and sacrificed Himself for all of us, though I believe all three books reflect that. And, of course, God chose the picture of marriage to illustrate the mystery of His union with His church. I thought the medieval setting was a particularly exciting and romantic backdrop for telling this story. People who don’t like romance probably won’t enjoy this series.
Then I’m safe! Love romance. Am still shocked that some people don’t, LOL. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
I enjoy so many different types of stories, it’s hard to say. I like historicals best, especially medieval romance and 1920s and 1930s mysteries, though anything from the middle ages up to WWII can be very wonderful. I love stories that have something redemptive about them, something that says, despite the hardships, God is there with us and He will never leave or forsake us. Give me a well-written story, and I’m happy.
I think we’d get along just fine, DeAnna. =) What are you reading right now—and what do you want to read next?
Right now, I’m reading Agatha Christie’s Appointment with Death. I’ve been on a real vintage mystery kick lately. I love Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and the vastly underrated (and I think superior) Margery Allingham. They were the queens of mystery in the 1920s and ’30s, and I hope to learn from them for my own 1930s series, The Drew Farthering Mysteries. I love trying to solve the puzzles they present. The glorious period clothes and cars and social niceties are just icing on the cake.
Oh, how fun to submerse yourself in that! I’ve never had the ability to craft a great mystery, but the setting is one I dove into for my Mafia books. =) Looking forward to your new series! But getting back to your existing one, do you remember where you were when you got your first or most important call about a book contract?
Oh, I remember that day vividly. I had rather half-heartedly sent my query for my very first book, In Honor Bound, to Crossway Books and was amazed when they quickly asked for the full manuscript. I was even more amazed when, a couple of weeks later, I had a message on my office phone. The assistant editor who left the message mentioned that it was nearly five o’clock on a Friday, so I could call after nine on the following Monday morning. There was absolutely no way I could wait that long, so I took a chance and called right back. Thank goodness, she was still in her office and we had a nice chat about taking In Honor Bound to their publication committee. I’ll never forget it. It still makes me smile.
Makes me smile for you! What are you writing right now?
Right now I’m working on the second book in my Drew Farthering series, Civil as an Orange. In this one, Drew has to track down a killer who leaves cryptic clues pinned to the bodies of the victims, and soon Drew realizes that the murders are getting closer and closer to him. This one is about 80% finished already, though I still have plenty of work to do on it. I love this series though. It’s so much fun to write the clothes and the parties and the 1930s British dialogue. And I love the manners of the period. No, they weren’t as formal as before WWI, but gentlemen still rose when a ladies came into the room and still held doors for them and all those lovely little things that we seem to have lost these days. Readers can check out an excerpt of this and all my books on my website.
Sounds like fun!!
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Thanks so much for spending the week with us, DeAnna! Readers, be sure to check out her website at www.deannajuliedodson.com/index.php. You can find her books on Amazon.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Contest ends 8/19/10. Winner will have two weeks to claim book.
by Roseanna White | Aug 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
Here it is! My one-year-anniversary (a few weeks late) giveaway celebration! (And hey, only two days before my birthday, so we’ll say I’m celebrating that too. Woo hoo!)
I am bringing you seven–that’s right, SEVEN!–awesome giveaway options. How do you get your grubby little paws on some of them? Well, here’s the deal.
1.) You must be a follower
2.) You must tell me WHICH of the options you would like to win. (Feel free to list a few in order of preference.)
3.) You must leave a comment (obviously, given the above) with an email address where I can reach you. If you’d like to include in that comment your favorite part of Writing Roseanna, it would give me a grin. 😉
The giveaway will last two weeks. There will be seven winners.
Ready to discover the awesomeness?? Drum roll please . . . . . . . . . . . .
Option 1
is for you writers out there. I am offering a 30-page critique and edit of a manuscript of your choice. And given that I’m now an acquisitions editor, you never know where this could lead, right? *grins*
Option 2
is a treat for your living room. A handmade plaque by fabulous friend Tiffany Harkleroad that will be in the style of the one pictured here, but will have the beloved scripture from Joshua “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
PLUS While I Slept, a beautiful coffee table book by Nancy Koehler, featuring a heart-touching poem and beautiful sunrise-at-the-beach photography.
Option 3
is, of course, the expected Stray Drop Gear. =) It will include a t-shirt (S, M, L, XL) which reads “One little drop to soil the garment/One little drop to cleanse the soul,” a signed copy of the novel, a bookmark, and a Companion Guide (not pictured).
Option 4
is my Teen Dream package. The complete Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt trilogy (including Me, Just Different, Out with the In Crowd, and So Over It) by Stephanie Morrill, a nice, hardback devotion for teen girls called His Princess: Girl Talk with God, and Kristin Billerbeck’s Perfectly Dateless.
Option 5
is a signed copy of The Healer’s Apprentice, due out the beginning of September! This is a young adult historical, a retelling of a fairy tale that sounds WAY too good to miss!
Option 6
is your choice of ONE of Julie Lessman’s four fabulous books: A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, A Passion Denied or the latest, releasing-in-September, much-anticipated A Hope Undaunted.
Option 7
is a B&H Suspense Pack featuring: Deliver Us from Evil and Fear No Evil by Robin Caroll, Certain Jeopardy by Captain Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky, and Double Cross by James David Jordan
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Contest ends 8/26/10. Winners will have two weeks to claim prizes.
by Roseanna White | Aug 11, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
So I’ve had some frustration lately in the research department. Bear with me as I explain it to you.
It begins in the footnotes of my Bible. When looking at them for the Esther part of Jewel of Persia, it handily tells me that Xerxes’ successor is Artaxerxes (which I knew), who is mentioned in Ezra and Nehemiah. Okay . . . cool. Said notes tell me how he’s the king who funded the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the one that Nehemiah was the cupbearer for. Okay . . . cool. This makes perfect sense, right? Artaxerxes may well have been influenced by a certain Jewish queen that came on the scene when he was a boy, so my plot-loving self just thinks this is awesome.
Until I actually read Ezra. Then I’m left scratching my head and asking, “And you get that this is Artaxerxes I how?” Here’s the thing–all the kings in the dynasty used, like, four names. And they go in this order: Cyrus (the Great), Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, Xerxes II, Darius II, Artaxerxes II. (There’s another one in there for a few months, but I’m leaving him out for the sake of clarity.)
Now, we can see right away where this is confusing, right? But when reading Ezra, the tale goes something like this: Cyrus the Great released the captives. (Check.) They reminded Xerxes of Cyrus’s command to rebuild and got started. (Check.) But during the reign of Artaxerxes, their enemies sent him a letter whining about how rebellious these folks have been in the past, and Artaxerxes said, “Yeah, stop working on your temple, dudes. You’re causing trouble.” So construction halted until the second year of Darius. Then after these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra came up from Babylon . . .
Do you see where my issue is here? I don’t get how in the world this is during the reign of the first Artaxerxes, given that after these things. My commentators tell me he’s just talking about one thing, then jumps back to the “real” story and the king in power when the whiners wrote that letter, but I just don’t see it.
The issue could be handily resolved by outside dates, but I’m not at all sure if the dates of completion of the temple, etc., are based on the commentators’ understanding of the kings, or if their understanding of the kings is based on known dates. It makes a huge difference.
And I’m left in this weird place of wanting it to be Artaxerxes I for plot reasons, but totally not buying that it is, LOL. I might go with it anyway–I mean, I write fiction. And it would agree with all the Bible footnotes I can find. But still. The historian in me cringes and demands a better explanation than my commentators will give me.
Then I get to growling at other historians too–apparently much of the info we have on the kings and their families after Xerxes comes from a historian so notoriously unreliable that other historians have ascribed him a special ring of hell, LOL. (Seriously–it’s in some ancient satire.) So I don’t have a clue what I can trust when it comes to information on the years following Xerxes’ assassination.
Why is this important, you ask? Because my hubby/publisher said, “I want to know what happens to Esther after Xerxes is killed. Write a sequel.”
Yeah . . . if only I knew what I could accurately put in it!
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.