by Roseanna White | Jul 29, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I remember thinking, sometime between ages 12 and 14, that I could never write a story that took place before Christ. Or which dealt with people after Christ who never heard his message. “I just couldn’t do it,” I recall thinking. “I’d be wondering about their salvation the whole time.”
Well, I stuck by that for a long time. And when I began writing Jewel of Persia, that aspect didn’t really occur to me–until my husband, reading along as I wrote, said, “There’s just one thing that concerns me–you’re targeting Christian readers with a book that isn’t going to mention Jesus once.”
Too true. Kinda hard to mention someone still 450 years away from being born. But as I studied the books of the Old Testament I was appealing to, it struck me: salvation isn’t a theme unique to the New Testament. The people in the OT prayed constantly for salvation–duh, right? Read the Psalms. Yes, most of the time it was for immediate salvation–the saving of life, or even of the nation, so that it be preserved for future generations.
Last night at Bible study (I had recommended this topic months ago, and love that we got to it the week after I finished Jewel of Persia, LOL), the most awesome example we found, though, was how Moses crafts the bronze serpent and holds it up, so that anyone bitten by a poisonous snake can look at it and be saved. Then in John 3, Jesus references that to say (in the Roseanna-paraphrase version) “Just like Moses lifted that snake up, so is the Son of Man being lifted up. The people were already bitten, already dying. They had to have faith to look up and be saved, and it’s the faith that saved them. Well, people, you’re already bitten. But God loves you so much that he sent his son–and just like that bronze snake, if you believe enough to look toward Me, you’ll be saved. I’m not condemning y’all–you’re already condemned. Already bitten. But I’m here for your salvation.”
Oo, I love that. Love that Jesus himself took this Old Testament idea of salvation and moved it into New Testament, eternal realms. Awesome, isn’t it?
In my book, I’m constantly tossing my poor heroine into situations she needs saved from. Each and every time, she cries out to the Lord her God, and Jehovah comes through. Then at the end, the whole people of Israel are calling out for salvation from the scheming of Haman. It’s a theme for me–more of one, strangely, than it’s been in A.D. books, perhaps because I was so aware of it. And you know, even though they’re still looking forward to Jesus, they don’t know his name, they don’t know when he’ll come, it’s still a matter of faith. Kasia must have faith that the Lord will preserve her, and that she’s where she needs to be. Faith that her God can use her love to move the mountain of a stubborn man. And Esther, of course. Esther must have faith that this is her purpose, and that even if she dies, God will still use her to save her people.
My last sentence has the word “salvation” in it. I end on that note hoping it’ll leave people thinking about it and moving naturally in their thoughts to the ultimate salvation, the One who came and updated our definition of the word, who offered it to our souls. “Jesus” is never in my book. But the Spirit is–and just as He speaks to us now, he spoke to my characters. (Maybe not exactly like, but He did.) It’s the same spirit, the same God. Which means the same Jesus was there, waiting. Waiting, ready to offer himself for these people.
Some things transcend time.
by Roseanna White | Jul 28, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Most of you have probably already seen me post this elsewhere–or gathered it from my previous blogs this week–but it’s official. I am done-done-diggity-done Jewel of Persia!
Okay, so I finished the story. I’m not exactly done with it. There will yet be tweaking, trimming, and editing. Still. Always a heady feeling to realize you’ve reached that final point in a book. I did that at 10:45 p.m. last Friday.
Saturday, I proceeded to type up a cast of characters, as recommended by friend and critique partner Dina. My hubby scoffed at this and said, “Oh, it’s not hard to keep them all straight.” I hope he’s right. Especially because as I started making my list, it soon swelled to fifty–50!–characters.
Now, I cannot be blamed for this. It’s history’s fault. Herodotus–and even the writer of the book of Esther–name so many stinking people. Had they not, I would have clumped several figures into one. I mean, how many brothers does one king need? But alas. In the interest of accuracy . . . my compromise was to not name anyone with whom I could get away with it. So though my heroine had seven servants, we only know the names of three. Though she had nine siblings, we only know the names of four. I tried to keep it reasonable, really I did! LOL
Another kinda grump I’ve had since finishing it is considering what comes afterward. My hubby (and publisher) wants to know what happened to Esther and the other wives and children after Xerxes is assassinated 8 years after the close of my book (and the Biblical book). A quick perusal online told me one thing, so I sat down with my Bible . . . and quickly decided the online sources were dead wrong. Which is annoying, because I mentioned something in my Author’s Note at the end of the book that I’m not sure holds. Grrrr.
Oddly, this again comes back to names. My online source was crediting something to Artaxerxes I that actually belongs to Artaxerxes II. Which wouldn’t be an issue if these people used more than three or four names. What’s up with royalty anyway? That cast of characters proves there were plenty of names in the ancient world, so why was everyone in the Achamenid dynasty named Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, or Artaxerxes?? I mean really. 😉
Grumps aside, I’m still floating on the sensation of being finished . . . and actually looking forward to diving into edits and trims next week!
by Roseanna White | Jul 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
Okay, I’ve done it again. I’ve been so busy finishing up Jewel of Persia that I’ve barely been reading these past few weeks. I took quite a few books with me on vacation, decided to read the Nora Roberts I got from the library first, and just managed to finish it this Sunday. As in, nearly two weeks after starting it.
Good thing I have a finished manuscript under my belt now, or that would be downright embarrassing!
The point being, I have nothing much to say today about one book in particular. So I’m going to talk about a few.
First, have you all read The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and/or directed your teens to it? It’s a super-awesome YA series, the third and final book of which just released. So Over It. They were all awesome, but this one is hands-down the best. I mean, it’s set largely in Hawaii. Do I need to say more? I can–I can go on and on. In this one Skylar faces down the demons from her past, and what she learns makes her redefine everything she’d founded the last year of her life on. Forced to reevaluate what it means to be a daughter, a sister, a friend, a girlfriend–and most of all a Christian–Skylar must finally get over her hangups so she can move on with her life.
Next, I have sitting in my bag Cara Putman’s Stars in the Night. The cover is gorgeous, and the book sounds soooooo good. It’s about movie stars touring the country on a train in the 40s to sell war bonds–and the sister of one late starlet, determined to find her sister’s murderer, no matter the danger. I really hoped to start this one on vacation, but alas. I kept writing instead. =)
I’ve recently picked up Sandi Patty’s The Edge of the Divine, which releases next week. I’ll be posting an interview with Sandi soon, which is pretty exciting for me. I think she might be the most famous person I’ve ever interviewed, LOL. This book is about how through a year of weight loss brought on a surgical procedure, she grew in faith and came to some great epiphanies about living life on a spiritual edge, hand-in-hand with the Lord. Though I’ve never shared her particular struggled, the insights she pulls from them are right-on and relevant for anyone, especially women. I’m especially loving the scripture she uses.
I’m also going to start tonight (or re-start, rather, on my hubby’s new tablet) Wounded S
pirits by April Gardner, which is due out this fall. I opened this one up and gave a blissful sigh. Native Americans! I looooooove these amazing people and their cultures, but it’s been many years since I’ve read a book about them–I suspect that’s a genre that kinda burned itself out in the 90s, and now it’s going to have to climb slowly out of the ashes. April Gardner is a solid writer, and I can’t wait to see what she does with her very intriguing premise!
And enough from me. Stuff to do. =)
by Roseanna White | Jul 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
The winner of Margaret Daley’s
Heart of a Cowboy is . . .
Katie G! (katiegalyean@ . . .)
Congrats, Katie! I just sent you an email.
by Roseanna White | Jul 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
Nice title, eh? Given that “modern technology” is a thing in itself. Oh yes. I’m brilliant this morning before my coffee. =)
Anyhoo. Here in the White household, my hubby just ordered a tablet (kinda like a Kindle but capable of internet access), and we’re super excited to receive it. For the last two months he’s been spitting out phrases like, “If I had a tablet, I’d do this right now.” And given that “do this” often includes helping me with my stuff, I was all in favor of ordering one. And now I’m thinking, “When David gets his tablet, I can borrow it to . . .” =)
Which got me thinking about the roles technology plays in my books. As a rule, I don’t mention any specifics because I don’t want to date my manuscripts. But sometimes I have characters who are so interested in it that it can’t go without mention. In Yesterday’s Tides my hero, Rem(ington) is a techno-guru at the CIA. So he’s one of those guys that travels with two bags. His laptop case, and the one for everything else.
In Seized, my hero is the dude on the ship that monitors radar and other computer feedback (it has a name. I can’t think of it right this second. Pre-coffee, as I already warned y’all), so he’s pretty handy with the machines too. Will get interesting when he’s trying to teach the basics of 21st century technology to the heroine, who has never even dialed a phone.
I’ve noted in recent years that one way I can tell older books by some favorite authors versus current ones is the technology present in the stories. Picked one up a while back and laughed when the character was attacked somewhere away from her home, and she had no way to communicate with the hero. This day and age, a cell phone would be whipped out in about half a second–or else the author would have to make it clear why she couldn’t.
Technology does indeed shape our lives–how does it shape our stories? Any funny or just brilliant examples of how you’ve seen it utilized in a book you’ve read or one you’re writing?
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.