I’m on Kindle!
Finally figured out the goof, and the Kindle version of A Stray Drop of Blood is now available! Priced to move at $2.99 too. 😉 Check it out!
Thoughtful About . . . Whatever
For the past month or so, I have been in the “Whatever” stage when it comes to publishing. This isn’t a negative place, though it might sound like it, given the name. But that’s an abbreviation. Really, it’s the “Whatever You Want for Me, Lord” stage.
See, the industry has always been tough. Right now it’s nearly impossible. Yes, there are still successes, and I rejoice with every single one of them. But they never seem to come my way. I’m still getting those “this is solid, she writes well, but . . .” rejections. Or, more often, nothing at all. My agent is understandably frustrated with the lack of responses. There are projects we submitted nearly a year ago upon request that we’ve still hear nothing on.
And I’m okay with that. The optimist in me still thinks, “Something’s going to click with one of those. I feel it.” And the realist says, “But if it doesn’t, then whatever, Lord. Whatever.”
Because I’m promoting a book I love. A Stray Drop of Blood is such a huge part of me that I love dedicating myself to it, to getting it out in the world. And I’m working on a book I love. Not since Stray Drop has a book demanded so much of my mind as Jewel of Persia, perhaps because it’s on the same epic scale. I’m loving what I’m doing, which is something I couldn’t do for a major publishing house.
With my agent’s go-ahead, I’m going to focus on my projects for WhiteFire while we wait for the incredibly slow wheels of the major publishers to turn toward the proposals and manuscripts I submitted to them. And I’ve got this incredible peace and excitement about that. This feeling that “Whatever, Lord,” has led us to a place where WhiteFire can grow and expand and start helping others’ dreams come true.
Writers, you might want to check out WFP’s new and improved site. There’s some fun news on the Submissions page. We also just started a blog with one whole post, LOL. For news as we have it, you can check out that or subscribe to the newsletter on the main site.
Because “Whatever, Lord” is leading to new things these days. Though in some ways the changes in the publishing industry are terrifying for unestablished authors, in other ways they’re freeing and fun. I, for one, am going to focus on that side of things.
Remember When . . . The Pieces Clicked?
Sometimes when we’re just reading through a short-ish book of the Bible like Esther, we tend to ignore little things like “and in the third year of the reign of Xerxes” verses “in the seventh year . . .” right? I know I do. But now that I’m concluding Jewel of Persia and am hence digging into Esther, I’m reminded again of all this fun stuff.
Though incredibly short, this book of the Bible spans quite a few years. First of all, the time between Vashti being deposed and Esther arriving at the palace is three years. Three years! You wouldn’t really think that when you read it, unless you pay attention to those “year of the reign” things. It reads like “So Xerxes got mad, took care of business. When his temper had cooled, he remembered Vashti and all his dudes said, ‘Hey, kingy, time to find a new queen.'”
Apparently it took his temper three years to cool. Which actually makes so much sense if you accept that the king mentioned in Esther is in fact Xerxes I, who was away preparing for war with Greece for those exact years of his reign. Cool stuff, eh? Especially since non-Biblical history then records that he “returned to Persia and dedicated himself to the intrigues of the harem.” !!!
I’ve probably shared bits and pieces of this before, but given that last night I just typed “The seventh year of the reign of Xerxes” under my next chapter’s heading, it hit home anew. And now I’m going to get writing.
Hope y’all have an awesome day!
Winner!
And the winner of Amanda Flower’s Maid of Murder is . . .
Brenda! (kittycrochettwo@. . .)
Congrats, Brenda! I just sent you an email.
Story Time . . . with Sandi Rog
I’m gonna do that thing again–talk about a book you can’t buy yet. 😉 This isn’t my official review (which is written and will post in November when the book releases), but it’s a sneak peek to whet your appetite.
For a while now, I’ve been hearing my friend Sandi Rog talk about her Biblical fiction, which, unlike Stray Drop which integrates events of the Bible, is set in first century Rome with early Christians. I’ve always loved this time period, getting glimpses into Roman life, and putting myself in the sandals of some of the first members of the church. So I very eagerly raised my hand with an excited “Oo, oo! Me, me!” when Sandi asked for endorsers.
I’m going to unabashedly say that if you liked my book, you’ll love Sandi’s too. They’re nothing alike in plot, but I’d say they share the same spirit.
The Master’s Wall is about David, a Hebrew in Rome whose parents are killed for their Christian faith. He is badly hurt and then sold into slavery to a wealthy villa. From the first moment he realizes he’s bound to this place, he wants to escape, to run back to Rome and see what became of his little sister. But he’s not only bound by his word and the law–he’s also bound by invisible strings to his master’s young, fiery granddaughter Alethea.
Alethea has lost her father to this new faith called Christianity, watched him die for it, and it is too much for her young heart. She at once longs to know more about the God he served and wants those she cares about to stay far away from Him, lest they be killed too.
Tempted constantly by escape and something even more dangerous, David grows into a warrior and a strong Christian. But what will it take to right the wrongs that rule at the villa?
And seriously, put this book on your list NOW. In fact, ask for it for Christmas. It’s a small press book with an enormous spirit–one of those rare books that pulled me from my writing to keep turning those pages. Sandi is a fantastic writer, and the story . . . the story simply won’t let you go.
About Me
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, 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. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.