Roseanna White - Roseanna M. White

Winner!

by Roseanna White | May 7, 2010 | Uncategorized

And the winner of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico is . . .

Renee (SteelerGirl83)!

Congrats, Renee! I just sent you an email.

Thoughtful About . . . Plotting (No, Not World Domination–Yet. Mwa ha ha ha)

by Roseanna White | May 6, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized

Giveaway – last day to enter for a chance to win Lena Nelson Dooley’s Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico!

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So, I’ve been having a fabulous writing streak. I’m talking super-fab. The last few days I’ve been managing a chapter a day, which is just awesome. And while those chapters need some tweaking, the overall stuff is good. Cuz see, I had these things planned out to a T. I knew exactly what had to happen, and I knew I was pushing toward a break of sorts, so I had that extra “umph” going on. All I had to do was get my characters to this certain point, and then I have to skip a couple years and pick back up when things get interesting again.

And I did it. I got there, yesterday evening.

Now what?

LOL. It’s one of those crazy things. I know what needs to happen later. I even know the big events that need to happen next. But I was so focused on working out the details of this first section that I totally neglected brainstorming the details of the next part. Okay, not neglected so much as just haven’t had the time yet.

Today, my writing time is going to be spent going through my notes and hashing out a time line for the events of the rest of the book. It’s full of huge historical stuff, so I need to map those out and then figure out the character plots that are going to propel the story to those biggies.

Plus I still have some important questions to answer–God’s gonna have to whisper in my ear about those, I think.

In short, I’m having fun and am looking forward to some good plotting today. And I’m riding high, knowing I am 1/3 of the way done this book. If I can keep up this chapter a day rate, I’ll be finished in another month! Woo hoo!

Next step: world domination. Mwa ha ha ha! (Okay, so I’ll be content if I can convince my daughter that bugs are not the root of all evil. Anybody got any tips for that??)

Remember When . . . Modern Was Ancient?

by Roseanna White | May 5, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

Giveaway – Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico by Lena Nelson Dooley

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In the past week as I immerse myself in all things Ancient Persian, I discovered a few key things about the culture.

1.) Persia was crazy wealthy. I’m talking C-R-A-Z-Y. Jewels embedded in the ceilings. Stone pillars polished so highly they shone like mirrors. Gold this, silver that, everything all bling-bling. There was not an inch of the king’s palaces that weren’t decorated, painted, bedecked, bejeweled, or otherwise designed to impress. And it wasn’t just a palace. Each capital city had a compound with multiple palaces, and there were four–count ’em, four–capital cities.

2.) They were surprisingly modern in their thoughts about women. Not only were there professional women, they earned MORE for the same work than men did. They got a year’s paid maternity leave. And one of Xerxes’ most trusted naval commanders was a woman. Cool, eh?

3.) Religious tolerance was not an invention of the United States. It was also the policy in Persia–which shouldn’t be all that surprising, given how often the generosity of the kings of Babylon, Persia, and Media are mentioned in the Bible when the Jews were their subjects. Though Persia actually had a monotheistic society, they let all their subject nations keep their own systems of belief.

4.) It is impossible to listen to Iranian dance music without dancing. Seriously–try it. I turned some on just for ambiance. First some slower stuff like what they played in the documentaries I was watching, then a faster one that had me bopping around my chair, much to the amusement of my hubby and daughter.

Hope everyone has a happy Wednesday! Back I go to Jewel of Persia . . .

Story Time . . . SEASONS IN THE MIST by Deborah Kinnard

by Roseanna White | May 4, 2010 | Uncategorized

Giveaway – Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico by Lena Nelson Dooley

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Seasons in the Mist
by Deborah Kinnard

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a time-travel romance–long enough that I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed them. And a Christian time-travel? Not sure I’ve ever read one of those. But when I sat down with Deb Kinnard’s Seasons in the Mist it only took a few pages for me to know that this was going to be an amazing book.

Bethany Lindstrom is a graduate student who has planned her whole life down to the last detail, all revolving around her studies of the medieval period. She’s read all the literature, studied all the languages, and when a new plague pit is discovered in England, she knows it’s the perfect opportunity to validate her theories and write her thesis. But when a visit to one of the oldest houses in England ends up sucking her back to 1353 Cornwall, knowing her history isn’t all that much help. Why couldn’t the textbooks have told her how to deal with this?

Though her faith had been only nominal at home, this simpler time, which leaves her with so many questions, brings her quickly back to the Lord. Then the Lord leads her to Baron Michael Veryan, and new questions spring up. He doesn’t hesitate to offer her his protection and to entrust her with all that is his . . . but can it really be the will of God that she entrust Michael with her heart?

Seasons in the Mist is, simply put, phenomenal. Deb Kinnard has written a smart, fun story that combines what I love most about history with what I love most about contemporaries. We still get the voice of a modern woman, and hearing her describe medieval things in modern terms is sometimes hilarious and always eye-opening. What both Bethany and the reader quickly come to see is that, no matter the year you’re walking in, people are still people. Some will trust you quickly, some will betray you. Some will make your skin crawl, others will endear you to them with a single smile. And through it all, God is in control.

This is a book that will teach you about the period, make you wonder how you would respond if God chose to toy with time on your behalf, and make you fall in love, too. First with the heroine who tells the entirety of the story, and then with the baron who makes is worth reading.

I’m excited to recommend this book to romance lovers in general and history lovers in particular. You’re going to get a blast out of this trip through time and be amazed at the conclusion that comes out of the mist. Bravo, Deb! Can’t wait for more!