Modern . . . Actors

by | Mar 22, 2010 | Uncategorized

Couple things. First, don’t forget to enter Friday’s giveaway for Lisa Lickle’s Meander Scar.

Next, I have a few guest appearances this week. They’re not all up as of the moment I’m posting this, but should be today. I wrote a guest blog for Holly at Chocolate Contemplations (delicious name, eh?) on achieving your dreams. Holly’s a young aspiring writer I’ve taken under my wing, and I was honored she came to me when she decided to do a post on this topic.

A really fun interview will be going up at Continuous Delights, coupled with a giveaway.

There’s a really in-depth, really right-on review of A Stray Drop of Blood up today at The Character Therapist. Jeannie takes a deeper look at the issues and characters than a lot of reviews do, so it’s fun to read and get some professional insight. =) She’s running a giveaway of it through Palm Sunday, so if you’re still waiting on a copy (I’m looking at you, Karen K.!) hop over and enter!

Oh, and just because it’s exciting–tomorrow I’ll be taping an interview with a local radio station! They post them to their website after they air, so I’ll post the link when it’s up. =)

~*~

Now, thankfully my “real” post is short today, LOL. When Stray Drop came out, everyone started asking me “What actors would you choose to play your main characters?” It wasn’t too hard to figure it out for Abigail and Jason, Titus and Cleopas, Ester and Andrew. But it got me thinking about my other books, the ones being reviewed by major pubs now. In my usual optimistic way, I start thinking, “Well, what if Yesterday’s Tides sells? Who will play them?”

I’ve done some looking, and I’m still CLUELESS. So I figured, eh, I’d ask you. You probably watch different TV shows than me, so maybe you’ll think of someone I’ve forgotten. Wanna help me out?

Louisa–25, drop-dead gorgeous. Stunning blue eyes, warm brown hair kissed by the sun. Looks tan, which she is, but it’s mostly because she’s 1/4 black. So far I’m thinking Leila Arcieri, but her eyes are more a green than a blue . . . open to suggestions.

But mostly I need help with Rem–34, blonde hair, blue-green eyes. Fit and attractive without being so cute that girls drool. A nerd at heart, but looks the part of society-dude. I am SO drawing a blank on this. There just aren’t enough blonde men out there! I could almost see Paul Walker, but he’s a little too . . . well, he was in The Fast and the Furious, so you tell me why he wouldn’t make a good CIA computer geek. =)

Anybody got any better suggestions? And while you’re at it, keep an eye out for a 6’6″ gorgeous guy with long mahogany hair to be Garret. =)

Okay, boy-o tugging on elbow. Have a great Monday!

Winner!

by | Mar 19, 2010 | Uncategorized

And the winner of Leanna Ellis’s Once in a Blue Moon is . . .

Deborah M! (debbiejeanm@ . . .)

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

My Friend Lisa – Interview & E-book Giveaway

My Friend Lisa – Interview & E-book Giveaway

by | Mar 19, 2010 | Uncategorized

Today we’re welcoming Lisa Lickle to come and chat with us about her latest book, Meander Scar. Interesting title, eh? She talks about that below, and it’s fascinating stuff!!

Lisa has graciously offered an e-book version of her story to one lucky reader, so as usual, leave your comments below with how you can be reached.

~*~

About Lisa

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin native who writes inspirational novels with Midwest flavor. She and her husband live in a hundred and fifty-year-old house built by a Great Lakes ship captain, filled with books and dragons. She enjoys travel, filling the bird feeders, reading and quilting and visiting with friends and family.

~*~

About Meander Scar

Love can heal even the deepest scars …

After seven years with no clue as to the whereabouts of Ann Ballard’s missing husband, nearly everyone presumes him dead. Now forty-something, Ann is ready for her stagnant life to flow again. Then one day, a dark-haired younger man from her past shows up on her doorstep offering a river of hope in place of tears.

Former neighbor Mark Roth has secretly loved Ann for years. A respected attorney, he’s returned home to help Ann face down disapproving family members and the le­gal maneuvering of her likely deceased husband’s family— while quietly winning her heart.

When the hidden truth of Ann’s situation turns their lives on end and another tragedy strikes, the two must come to terms with family, faith and the depths to which true love can run.

~*~

Hi, Lisa! What’s your latest book?

Thank you for letting me visit, Roseanna. My newest book bears the unusual title Meander Scar. It released February 15 in both print and Kindle eBook format from Black Lyon Publishing.

Definitely an intriguing title! What’s your favorite part of the story?

My favorite part is when Ann discovers what happened to her husband. I love all that suspense stuff, and using Ann’s inner turmoil to take the reader on her quest to solve this mystery – whether she even wanted to. She questions her sanity, her evidence, and herself, all the way through the process. Both Ann and Mark had trials to face as they decided to enter into a relationship. How far was Ann willing to go to keep Mark on her side? That concept was interesting to explore.

Oo, gotta love the deep, winding paths we have to take through ourselves! Is there a theme to this book?

I start all my books with themes. For this book I chose to explore the definition of family. As I wrote and rewrote over the course of editing, agents, and readers, and finally, the publisher, this theme evolved into the exploration of staying power. The title refers to the course of a river that bends when it runs into, say bedrock, or something that diverts it away from a naturally straight course. The water curves until it meets the original path. The abandoned water-filled curve eventually dries from a lake to a swamp, then heals leaving a meander scar. In a way, the book took a meander of its own when I was asked to rethink large chunks of story. I loved the idea of using a natural phenomenon to describe relationships. Everyone hits a hard place and has to make decisions. Those decisions affect the people around us. How far will we go off course when we struggle? What happens to get the path running true again? Healing, like writing, takes a lot of determination.

Well, I just learned something! And how cool to use something like nature as a metaphor! Nothing like tapping into God’s creativity, eh? Are there any people (family, writing group, editors) who you rely on when writing?

I have several people in my writing life upon whom I rely. My anatomy/science teacher husband makes a great thesaurus when I ask him strange questions, like “what’s this bone called again?” pointing to my leg. I also belong to a couple of critique groups and have a special writing partner. A couple of years ago at Easter, I needed to brainstorm names for places in this manuscript, and asked all family members for suggestions for the rehab center. I also rely on my readers. Especially for this story, the ending seemed muddled to me until Deidre said at lunch one day, “it’s time we had a story that says Christian men don’t leave their wives.” The rest of the story fell into perfect clarity after I heard that.

Ah, the “click.” Love it when a story gets one of those. =) Aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?

I’m a local historian and work with local society programs and preservation. I also spend a lot of time working with other writers through critique, mentoring, and book reviews.

“That’s so cool!” says this history buff! What writing goal have you set for yourself that would be the hardest (or unlikeliest) but most rewarding to achieve?

Do I look like too much of a snob when I say I’d love to win a Pulitzer? That’s just the top for me. I read books like Marilynn Robinson’s Gideon and think, wow—to be able to weave a story like that would be a reward unto itself. My real goal is to eventually write a book that can be reviewed in the Library Journal.

I think that is a fabulous goal! And not too snobby at all. Here’s rootin’ for ya! Do you remember where you were when you got your first or most important call about a book contract?

The publisher for Meander Scar is half the continent and two time zones away from me. I was at my local writing club when I got the call to discuss the contract. I had a hard time focusing on critiques after that.

I bet the others were very understand, LOL. What are you writing right now?

I’m putting the finishing touches on a manuscript I wrote while my oldest son was courting his wife. I’d started it before I met the young lady but the parallels between them and my main characters are going to be hard to convince the family otherwise. A missionary who is determined not to let anything or anyone come between him and serving his field clinic, and a guarded young lady using a pre-arranged relationship as a crutch even though she longs for a bigger life have to regroup when God interferes in their plans. I’m also writing the third mystery in my cozy series that began with Barbour’s The Gold Standard, book one of the Buried Treasure series.

Can’t wait to see them out!

~*~

Readers, you can check out more about Lisa and her books at http://lisalickel.com and visit her blog at http://livingourfaithoutloud.blogspot.com. Her book can be purchased from the publisher or in Kindle format.

Contest ends 3/25/10. Void where prohibited by law. Winner will have two weeks to claim the book before another winner is chosen.

Thoughtful About . . . Lessons Learned in the Laundry Room

by | Mar 18, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized

Today’s the last day to enter to win Once in a Blue Moon!

~*~

I never thought I’d sink so low as to write about laundry, but there you have it. I’m writing about laundry. Perhaps this wouldn’t be odd for some, but I hate doing laundry. Even more than I hate doing dishes. More than vacuuming, dusting, or scrubbing. Or maybe that’s why it makes sense for me to write about it . . .

Anyway. The last week has been gorgeous, sunny, and warm. Which means the last of The Snow has finally melted, and has thereby turned my world into one giant mud puddle. Since I have two small children, that naturally means that the mud puddle has worked its way into the house. And onto what feels like their entire wardrobes.

Now, I’m not usually the type to fuss too much about stains. My good friend Karlene once said, “I decided that kids’ clothes aren’t sacred and just assume they’ll get ruined.” I’ve embraced that because, well, it takes a lot of stinkin’ effort to keep their clothes spotless!

But I did try to get the mud out this past week. I have soaked in OxiClean. I have pretreated with Shout and Resolve and used super-strength detergent. I have used hot water, cold water, washed things multiple times. And still some of those stains just won’t come out.

On Monday (laundry day in the White household) as I rubbed stain remover into yet ANOTHER mud splatter, I thought, “This really stinks. I’ve got a whole arsenal of things specifically designed to do this with no effort, and what am I doing? Scrubbing clothes by hand.”

And that was when epiphany struck. (Do you hear the angels in the background singing that “Ahhhhh!” chime thingy?”) How, I wonder, did people keep their clothes clean before OxiClean and Resolve and Shout and Tide and whatever else I have in there? Because they did. I have proof, in the form of a lot of vintage clothing. Then the answer came: “They used lye, you dummy.”

Oh . . . right. Now, I have no desire–none whatsoever–to use lye soap. Nope. That temptation has never struck. It’ll ruin your hands even as it saves your clothes, and I’m just way too vain for that. 😉

But, wait. Lye . . . pretty strong stuff, right? Sure, the soap form isn’t as nasty as straight lye, but still. It’s harsh. It’s strong. It works. Whereas this stuff that doesn’t destroy my soft skin . . . it also doesn’t always take the stains out of my kids’ clothes.

And that got me wondering. How often do we do the same thing in life? How often to we take Truth or Lessons and say, “Well, that’s havoc on the emotional manicure. And it doesn’t smell very nice, metaphorically speaking. Let’s try this instead.” It’s sweeter. It’s gentler. It has a prettier label.

But it just–doesn’t–work.

I’m fine with being a sissy about lye and laundry. Sure, some of the stains will persist, but they’ll grow out of the clothes in about two minutes anyway, so whatever. But life . . . I don’t want to be a sissy about life. I don’t want to turn my eyes away from the truth because it’s too harsh, too strong, too blinding. I don’t want to shrug and say, “Well, the stain didn’t come out, but I did the best I could with what I have.” That’s just not good enough. Not when it comes to my heart, my soul.

I’m not allowed to be lazy about that.

Why knew that laundry could teach me something so valuable?

Remember When . . . Or Not?

Remember When . . . Or Not?

by | Mar 17, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

Quick reminder–don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Leanna Ellis’s Once in a Blue Moon.

~*~

I’ve come across this a couple times in recent months as I research for my historicals. I find myself reading histories that are . . . well . . . not so accurate. Oh, don’t get me wrong, they still work as research, since it’s either (a) how it was at the time my story is set in or (b) what was thought at the time. But still. It’s fun.

Right now I’m reading a super-fantabulous little book called Annapolis: Its Colonial and Naval History. It’s just perfect for my research needs, given that I’m writing about Annapolis of 1784. What makes it even better is that it was written in 1925, so it has that lovely, lyrical, understatedly humorous quality to it. (Yes, I know ‘understatedly’ isn’t a word. This is pre-coffee. Bear with me.) I believe I mentioned this book in my post on Bladen’s Folly, so you know I must love it to be using it again. 😉

Yesterday I got a grin from reading one small paragraph about the house of Charles Carroll, the Barrister (who ought not be confused with Charles Carroll, the Declaration Signer, or the scads of other Charles Carrolls in the Maryland/Virginia area of the time). It describes in detail where this house is situated, what it overlooks, etc.

Um . . . no. Sorry, dude. It was at the time, yes–and I was actually wondering where it had once been. But not long after this book was written, someone wanted to put something else there, so what is now just called the Carroll-Barrister House was moved to St. John’s College. (New readers, that’s where I went to school.) Where it became the Admissions and Advancement Office.

Now, I worked in the Admissions Office for four years, where I did data entry, answered phones, stuffed envelopes, and gave tours. I spent so many hours in that creaky old house that I daresay I know it’s features waaaaaaay better than the writer of this Annapolis book. AND I LOVE THAT!! Because I remember walking into it the first time as a 16-year-old visitor getting my first glance of the school. I wrote an essay my senior year of high school on how that building made me supremely aware of how I was walking into history–something I’d never felt so keenly before.

As a history lover, as a historical fiction writer, there is nothing better than the ‘hometown shout out’ thing. You know, like when a rockband screams how great it is to be in your town. For me, it’s exactly the same when a history–or a historical–gives a shout out to what is “mine.” There are novels I’ve read solely because they mention Cumberland, Maryland. There are histories I plow through largely because I can go, “Hey, I know where that is!! COOL!”

I’m not sure why this excites me so much–there’s always the option that I’m just weird. 😉 But I think it’s mostly because it stops the clock. It makes time stand still, or at least takes me out of it. It makes me realize that History isn’t this ephemeral flower that has bloomed and is now gone, it’s . . . it’s . . . us. Does that make sense?

We still live in the same buildings that were used hundreds of years ago. We still walk the streets that were first paved with bricks. We still sit under the shade of the tree that cast its shadows over the Patriots.

We still live in grace bought by the blood of a man who lived, died, and rose again two thousand years ago.

History is real. And, even when it changes, it matters. It’s mine. But don’t worry–I’ll share. 😉

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