by Roseanna White | Aug 18, 2009 | What We're Reading
Is there anything better than action, adventure, and romance on the high seas? (Well, maybe a full night’s sleep, but that’s an entry for another time . . .) Those are the key ingredients in MaryLu Tyndall’s latest release, The Blue Enchantress, a book I’m having a hard time putting down.
This won’t be a full review because I’m still in the middle of it, but ahhhhhh. I know when I pick up one of MaryLu’s books that I’m in for some tall ships, some pirates, some spiritual elements that send goosebumps shuddering up my spine, and a love story that will set my heart a-pumping. The Blue Enchantress is the second in the Charles Town Belles trilogy, but it easily stands alone–and stands so well that I’m already looking forward to the next one.
It centers around Hope, a young woman who has always relied on her charm and beauty to get her way. But when bad decisions land her on an auction block in St. Kitts, about to be sold as a slave, she swears she’s going to change. Especially when Nathanial Mason, a man she’s only scoffed at before but who may just be the most gentlemanly man she’s ever met, sells half his belongings to save her. Hope dreams of starting afresh and becoming a true lady–but with the dark shadows haunting her every step, will she ever have the chance?
Thus far, this book has it all. Hurricans, shipwrecks, pirates . . . everybody release a satisfied sigh with me. I was reading it the other night, and my husband started pouting that I wasn’t paying any attention to him. (Guilty.) I replied, “Hold on, they just got stranded on a deserted island. Let me finish this chapter.” And though I did put it down, it was with a huff. “I left the poor guy with a sword at his chin,” I said.
And for the record, last night when I had a rare hour alone (the hubby took the kids to the park) I chose to spend most of it reading this book. That right there speaks to its greatness, because usually I’d be parked in front of my computer the whole time.
Now I’m going to cut this short, because last night I left a sweet character with a pirate. Arg! Have to go read more and see what he wants with her (other than that). So I’ll just leave you with this–miracles and minions, pirates and slave auctions, love and jealousy and some checked-but-searing passion . . . what’s not to like? Check out MaryLu Tyndall’s The Blue Enchantress for a book that will sweep you away.
by Roseanna White | Aug 17, 2009 | Modern Mondays
Ice cream has been on my brain this weekend. I enjoyed a delightful cookies -n- cream milkshake on my birthday Friday (before dinner, no less!) and then some mint chocolate chip last night. So it seems fitting to delve into that creamy world of nonstop delight for my Modern Monday. =)
When I was reading and critiquing the YA novels of best-bed Stephanie Morrill, I nearly drooled every time she had her teen characters meeting up at Sheridan’s Frozen Custard. Now, in my neck of the woods, we have no Sheridan’s (though we have the Queen City Creamery, which is divine . . .), so my knowledge of the small chain is limited to Stephanie’s stories and then some research. Because, you see, when I set a book in her neck of the woods, I had no choice but to have my characters go to Sheridan’s too!
In my defense, when the hero and heroine of my contemporary romance decide to go for ice cream, I was totally willing to send them to Dairy Queen. (Didn’t want to copy my best-bud just for the sake of it, you know), but the local who advised me on this stuff assured me that they would drive to Sheridan’s before DQ–so to Sheridan’s they went!
Now, feel free to drool over their menu if you want some inspiration on this hot summer day. I know I spent ridiculous amounts of time going ga-ga over the choices. Can we just say “Yum!”?? Grasshopper, Caramel Pretzel, Dirt & Worms . . . ah, bliss in a cup.
Of course, one of the quirks of my heroine is that she is a genuine waffle-cone when it comes to choosing ice cream. She always knows exactly what she wants on the way and then changes her mind in line–and regrets it. Our hero gets to demonstrate his deep-abiding love for her by always ordering what she really wants and then casually trading her when she makes eyes at his treat. Is he a gem or what? 😉
So on this (or any of the other upcoming) sweltering August day, treat yourself to some joy-in-a-cone (or cup;-) and beat the heat with some ice cream. Roseanna’s perscription for a great summer evening. =)
(And do I get a gift card or something for promoting a shop I’ve never even been to?? I think I should! You know, for when I’m down that way . . . lol.)
by Roseanna White | Aug 14, 2009 | Misc.
. . . to bring you my birthday. No, got nothing special. Just feeling too lazy to decide which of my awesome friends to write about this week. 😉
Not sure what, if any, plans I have. My party was last weekend (joint party with my dad, whose birthday is the 2nd) and the rest of the extended family is camping, so babysitters are out of range–kinda rules out a romantic dinner. Might have a family dinner out (or brought in) but haven’t decided yet.
And you know what? I’m not gonna worry about it. I’ll just relax today (as much as possible, given the wee ones), do what strikes me as fun (you know, read, write something useless), and enjoy the fact that my nearly-4-year-old daughter bounced out of bed this morning and promptly said, “Happy Birthday, Mama!” Then tacked on, “I’ll just follow you around like a duckling.” (Isn’t she cute???)
I even got my house clean yesterday so I’d be able to enjoy it today. Sweet, eh? Now, off to enjoy my first cup of birthday coffee and a banana muffin fresh from the oven. Have a great weekend, everybody!
by Roseanna White | Aug 13, 2009 | Thoughtful Thursdays
It’s a topic I’ve written about before. Romance in novels–what we expect from them, what we expect from life because of them. There are some people who have been adversely affected by them, drawn astray or given unrealistic expectations. There are others who had found inspiration and the draw of the Lord.
I firmly believe that the call of a Christian Romance writer is to try for that second option–we want to pain a picture of love and romance as God intends it to be. Maybe not perfect from the get-go, mind you, but with characters who are all messed up and find the one the Lord intends for them anyway.
We’ve been discussing this on one of the groups I belong to, and one thing that came up was how quickly things tend to happen in romances. Ignoring the disturbingly-fast tendency to jump into bed with each other in secular novels, even in CBA a story usually only covers a few weeks. Is that really enough time to fall in love? To know?
Yes and no. In my opinion, it’s plenty of time to feel that burst of love and know this is one God has in mind for you–it’s just not enough time to be ready for marriage (generally speaking). And in thinking about this, it occurs to me that in the majority of my manuscripts, I avoid this problem by having main characters who already know each other very well by the opening of the book.
In Fire Eyes, they grew up together. In Mafia Princess they grew up together. In Peculiar they grew up together. In Note to Self, the one I just finished on Tuesday (woo hoo!), they’d known each other for about five years. Sure, once in while I’ll write something where they don’t–but it’s an issue for them. One that requires certainty from the Lord and some serious prayer before they make any decisions.
This is a broad topic, and I might touch on other parts of it in later weeks. But for now, I’d love to hear other opinions on the pitfalls and virtues of the romance novel (Christian ones in particular) and how they should be handled–in writing and in life.
by Roseanna White | Aug 12, 2009 | Remember When Wednesdays
One thing that’s super interesting about the 20s is that what we consider “modern life” had taken hold in some areas (like big cities) and was virtually unknown in others (read: rural areas–like where I live, lol). Electricity? You’d find it everywhere in town, but go five miles out, and nada. Phones? They were gaining traction fast, but very few private residences had them, even in urban areas.
One thing I really enjoyed researching, though, were the cars (partially, perhaps, because my husband did the bulk of the research, lol). So this blog is totally for my car-loving hubby (and all those other people out there who think Car and Driver is literature at its finest [for the record, I thoroughly enjoy the snippets my hubby reads me from C&D]).
When it came time to put my 20s characters behind the wheel of a car, I yelled across the room, “Hey, honey. What cars would these people drive in 1922?” My hubby dear spent the next hour looking them up for me. We decided that my hero would drive a Nash. A what, you ask? At this point in history, a Nash was your solid, middle-class car. Affordable, but offered considerable value for your buck. They rarely broke down and had a certain elegance. Totally the car my ever-reasonable hero would drive.
But keep in mind this is a book about the Mafia, so naturally I needed something a little more ostentatious too. For that, we went with a Pierce-Arrow. Made famous by another Chicago gangster (who died in 1920), the Pierce-Arrow was distinctive, huge, and sooooooo expensive. What I found interesting in reading about them is that you could choose to make them less distinctive. They were known for the unique placement of their headlights, but you could also order the more standard placement. I have my heroine’s father, a fictional mob boss, do this. He wants the status symbol of the Pierce but doesn’t want to be confused with Colosimo (the aforementioned gangster).
One thing I’m looking forward to in the sequel to Mafia Princess which I haven’t yet written is picking out what car my new hero will drive. He does some rum running (bad, Tony, bad!) so it’ll have to be something with some get-up-and-go. Should be a fun choice to make. =)
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.