Cover Reveal – A Noble Scheme

Cover Reveal – A Noble Scheme

by | Jul 6, 2023 | Book News, Cover Designs

A missing child.
Friends (or more?) turned enemies, forced to work together to save him.
Disguises and theater training and hidden, buried corridors beneath a manor house.

Welcome to a new aspect of the world of the Imposters! Here, nothing is quite what it seems, but the bonds of blood and friendship run deep, faith lights the path forward, and the quest for Truth underscores everything they do.

I am so excited for the first book in the Imposters series to launch in just a few short weeks! And, yes, okay, it feels odd to be sharing a cover for book 2 before you’ve even read book 1. But I’m gonna do it anyway. Because I can. 😉

In book 1, A Beautiful Disguise, we focus on the Fairfax siblings, with all their acrobatic skills and derring-do. In book 2, A Noble Scheme, they’re obviously still around, but the focus shifts to the other two members of the Imposters team: Gemma, journalist and shorthand expert who excels at theater, and Graham, whose architectural prowess helps them get into and out of a lot of literal tight (and secret) spaces.

In this part of the adventure, these two–who are CLEARLY at odds in book 1, though we don’t know why–are thrown together to rescue a kidnapped child. And sparks–and tears–fly. This one deals with some heavy topics of grief and loss, but as always, there’s also some lighthearted humor, clever wit, and lots to smile about.

This cover came in while I was in the middle of a writing retreat for another book, which naturally meant that I was terribly, wonderfully distracted. Because OH. MY. GOODNESS.

I’d given some specific-ish wants. It’s winter, and there’s snow. So a nice snowy background would be great. Most of the action takes place on-assignment on the southern coast of England, in Weymouth, which boasts the same white chalk cliffs as Dover, being very near it. I wanted to see Gemma in a blue or green dress, to keep with the cool scheme. Though her hair was actually “dyed” red with carrot and beet juice at that point in the story, I did NOT want that on the cover, LOL. I asked for her actual blond (and then said the natural dye was fading at one point, to appease all the readers who haven’t read this note, ha ha).

And man, did they deliver! Are you ready to see?

Ready…

Set…

VOILA!

Gaaaahhhhh! Right?? Don’t you just love that cool, icy blue, offset with gold and white? I sure do. And I love the dress. And that gorgeous archway! Zero changes requested from me on this one! I’m in love!

What are your thoughts?

Here’s the official back cover copy:

Gemma Parks is known throughout high society as G. M. Parker, a columnist renowned for her commentary on the cream of society. Behind the scenes, she uses her talent to aid the Imposters in their investigations by gathering intel at events and providing alibis for the elite firm’s members through her columns. Yet her clandestine work would be more exhilarating if it weren’t for the constant presence of the gentleman who broke her heart.

Graham Wharton has never had eyes for anyone but Gemma, and she left his soul in tatters when she walked away from him. When the Imposters take on a new job to recover a kidnapped boy mistaken for his aristocratic cousin, Graham is determined to use the time with Gemma not only to restore the missing boy, but also to win back the only woman he’s ever loved. As they trace the clues laid out before them, Graham must devise a noble scheme to save the boy’s life and heal their hearts.

Christy Award-winning author Roseanna M. White whisks you away to Edwardian-era England in an exhilarating tale of glamor, intrigue, and romance set among high society’s most elite–and most dangerous–families.

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Word of the Week – Season (Archive)

Word of the Week – Season (Archive)

by | Jul 3, 2023 | Word of the Week

Before bed one night, while we were waiting for his sister to finish washing her face and brushing her teeth, my son and I were coming up with silly reasons for each season’s name.

It began with the easy-to-determine fall. “Hey!” Rowyn said, “I bet it’s because of when the leaves fall.” I assured him that was, indeed, the reason. “Then what about winter?” he asked.

I thought for a moment, and then said, “Because that’s when all the leaves already wint.”

He laughed at my deliberate mispronunciation of went and said, “So how about spring?”

Another real answer. “It’s when new life springs forth. But for summer…?”

Rowyn thought for a little while then said, “I know! It’s when the school year is all summed up.”

Aren’t we just the cleverest things. 😉 I’ve already looked into the real etymologies of pretty much all those season words, but it occurs to me that I’ve never looked up season itself! So a quick lesson.

The English word (which has been in use since English itself originated, in the 13th century) comes directly from the French saison, which means exactly what the English does–“a period of the year; the appropriate time.” But if you trace saison back, it comes in fact from the Latin sationem, which literally means, “to sow, to plant.” In the days of Vulgar Latin, the word was used most often to indicate spring, when said sowing and planting was done. It was the French who broadened it to mean any season, and we of course borrowed that from them.

I hope you’re enjoying your summer season!

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Train the Brain

Train the Brain

by | Jul 1, 2023 | Imposters, Intelligence, Skills

What Does It Really Take to Be a Spy?

We have action/adventure ideas about spy training, thanks to movies lik The Bourne Identity and James Bond. But you know what the most important skill is for an intelligence officer?

A good memory!

Memory training is not only the most common training across all branches of intelligence, it’s also the oldest. Not weapons, not hand-to-hand combat…memory.

Because spies are sent into the field to gather information, pure and simple. That leads them into danger sometimes, sure. But that information-gathering is always key.

So how to organizations take ordinary citizens and turn them into memory machines?

The Classic “Bunch of Items” Technique

The oldest method is a very simple one, so tried and true that it’s still in use. It’s simply this:

Every day, perhaps even several times a day, have someone bring in a tray or a box with a set number of items on it. Start with 10. Then go up to 15. Then to 20. And so on. Set a timer or stopwatch and look at the items for a set amount of time. First a minute. Then 30 seconds. Then 15. And so on.

Then write down as many objects as you can remember.

Sounds easy, right? And it is…until it isn’t. As the items increase and the time decreases, it forces you into new levels of memory creation.

Then new complications will be introduced. Perhaps after you’ve looked but before you’ve written anything down, someone has a conversation with you. Or perhaps while you’re looking, there’s a distraction going on.

These complications simulate the real-life environments that spies will be working in.

Put It In Your House

Each agent will discover ways that work best for them. One modern agent shared with a reporter in recent years that his method was to “put it in his house.”

For this technique, you start by choosing the environment you are most familiar and comfortable with. The home that you dream about most often. The one you could navigate with your eyes closed. Often this is a childhood home, or the place you’ve lived the majority of your life. Transient places aren’t recommended.

Next, as you encounter new information, you turn it into an image or even imagine the words written down on a piece a paper. And then you put that object in a specific location in your house and visualize it there.

So let’s say I just met Sue, who will be of interest to my superiors. I take a mental photograph of Sue–red hair, brown eyes, 5’7″ perhaps–and I put that photograph in a frame and put it on my mantle. Or perhaps it’s a number–a date, maybe. I write that date down on my calendar that hangs on my fridge. A drop location could become a knick-knack that I store in my curio cabinet.

This method would require just as much practice as the older one, because you’re still training your brain to store and process information in a new way.

The Benefits

The fun thing is that these exercises aren’t just useful for spies–they’re useful for all of us! You could make memory games part of your routine in order to keep yourself sharp and improve your own mental faculties, no matter what your profession!

W R I T E   T O   S I R   M E R R I T T

Have an intelligence questions?
You can email Sir Merritt directly at
SirMerritt@TheImpostersLtd.com

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Ready to Be a Spy?

Ready to Be a Spy?

by | Jul 1, 2023 | Fun and Games, Imposters, Intelligence

Ready to test your spy skills?

Every intelligence agent is trained to notice details and remember them. This is crucial for the Imposters but also true of agents in MI5, MI6, the CIA, KGB, and pretty much every other intelligence agency in history.

So let’s play a game to help you start your training!

 

  • Someone should choose 25 random objects and put them in a box or suitcase. Sit the box or case at one end of a large room or long hallway. Have a master list of the items in the box written down.
  • Line up your participants at the opposite end of the room or hallway. This area is “Headquarters.”
  • With a timer or stopwatch (phone apps or smart watches work great!), give each person 30 seconds or 1 minute (depending on size of space) to get to the end with the box, look inside at what all’s in there, and get back to Headquarters. As soon as they get back, send the next person down, and so on until everyone has taken a look. (You could also send 2 or 3 people down at a time, but no talking among them!)
  • Give everyone a sheet of paper and have them write down all the objects they could remember.
  • Compare everyone’s list, having them help each other and fill in what others missed. Compare to the master list, or else bring the box down and hold up each object.
  • Give out the “random objects” as prizes to the participants, letting the person who’d gotten the most right choose first.

W R I T E   T O   S I R   M E R R I T T

Have an intelligence questions?
You can email Sir Merritt directly at
SirMerritt@TheImpostersLtd.com

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Throwback Thursday – Being Good

Throwback Thursday – Being Good

by | Jun 29, 2023 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Throwback Thursdays


Be good. It’s a familiar refrain, one we probably say to our children a gazillion times. Whenever we send them off to a friend’s house, or on those days when The Sibling Wars are especially fierce. It’s understood that there are the good things to do and the bad. That those are, to a point, what define us. That it’s by what we’re judged by the people around us, at the least.

And in my ongoing quest to figure out how to be who God wants me to be in this world that seems more intent upon pursuing all the bad things rather than the good, I came across this verse.

“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
~ I Peter 2:15-17 

 
In this section, Peter is cautioning people to live a Godly life before the world, abstaining from lusts of the flush and sinful things. Obeying the government. Then these verses above. I’ve no doubt read them quite a few times, but they really struck me the last time I did. Look closely.
 
By doing good you my put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
 
What does that mean? It means that our actions speak louder than the words of our enemies, of our detractors. It means that by doing good, doing the will of God, we point to Him, and in the face of it, no one can really say anything bad about us. It means that by being/doing good, we force the other side to bite their tongues. Because how can they argue with what is universally acknowledged as good?
 
But then it goes on. Let’s examine verse 16. …as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice…
This reminds me of the part in I Corinthians where Paul says, “Look, guys. You’re free from the law. That means all things are lawful for you. But don’t be stupid. It doesn’t mean all things are good for you, that all things are helpful. Act like they are and you’re just going to become a slave to them.” (That’s the Roseanna paraphrase.)
 
We are free. Yes, absolutely. Faith in Jesus frees us from law, from religion. But we’re still responsible for our actions in the world. And what’s more, people are still watching us. So we don’t want to use freedom as an excuse to do bad things. That’s just stupid. We have to find the balance to strike–embracing the freedom without abusing it. Rejecting the chains of the law, be it the ancient ones that Jesus was arguing with or the ones the church was pretty quick to develop within the first couple hundred years of Christianity–but not betraying the spirit behind all those constricting rules.
 
And here’s the clincher. …as bondservants of God.
 
I’ve talked before about what it really means to be a bondservant of God. (Read that post here. It’s one I go back to frequently.) In a nutshell, it means we freely turn our will over to Him. We swear to serve Him for all our lives, and in return we become part of His family, part of His household. A servant, yes, but one beloved by our master and even able to inherit. So if we’re living out our liberty as bondservants of God, then that means EVERYTHING WE DO is for Him. In His interests. What He asks of us.
 
It means we’re going to show respect to those in authority. We’re going to love our brethren in Christ. We’re going to be good citizens. We’re never going to forget what God can do. We’re going to be good. And because we are, others will see and respect us and love us and seek God. It means that the worst thing people will be able to say about us is that we follow a strange God who doesn’t do the things that the world does, doesn’t worship what the world worships, and leads others to this same God. 
 
Now that’s a criticism we should all seek to have lobbed at us!

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