It’s Release Day! A Beautiful Disguise

by Roseanna | Aug 22, 2023 | Announcements, Book News, Books

Welcome to the Launch Day Celebration for A Beautiful Disguise!

If you’ve been hanging out with me much online in the last couple months, you likely know how excited I am for the beginning of this new series, The Imposters. The concept is just so…much…FUN.

I mean, two aristocratic siblings forced to become private investigators to make ends meet after their father leaves them all but bankrupt? Who have special skills from the performers who had peoples their childhoods…and on whom their father had wasted all that money? A retired circus family now filling in as servants on the estate, with their exotic animals taking up the stalls in the stables?

YES. ALL THE YES. =)

Live Event!

Join me for a Facebook Live video tonight, Tuesday August 22, at 7 pm Eastern! (You can watch it afterward too, and I’ll try to answer any questions in the comments!)

Behind the scenes
Fun facts
Short author reading
What’s coming next

Visit Roseanna M. White on Facebook

And I couldn’t be more excited to welcome you all into that Imposters world with book 1, A Beautiful Disguise! This book is primarily about the older sister of the two siblings, Lady Marigold, and their latest, too-noble client, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Merritt Livingstone.

Marigold is known among society for her ostentatious, haute couture fashions. But it’s all just intended to mask the real her, so that she can learn things for their cases. People are so used to just noting her hat or dress that they fail to look at her or pay any attention to what she’s doing. Handy thing for a PI.

Sir Merritt earned his knighthood serving among the Coldstream Guards in the Boxer Rebellion, where he rescued a family of missionaries that remain some of his closest friends. He landed behind a desk thanks to pneumonia, and now he’s tasked with helping in the formation of England’s first unified intelligence force, combining the divisions of the army, navy, and police. But he soon discovers something that looks like treason…and which he’s too ill to investigate alone. He calls on the Imposters for help.

And their lives change forever. =D

Introducing Lady M’s Fabulous and Frugal Fashion Column!

Marigold has a secret though–her high fashions don’t come from Chanel in Paris. They come from her own attic. She uses the dresses that were her mother’s and grandmother’s, remakes them for current cutting-edge trends, and dyes or bedecks them. Basically, she creates new looks for next to nothing.

And Lady M has brought her fabulous and frugal advice to the blog! (With the help of a few wonderful ladies you can meet when you follow the link below.)

You can read the advice up already and check back regularly for new fashion tips, because Lady M has a lot to share with you! You can even write to her with your questions, requests, and suggestions!

See the Fashion Column!

There’s So Much to Explore!

Learn more about the Edwardian circus that defined the Imposters’ childhood, get fashion tips from Lady M, explore the theater of the day, meet the team, pet the animals, go behind the Top Secret stamp to learn about intelligence in the early 20th century, train yourself to be a private investigator, and dive into some fun and games!

Explore More!

Shop the Imposters Collection

Spy gadgets, handmade vintage style bags, peacock stationery, and more!

Giveaway

US entrants, enter to win a copy of A Beautiful Disguise
(or another book of your choice) + a $25 gift card to my shop!

International entrants, enter to win a copy of any of my books, shipped from your usual online retailer.

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Journey Through Prayer

by Roseanna | Jun 2, 2022 | Announcements, Bible Study, Book News, Thoughtful Thursdays

One of my goals for the year was to spend more dedicated time in prayer. So every morning, I’ve been doing my Bible reading and then taking about half an hour to focus on communing with God. Not just the on-the-fly prayers I send up through the day, but time when I’m really focusing, really listening.

Every other time in my life when I’ve tried this sort of thing, I’ve ended up so distracted, my thoughts flying a million different directions, that it hasn’t lasted long. A couple days, maybe a couple weeks, and then I forget one day, and the next day, and so on.

This time, though, has been different. This time I’ve been feeling anchored. This time, I’m keenly aware of the blessing of time spent with the Lord.

It was during one of these prayer times a few weeks ago when I found myself contemplating the process of prayer itself, and this idea came to me–the sort that brought with it instant excitement.

Prayer journals.

Not just blank or lined notebooks, mind you…and not the sort of journals I saw on Amazon with a couple designed pages for listing prayer requests and Scripture that repeated over and over. No, I wanted to create journals to guide us in contemplative prayer. The sort of prayer where you’re focusing first on Scripture and then diving deep into the questions about it that lead us to deeper understanding, with a new one each day. The sort of prayer that is all about drawing closer to God through new depths of understanding, and working daily to align our will more fully with His.

I was so excited that I took a few minutes to design covers for these journals, to choose sizes, and then to work up a gorgeous interior design. I took two days to work on the guided contemplation and get a file together, and then I sent it to my Patrons & Peers ladies for their feedback.

Their excitement convinced me this really was a good idea. I uploaded the first file to Amazon, ordered a proof, and then went about editing and fine-tuning.

This is the result.

Pink,Flowers,,Bible,,Journal,And,Pen,With,A,Glass,Of

What you see here is a series of journals called The Life of Christ. Let me walk you through it.

First, the concept is that each day we focus on a different part of Christ’s life, from His conception all the way up through His reign in Heaven, glimpsed in Revelation. There is so much to learn by studying and dwelling on some of the momentous events of His life! There are certainly many more that I could have included, and I may do a second series on His life in the future, but for now, these. =)

Each day begins with an announcement of that day’s theme. (Isn’t it pretty? Siiiiigggghhhh.)

When you turn the page, you’ll see a traditional prayer and then a Scripture selection about that theme.

Why a traditional prayer? Well, a few years ago my family decided to start doing a family prayer time, and we bought a common prayer book that aimed at ecumenism between the different branches of the Christian faith–Catholic and Protestant, High church and low, liturgical and free-form. Some of these old, traditional prayers were in there, and I was dumbfounded by their beauty. I’d never attended a High, liturgical church, but I found myself not only loving the structure, but loving the thought and care and profound insights of these prayers that had been written by believers so many centuries ago, and which were still in use because they were so…true. So beautiful. So real.

One of the things I love most about this though isn’t the prayers themselves–it’s the fact that by praying them, we are linked with other Christians, around the world and throughout history, who are praying and have prayed and will pray those same prayers. I believe in a God of eternity, one who is outside of time. I love the fact that we can partake of that eternity here in our linear time, in these small, crucial ways.

So I included a traditional prayer with each day.

The Scripture passage is often abbreviated, but if I’d “edited for space” I indicate that by saying it is from that passage. I also list see also references to where the same story is told in other books.

When you flip the page again, you’ll see the “Things to Consider” page.

Here I begin with a short reflection of my own on the passage. Then I give you four writing prompts. Choose 1 or 2 to write about that day, whichever spark your thoughts or resonate most deeply in your heart. The idea isn’t to cover it all. The idea is to dive deep into whatever the Lord is whispering to your spirit that day.

As you can see, the right-hand page begins your writing pages. Date it, and then start journaling!

I did a bit of trial and error to decide on how many pages of writing space to include, how wide to make the lines, what style of lines to use…all that fun stuff. I’m quite pleased with the style and feel that I came up with–I printed them out and tried them before deciding!–and I hope you’ll find them condusive to your writing too!

In terms of number, I settled on 3 of these lined pages–the one beside the “Things to Consider” page, and a full spread of them too.

One more flip, and you’ll find another lined page, but for prayer requests and your notes on other Scripture passages that either came to mind or which you’ve recently read and want to make note of.

That is the end of that day, assuming you do one theme a day. The next one then begins with a new announcement.

The journal has 21 entries and 176 pages, which will fill about a month of weekday journaling. But you’ll notice that there are four designs. Why?

Because one of the most beautiful things about contemplative prayer is what happens when you repeat the cycle.

What jumped out at you this time will now be the foundation you’re standing on when you go through the material again. New questions or thoughts or ideas will demand your attention when you read through the same passages next time.

With this in mind, these journals are created to be repeated. You’ll find several different designs in the same series; the interior material is largely the same, only with new prompts for writing and a design to match the cover. The cover and design do change as well, to differentiate them on your shelf or in your drawer. They’re each designed with space to write your own numbering system and date span on the spine and back cover for easy reference. Repeat the series as many times as you desire!

Sections in The Life of Christ series include things like:

Jesus Is Coming
Magnify the Lord
Jesus Is Here
In His Father’s House
True Communion
King of the Curse
He Is Risen!
Christ Reigns

And of course, many more. =) The journals are available in paperback, eBook, and hardcover as well. All versions are available on Amazon and will soon be on other retailers. And of course, you can order the print versions all here on my website! (I’m happy to sign these if you want me to, but as they’re not really about the words I wrote in them, but rather the words you will write in them, the default for these will be NO SIGNATURE, like a regular product. To request a signature, simply put it in the order notes, and I’ll write you a little note and sign it on the first page, where otherwise you write your name and date.)

If these prove to be a hit, I have quite a few other ideas for more contemplative prayer journal themes for this JOURNEY THROUGH PRAYER series, all with unique designs and focuses, including:

The Psalms
Be Not Afraid
Advent
Lent
The Lord’s Prayer
Peace

And I’m also very interested in what themes YOU would like to explore, so I do have contact information in there, so you can tell me your ideas!

Order Paperbacks Now!

Order Hardcovers Now!

Please note that as of the posting of this,
I’m still waiting for my stock copies to arrive.
Thanks for your patience!

Cover Reveal ~ Worthy of Legend

by Roseanna | Feb 10, 2022 | Announcements, Cover Designs

It’s cover reveal day!! Always an exciting day in the life of an author…right up there with that day when, out of the blue, an email arrives in your inbox with the subject line of “Worthy of Legend Cover!” (or whichever book I happen to be waiting for my glimpse of, LOL.)

My heart rate always increases. I click into that email. And then I click on the attachment icon. Oh, the flutters in my stomach every single time as I wait for the image to download–it’s one of those moments where the seconds it takes stretch out soooooo long! But finally, it loads. I may quite literally hold my breath.

Am I going to love it?
Am I going to hate it?
Will it look anything like what I imagined?

For Worthy of Legend, the third and final book in the Secrets of the Isles series, I’d given them some ideas and of course knew it would follow the same general look as the other two books. We’d have the heroine front and center, an island background. My special requests this time: (1) Could we have a night sky, or first-breath-of-dawn sky perhaps? And (2) she could be wearing green, as it’s the only color mentioned for her clothes.

Of course, I gave them some ideas for items she could be holding and also described Lady Emily Scoffield and provided some inspirational photos.

But one never knows how that’s going to play out in the cover designer’s mind. One never knows if our visions will perfectly match. And to be quite honest, both covers for the other books in this series surprised me–but I adore them both!

So finally, that image downloaded, all those questions rampaging through my mind, and I clicked it open, trying not to peek at the thumbnail, honestly, so that I could get the full impact.

And there she was! Lady Emily, holding a small leather-bound journal that plays a critical role in the story, in a puffed-sleeve green dress that would have made Anne Shirley gasp is exaggerated pleasure. With an island backdrop with that lovely starry sky I’d requested (yay!!!!)

Are you ready to get YOUR first look?? Here it is!

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What do you think??

I admit that the model wasn’t exactly how I’d pictured Emily, but I always get over that really quickly, LOL (because this is pretty much ALWAYS the case, ha ha). She looks lovely and sweet with a touch of insecurity–SO EMILY!–so I quickly adjusted my own mental image to match! I love that she’s holding that small leather journal, and the background…spot on. Overall, I’m so excited to add this one to my “My Covers” folder and think it’s the perfect complement to the rest of the series!

Now, a bit about the story itself. Lady Emily has been cut off from her family after siding with the Tremaynes in the whole treasure hunt thing, and she’s got some heavy questions she’s dealing with: Why can’t they just love her? How is she to love them as God does? Will the opinions of these friends change when they realize exactly how little her own family esteems her?

And then we have our hero, the grumpy, candy-loving Bram, Earl of Telford. Bram has already been well established as an over-protective big brother, and he takes that role very seriously. When he sees what a terrible brother Emily has, he pretty much decides that someone has to protect her, and if her brother won’t do it, he will. We also finally discover what he’s hiding behind that gruff exterior–a heart that longs for true nobility and is more than a little inspired (okay, obsessed) with tales of chivalry, especially the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. So when a new treasure hunt seems to have a link to Arthur himself…well suddenly he’s more intrigued by archaeology than he ever expected to be.

I hope everyone is looking forward to this ending to the Scilly-set tales! I greatly enjoyed digging deep into these two characters and really examining what makes anyone worthy of legend. Spoiler alert (okay, not really, LOL): Both of these two characters live up to it!

And of course, now that I have a cover, that means I also can make the pre-order available in my shop! Order your copy now, and it *will charge your card right away and then I’ll ship the orders as soon as I get my author copies, which is usually 3-4 weeks before they’re available from other stores. =D In this case, release day is early September, so you’ll *probably get your book sometime in August.

Preorder Now

Introducing Patrons & Peers

by Roseanna | Jan 6, 2022 | Announcements, Thoughtful Thursdays

Ever since I was girl, I knew what my calling was: writing. Specifically, to write novels that show people the beauty of faith, the glory of God, and how our lives are richer when they’re lived with Him. I love to use human romances, well-drawn and in amazing settings, to demonstrate how God loves us.

Many years ago I listened to a class from a writers conference in which the amazing Susan Meissner broke writers into three categories: the hobby writer, the ministry writer, and the career writer. My critique partner looked at me and said, “Which are you?” I didn’t even have to think about it.

“Ministry!”

The funny thing is that I actually combine ministry writing and career writing. Which is to say, this is how I make my living…but money concerns are not what determine what and how I write. I will write—and I’ll write the stories God puts on my heart—regardless of whether I get paid for it. I can’t not. My bio says I’ve “long claimed that words are the air I breathe,” and that is the simple truth. Everything I do is in some way geared toward getting the written word into the world, whether it be through my writing, my editing, my cover designing, or our publishing efforts. I do it because I believe stories change the world. Fiction changes culture. My words, if written faithfully and put into the hand of the Lord, can be a tool He uses to touch hearts and lives. That is my prayer—that is always my prayer.

But of course, the reality is that my family needs to eat, which is why over the last few years, more and more of my days has been geared toward that “other” work I do—cover design, typesetting, helping other authors. Which is great work, and I love it…but my own writing time has been pushed into the margins. I’d like to change that, because this is still my primary ministry, my primary calling. Not only do I have writing contracts to fulfill, but I also have so many other stories I’d love to find time to write, stories my readers keep asking for—more in the Shadows Over England series, stories about secondary characters from other books and series, you name it. When I consider carving out the time to write those though, something became very obvious: I can’t, not with the way things are going now. I can barely get each contracted book done in time. Writing more? That’s going to require a change. That’s going to require…you.

And so, I’d like to invite you into this ministry. I’d like to give you, my readers, the chance to more actively participate in my calling, and to share yours with me as well.

So here’s what I’m envisioning. I’ve set up a system where you can help support my writing directly, at whatever level you feel led. In return, you get access to private pages here on my website and even a community through an app on our smart phones. I will check in with you every week by video chat—and members can reply with their own video chats! We can build each other up, share our struggles and our victories. I will let you into my world—not just the public side of it, but what it really means to walk out this calling and ministry day by day. I will share the pitfalls, the triumphs, the prayer requests, the challenges, the ideas and brainstorming, and the big dreams that we have. We can walk out our callings arm in arm.

If this works like I hope and I end up with ability to cut back on my “extra” work, that means more time that I’ll be dedicating to writing, so I’ll be creating more fiction for you. I’ll be able to work on those extra stories in some of my series that readers are always asking for but which I can never work in around my other contracts. It means I’ll be able to spend more time researching and building my faith, so I can work all that into my stories too.

And mostly, for me, it’s about humility and sharing the calling and ministry, opening up…which is often so hard for an introvert like me to do. But I know the value of community. And I want to truly have it with you. That’s one of the things I’ve most enjoyed about things like the tea parties and my Facebook lives—they give us the chance to really connect, to get to know one another. I’ve been wondering how to take that and multiply it, how to really edify each other. I’m excited to see if this is a way we can do it.

So right now, I have two options set up: you can join as a Patron (for as little as $25/year) or as a Peer (starts at $100/year). Both options give you the choice of subscribing by month, quarter, or annually, and each one is also set up with “choose your own price.” So while there’s that minimum buy-in for each level, if you feel led to give a different amount, you can! Everyone who joins the ministry will get access to a private page here with updates and bonus content—some blog-style thoughts and devotionals, videos, and maybe even extra fiction. You’ll be able to share your opinion on things I’m working on and really join me along the journey, every step of the way. We’ll have the privilege of praying for each other, and you’ll be invited to share YOUR journey and calling as well! You’ll receive an invitation to join a special video chat group through an app called Marco Polo (free download on your smart phone!) on which I’ll be doing weekly updates and to which you’re welcome to reply with your own, you’ll get a coupon code for my store good for the duration of your subscription, and other perks aimed at enriching each other’s lives.

If you choose the Peer level, you’ll get all that plus you’ll receive each of my books, signed, as they release—you won’t have to place a pre-order for these, they’ll be automatically sent to you if you’re a supporter during a release. (No more trying to remember if you’ve pre-ordered already or not!) You’ll also receive a special tote bag design that won’t be for sale or available elsewhere, along with other perks throughout the year.

Too often in our society we have this idea that we need to rise or fall alone, do it all ourselves—but that isn’t the kind of Church that we’re supposed to build. We’re supposed to support each other, love each other, give to each other. So this is me being very vulnerable and saying, “This is how you can help me create more.” I need the freedom to focus more on my primary calling. And it’s also the chance for you to share with me and the other members of our community what YOUR calling is, and how we can support YOU.

I hope you’ll join me—share in my life and calling and ministry and let me share in yours. Because I truly believe that if we come together, supporting each other in word and in deed and in giving, then we’ll accomplish some amazing things for the Lord.

Visit the Patrons & Peers Page

Giveaway – To Treasure an Heiress Release Day!

by Rachel Dixon | Jan 4, 2022 | Announcements, Book News, Books, Giveaways and Contests

To Treasure an Heiress - Release Day - Blog

Happy New Year! To Treasure an Heiress is NOW AVAILABLE! I’m thrilled to be kicking off the new year with this book, the second in the Secrets of the Isles Series! This story picks up chronologically right where book 1 ends, but the focus is now on the “other Elizabeth,” Beth Tremayne…and the hilarious houseguest who inadvertently started the whole series of adventures, Lord Sheridan.

Working together, Beth and Sheridan start to piece together a story of tragic love and piratical adventure. But the true surprise is the treasure they discover in one another.

The Treasure Hunt Is On!!

I had so many people tell me that they enjoyed the Hunt through the Pages of The Nature of a Lady, that of course I had to create a second one for To Treasure an Heiress!

It works like this:

Visit the Hunt through the Pages page
Download the Hunt clues to keep on hand as you read
Answer the questions as you go!
Return to the page once you’ve finished and input your answers into the form
Get entries to the GIVEAWAY!! Any entry (even if it’s totally blank) will get you ONE entry into the giveaway, and each CORRECT answer will get you another.
Submit the form for access to the SECRET PAGE too!

What’s in the giveaway? And on the secret page?? Well, the giveaway is going to be a true treasure-hunt-style surprise…I’m not revealing WHAT will be included, but I can promise you there’s something shiny, something related to the book, something tasty, and that FIVE of you are going to win! The drawing will be on March 1, which means you have all of January and February to read, hunt up the answers, and get those entries in!

The Secret Page will remain live forever, even after the giveaway draws to a close, and you’ll gain access to it as soon as you submit your answers! (It’ll direct you to a page with both the link and the password for the page.) This time around, the Secret Page has a travel journal for both places you’d like to visit in life and in literature that I’ve dubbed “The Wanderlist,” a new recipe and tour booklet, the prologue and first two chapters of book 3, Worthy of Legend, and even a place to chat about the places you’d love to visit someday!

Are you a non-US reader? If so, you can certainly play along with the Hunt and gain access to the secret page! But instead of the secret treasure giveaway, you’re instead eligible for a book giveaway that will run from today until 1/18. The book will be shipped via the Book Depository. Entry form is at the bottom of this post.

Live Event

Join me for a LIVE chat TONIGHT, Tuesday, January 4th at 7pm EDT! I’ll be telling you all the fun behind-the-scenes tidbits, reading an excerpt, answering your questions, and telling you about the new Patrons & Peers system I’ll be launching later this week! Join the event HERE.

Missed it live? Don’t worry, you can still watch it at the link above!

Tea Party

Join me on Friday, March 4th to discuss To Treasure an Heiress!
Reserve your seat now!

Reserve Your Seat

International Giveaway

Please ONLY enter this giveaway if you have a non-US mailing address! US addressees are eligible for the main Hunt through the Pages giveaway, which you can enter via the link above.

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Introducing the Bookish Things Shop!

by Roseanna White | Oct 14, 2021 | Announcements, Bookish Tees and Totes, Books, Holidays, Sales

Okay, guys, I am sooooo excited to tell you about this today! For the past month-ish, I’ve been working on expanding my shop, and finally, the results are ready to show you!!

It started when we were on vacation. For us, “vacation” is really just the best brainstorming of the year. 😉 As we were walking on the beach and chatting, one of the topics was how to make even more cool stuff available in my store. I had tons of ideas…but of course, the problem is that I only have so much time. So I can’t just make everything I think of (never mind that I don’t have the skills, LOL). So I decided to look some things up. And next thing I know, I’m hours into browsing products by other individuals and artisans and I have found SO MANY that are a perfect fit!

And that’s what I’m about to show you! I’ve put together a ton of cool stuff. Some of it ties directly to one book of mine or another…some of it appeals to a general bookish audience. A few are especially for writers. I have some Christmas merch too, including new designs I just unveiled this week! A few highlights:

- Journals and notebooks
- Pens
- Book lockets and pendant necklaces
- Nature-themed jewelry and goodies
- Christmas ornament
- Book socks
- Book light
- Book earrings

AND…I also just added a wishlist button to the site! So if YOU are the book lover in your life and want to drop a few hints to your loved ones for the next holiday, I’ve totally got you covered. When logged in, you can create as many lists as you like, make them public or private, email them to people, you name it! (If you don’t log in, it will remember you for 30 days as long as you’re on the same device.)

So are you ready to see some of the cool new stuff?? I’ve divided them into a couple different categories–the images below are just a few of them! Check out the full shop HERE.

(All the old stuff is still there too, don’t worry! I’ve just built out new pages and taken new product images in some cases.)

Would you like to see a tie-in item that I don’t currently have? Just send me a note through the contact form with your suggestion, and I’ll see what I can do. =)