by Roseanna White | May 23, 2018 | Book News
Last Saturday, my family drove a few hours down the road for the Gaithersburg Book Festival, where I would be presenting a panel with two other amazing Christian historical fiction authors, Cathy Gohlke and Carrie Turanksy. Having never attended this festival before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was so much fun!
First, it was raining. I’m talking, we’ve had 2 solid weeks of rain in the mid-Atlantic. Trees are coming down just because the ground is so soggy it can’t hold them up. To say it was a bit wet for this outdoor festival is an understatement.
But you just can’t dampen the spirits of book nerds. They still showed up by the thousands.
The GBF is a really great, really big event. There were hundreds of authors present in every conceivable genre for every conceivable age group. My family and I sat in on a panel with writers and illustrators of the Science Comic series and learned how they turned topics like The Plague and Sharks into fun, accessible stories for kids, and then we got to watch them draw for us on the spot. We caught the tail end of a non-fiction talk on the founding and building of Los Angeles. And then I joined Cathy and Carrie for our panel on weaving history into fiction.
It rained off and on all day, and the ground was a muddy mess. I had mud splatters all up my legs, and at the time I’m writing this, I haven’t even summoned the bravery to check out the shoes that we just shoved in a plastic bag after the event was over, before we drove home. [Update: they all cleaned up just fine, LOL.] We juggled umbrellas and raincoats and had to try to figure out how to keep our bags off the sopping ground. The bookstore had a lot of books with slight curls to their pages.
And it was SO AWESOME.
Because we got to see hundreds and thousands of other book lovers, coming together in a community. I got to meet two members of my launch team (hello, Kat and Kathy!!!) and finally meet two authors I’ve long respected but have never actually gotten to see in person. And of course, I got to talk about books! These sorts of panel conversations are always so much fun for me. A chance to talk about writing in general, the stories I love in particular and share a glimpse into the crazy life of a homeschooling writer.
And it’s so cool to then walk to the book signing area and get to meet some of the people who sat in on the panel. To meet people I’ve talked to online. To hear new readers say they so enjoyed my talk they had to run and buy my book. To hear another young woman say I’m one of her favorite authors and she had to come to the GBF to meet me (she said that to the
NEWS camera!). To sign one book for a sweet lady’s friend and then see her back in the line with her family, because her husband bought
her a copy.
 |
| Me, Cathy, and Carrie…and a bit of the mud. |
The folks who put on the festival gave the authors a regal welcome and thanked us for coming, thanked us for writing. But I think I speak for most of the other authors when I just smile and laugh and turn that right back around–because I’ve written for years in a vacuum, without my words ever going anywhere beyond my computer. Writing itself doesn’t accomplish much. It’s the interaction of writing with readers that matters. It’s the readers who make it all worthwhile, and seeing all those dedicated readers braving the mud and rain to come and listen to a bunch of authors talk, to stand in line in the rain to get a book signed…they’re the ones who deserve the thanks.
(Video from the local news station–you can see me a fair bit in the background as they interviewed Michelle, the young lady who was so excited that I was going to be there!)
It was a wonderful day, and I’m so grateful to everyone who turned out to say hello! I had a great time, and I hope to see the diehard readers of Montgomery County, Maryland back at the GBF in years to come!
(Sorry I didn’t take more pictures–my hands were filled with umbrellas and books I was trying to keep dry, LOL!)
by Roseanna White | Apr 25, 2018 | Announcements, Book News
I know, this isn’t strictly related to my writing…but it’s what’s been taking up most of my “spare” (ahem) time in the last few weeks, so I wanted to share, just in case you haven’t seen it announced on Facebook.
WhiteFire Publishing is excited to announce that it’s acquiring
Ashberry Lane and will be maintaining it as an imprint! We’re super thrilled to be growing our house, to be able to give a home to some fabulous authors whose line was otherwise closing, and to be given a chance to work with them in the future. Official press release below!
Cumberland, MD (16 April 2018) – WhiteFire Publishing today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ashberry Lane Publishing. The acquisition, which is expected to close by June 2018, is subject to customary closing conditions.
WhiteFire Publishing is a leading small Christian publisher specializing in competitively priced e-books and print editions for authors such as Melody Carlson, Roseanna M. White, Dina Sleiman, and the late Golden Keyes Parsons. Since their founding in 2005, they’ve grown to a list of over 75 titles by over 25 authors, many of which have won various industry awards. With books across multiple genres and a young reader line to launch this summer, WhiteFire’s line embodies their motto of “Where Spirit Meets the Page.”
Founded in 2013, Ashberry Lane brings a list of critically acclaimed authors writing in a variety of inspirational genres, their award-winning titles including historical romance, contemporary fiction, and a strong middle grade line. Authors like RT Seal of Excellence recipient Camille Eide and the Christy Award-winning Christina Berry Tarabochia add distinction to a list of 12 authors and 24 titles. Ashberry Lane has worked diligently over the past five years to publish “Heartfelt Tales of Faith.”
The two companies have always shared a goal and dream, to provide Christian authors with a quality publishing house and a family atmosphere. Their respective lines are complementary, and after Ashberry Lane announced its impending closing, WhiteFire executives took immediate action to offer AL’s authors and titles a home under the WFP banner.
“It’s with much
Joy and gratefulness that I shared the news with my authors,” says Ashberry Lane publisher, Christina Tarabochia. “I know WhiteFire can be trusted with the Ashberry Lane name and that they have the same heart for books that we do. We pray this melding will prove to be a beautiful blessing for our authors as well as for the WhiteFire team.”
All management and acquisitions for the Ashberry Lane line will be assumed by WhiteFire’s staff. It will be maintained as a separate imprint under the WhiteFire Publishing line.
by Roseanna White | Mar 14, 2018 | Book News, Cover Designs
Tomorrow is a special day. Tomorrow is the day when I do my very first re-release of one of my novels, with a brand new cover and title.
Tomorrow is the day when Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland officially goes back into the world as A Heart’s Revolution.
When Guideposts returned the rights to me, they only had two stipulations–I had to change the title, and I had to change the cover. Well, for a cover designer, that’s kinda like saying, “You have to have fun and play around with cool images.”
Shucks. ?
Of course, I wanted the title nailed down before I started playing with a design, so I came up with a handful of options and ran them by my best friend/critique partner, Stephanie, and my assistant, Rachel. The one we all loved was
A Heart’s Revolution. This title perfectly captured the theme of the book–my heroine, Lark, taking a stand for her own destiny–and also hits a sweet spot in the romance genre, what with “heart.” (I used to avoid
Love and
Heart in my titles like the plague, but I’ve given up, LOL. Here we have
A Heart’s Revolution, and the first book in my next series will be
The Number of Love.)
So, that established, I turned to the design.
In Shutterstock, I keep a collection called “Historical,” in which I’ll save every single photo I come across in all my searches that have solid historical costuming. In it are possible biblical or Roman styles, medieval, colonial, Victorian, Edwardian, 1920s, 1940s…you name it. If I think it might come in handy someday, I add it to the collection. So I already had several options saved, and I did a few new searches too.
Honestly, I had a hard time choosing between some of these! I tried out several before I decided to start from this one.
I like the movement we can see in this–the fact that she’s holding her dress up a bit and not just standing straight, and the dress itself looked accurate and not costume-y.
So I selected the model from her background and made her fill part of my canvas.
In this version, I just deleted the head, which I knew wouldn’t be the one I used. Lark wouldn’t have worn a boat in her hair like Marie Antoinette, LOL, and this lady, though lovely, doesn’t look like my heroine. But I also wasn’t sure I wanted to keep the dress exactly how it was. I wanted a little more color. So decided to make it blue.
I thought that would add some richness to the cover. So next I turned to the head. After searching for a while, I came across this model…
She fit my idea of Lark, so I searched through all the images of her and just fell in love with the sweet expression on her face in this one.
I put this head on my previous body and was relieved to find that worked well together, LOL. It’s still just roughed in here, but you get the idea.
But the hair wasn’t right. I needed more accurate to the times hair, so I decided to work from this one.
Of course, this model is blond, and I needed dark hair, but after some adjusting, I ended up with this.
Content with that much of Lark for the moment, I turned my attention to backgrounds. And oh my gracious, this was giving me a hard time! I couldn’t decide what I wanted behind her. I kinda liked the idea of keeping the
Annapolis State House there, but the photos I was finding just didn’t seem right. For starters, the story takes place during the worst winter in the history of the east coast (up to that point, anyway), and I couldn’t find anything snowy.
So first I tried some regular ol’ snowy scenes.
But none of these were “it.” What that lowest one (actually a street in Paris) showed me, though, was that I loved a street behind her. It provided a good perspective. So after fiddling with a few more street options, I eventually decided to go with an actual
Annapolis street, and worry with the snow aspect later.
I loved this perspective! I knew I was on the right track at this point, so then it was just a matter of getting the lighting right, and the snow.
I knew I could fuss with this forever, but I really didn’t want to. So instead I looked up Snow Photoshop Actions, and I found this awesome one from
Pretty Photoshop Actions for $39. I can’t tell you how often I’ve needed something like this, so I decided to make the investment, and I am SO glad I did! Playing with all the amazing options included in that action set, I could adjust lighting, make it look frosty, “kill the grass,” change the sky, and add snow!
I then ran a couple different actions, Nashville and Hefe, to alter the lighting a bit more. Nashville is over everything, Hefe just over the background to add some depth.
At this point, I was beginning to shiver in empathy for poor Lark, out in the snow without any kind of wrap! Terrible! LOL. So I went in search of cloaks she could wear and found this one that fit her body position well.
(Though I didn’t remember at the time, Lark’s cloak is even blue in the story! Perfect!) So putting that on her…
Ah, that’s better. And I was done the image! Now it was just a matter of adding the text. I chose the font Monstera, with a pretty ligature for the H, and thought it would be fun to place “A” in the curl of that H.
Of course, it would be nice to actually be able to read that title, so I added some haze behind it to make it stand out.
Much better. And of course, my name (in Requiem font).
And one final touch–a flourish in the title–and we were finished!
So what do you think of the old and new versions? Do you have a preference? (I loved the original cover, but I do love how this new version turned out too!)
If you haven’t read this early book of mine yet, here’s a bit about it, and the pre-order link. It’ll be live tomorrow!
In 1783 peace has been declared, but war still rages in the
heart of Lark Benton.
Never did Lark think she’d want to escape Emerson Fielding,
the man she’s loved all her life. But when he betrays her, she flees
Williamsburg for
Annapolis, taking refuge in the nation’s temporary capital.
There lark throws herself into a new circle of friends who force her to examine
all she believes.
Emerson follows, determined to reclaim his betrothed.
Surprised when she refuses to return with him, he realizes that in this new
nation he has come to call his own, duty is no longer enough. He must learn to
open his heart and soul to something greater—before he loses all he should have
been fighting to hold.
And be sure to stop by tomorrow, when in celebration of the official re-launch, we’ll be having a super fun contest (18th-century hair!!!) and a giveaway!
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS WILL GET AN EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK!
Sign up HERE to make sure you don’t miss out!
by Bookworm Mama | Feb 14, 2018 | Book News, Cover Designs
Today is a very special day!
Not JUST because it is Valentine’s Day…Although that is a pretty grand reason to celebrate.
Today, we are celebrating the cover reveal for An Hour Unspent, book 3 in my Shadows Over England series.
I am so grateful to the entire team at Bethany House for the dedication and thought that they have put into every cover in this series. An Hour Unspent was no exception…and this cover truly made me giddy when I first saw it…Ok, it STILL makes me giddy.
First…A little about the book…
Once London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.
Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can’t help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.
As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clockmaker may give England an unbeatable military edge—and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina’s father soon finds his whole family in danger—and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape it.
Are you intrigued yet? If you have read the first two books in the series, you will know that Barclay and his “family” are a bit unconventional and fiercely loyal. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to introduce them to you.
Now, are you ready?
…Drum roll please….
…I give you….
…The cover…
…of…
An Hour Unspent
Keep an eye on the website for more pre-order options as they become available!
I absolutely love that inside-the-clock view! When my editor told me they’d be doing that, I was super excited, and I adore how it turned out. So unique! Such an interesting perspective! And featuring the daughter of my fictional clockmaker who tends to the clock in Big Ben…perfect. =)
I can not wait for you to read Barclay’s story, which will be releasing in September! In the mean time, how about a little GIVEAWAY to tide you over until then?
I am giving away the FIRST two books in the series to ONE lucky winner. Please enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway will end 2/21/18 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Void where prohibited.
by Roseanna White | Jan 3, 2018 | Book News, Giveaways and Contests, Sales
Well here’s some exciting news! For the first time in history, one of my full-length novels is available for FREE! The Lost Heiress e-book can be downloaded at no cost from any of your favorite retailers that carry it. This deal will last through January and February, so grab it for yourself and please share!
If you haven’t read The Lost Heiress yet, it’s a book that’s very special to me. When I was 12, I decided I would complete a novel. I finished my manuscript a year later, and that story (after many revisions, LOL) eventually became The Lost Heiress. The kernel of the idea is the same, as are the two main characters. Other than that…er…a few things got changed over the years, LOL. But this story–oh, gracious, this story. Brook and Justin traveled with me for 20 years before it was finally accepted for publication, and I love that this is the book that Bethany House pours their promotional efforts into!
Official description and links:
Brook Eden has never known where she truly belongs. Though raised in the
palace of Monaco, she’s British by birth and was brought to the
Grimaldis under suspicious circumstances as a babe. When Brook’s friend
Justin uncovers the fact that Brook is likely a missing heiress from
Yorkshire, Brook leaves the sun of the Mediterranean to travel to the
moors of the North Sea to the estate of her supposed family.
The
mystery of her mother’s death haunts her, and though her father is quick
to accept her, the rest of the family and the servants of Whitby Park
are not. Only when Brook’s life is threatened do they draw close–but
their loyalty may come too late to save Brook from the same threat that
led to tragedy for her mother.
As heir to a dukedom, Justin is no
stranger to balancing responsibilities. When the matters of his estate
force him far from Brook, the distance between them reveals that what
began as friendship has grown into something much more. But how can
their very different loyalties and responsibilities ever come together?
And then, for a second time, the heiress of Whitby Park is stolen away because of
the very rare treasure in her possession–and this time only the servants of Whitby can save her.
D O W N L O A D L I N K S
S E R I E S S A L E
And my other Bethany House titles’ digital books are on sale too!
Grab them each for $6.99 or less!
(Sale prices take longer to process on some sites so may not be reflected yet)
First, it was raining. I’m talking, we’ve had 2 solid weeks of rain in the mid-Atlantic. Trees are coming down just because the ground is so soggy it can’t hold them up. To say it was a bit wet for this outdoor festival is an understatement.
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.