by Roseanna White | May 3, 2017 | Announcements, Book News, Remember When Wednesdays
First of all, thanks to everyone who commented or contacted me last week in regards to the question of “What book should I talk about in my next Facebook Live chat?” The majority of those who replied requested that our next stop be my biblical fiction, so I’ll go through those four titles in the order in which I wrote them, beginning with…
A Stray Drop of Blood! So next Monday, May 8, that’s the book I’ll be talking about. (My husband says, “Wow, lots to talk about with that one–you might need a two-hour special.” LOL. Don’t worry. I’m sure we can cover it all in the usual less-than-one.
Stray Drop is now in Kindle Unlimited, so if you haven’t read it but are part of that program, you’re doubly in luck! Since quite a few asked for links, here they are:
Now, on to the fun stuff. =) As many of you no doubt saw, I just got home from my 2017 writing retreat! As always, it was a lot of fun to hang out with my best friend/critique partner, Stephanie Morrill, and to just have days on end when I had to think of nothing but story. I arrived in KC on Thursday afternoon, we checked in to the gorgeous apartment we’d rented from HomeAway, and wasted no time in getting all set up.
Of course, we weren’t always at the table (though it made a great standing desk, actually), we also each had our spots on the couch.
Here are a few shots of our work space, the beautifully appointed apartment that made settling in for a weekend of “What, there’s an outside world?” so very easy. (Okay, so we left for food twice. And even took two walks!)
The ever important coffee machines deserved a picture unto themselves, of course…
I ended up with the master bedroom, solely because the other one wasn’t as close to the kitchen, and therefore Stephanie would not be so easily awakened by her crazy morning person roommate who insists upon getting up at 5:30, even when on “vacation”…
We had packed up and were ready to lock the doors behind us when we finally remembered to take a picture of US.
I’d love to give you the blow-by-blow of the retreat, but honestly, it’s pretty boring to report on, LOL. I did so many random Google searches that it occasionally made me laugh (Cockney rhyming slang, teas good for arthritis, how far X in London is from Y [about a hundred times–I’m becoming quite versed in London neighborhoods, which is just weird for this country girl], whether Rolex-founder Hans Wilsdorf had children, etc.), we paused occasionally to share interesting tidbits we were learning/questions we had, and Stephanie is especially awesome about started each meal/walk with the question of, “So where are you in the story now?”
The fellowship and dedicated time is always such a blessing. And it’s so rewarding to see those word counts tick up and up. I started the retreat with a mere 14,537 words in my manuscript (I’d hoped to be so much farther along!), but I ended it with a solid 57,908, which is half of this particular book. For those of you who don’t want to do math, that’s 43,381 words written in 3 full days and 2 travel days.
And I left off at the mid-point climax/twist, so a super fun scene to dive back into! When, of course, I get caught up on the stuff that got ignored while I was gone. (Including some not-fun stuff, like my great-grandmother finally passing away at 102. Funeral is today…)
So another successful retreat, and I came hope with lots of words for our Word of the Week spots, and plenty of things to feature on my Remember When posts too!
by Roseanna White | Apr 26, 2017 | Book News, Sales
In 24 hours’ time, I’ll be en route to Kansas City for my annual writing retreat with my best friend/critique partner, the awesome Stephanie Morrill. Which means I have approximately two thousand four hundred twelve things to accomplish in the next 24 hours.
So naturally, I decided to add a little more work to my list and just created a Mother’s Day SALE on my website shop!
There are currently 2.5 weeks until Mother’s Day, which is the perfect time to get those gifts ordered–and what makes a better gift than a signed book, right? So from now until 5/6, everything in my store is 20% off with coupon code: MOTHERSDAY17
This can apply to A Name Unknown as well, but please do keep in mind that that book is currently on pre-order, so it will NOT SHIP until I have copies in hand in July.
And that’s all the brain I have for a blog post, because there are still dishes to do and cats to take to the vet and refrigerators to clean out and packing and recording music for church and . . . 😉
If you’re curious about my writing retreat progress this year, I’ll be posting on Facebook each day–and there may even be a random Facebook Live video to show you what it looks like when two writers lock themselves in a room with nothing but coffee, chocolate, and their laptops! (Okay, slight exaggeration. There will also be muffins. And donuts…)
Otherwise, I’ll see you back here next Wednesday!
by Roseanna White | Apr 6, 2017 | Announcements, Book News, Sales, Uncategorized
First of all, I wanted to let everyone know that The Lost Heiress
e-book is on sale from all major retailers! The sale will only run from
April 6th through 8th, so if you haven’t picked this up yet and want
to, now’s your chance!
You can find links to all the major retailers on my website: http://bit.ly/RMWLostHeiress
ALSO…
FACEBOOK LIVE
I’m excited to be launching a new way of talking to you
guys! This week I’m going to be going Live on my Facebook author page
with details, but here’s the gist. On Monday evenings (when I’m not out
of town or life has the audacity to interrupt), I’m going to be going
Live to chat about one of my books (book will change each time), read
you a selection, talk about the inspiration behind it, and answer any of
your questions (about that title or anything else).
Which book would you like me to start with on Monday April 10? Comment here or fill out this one-question survey!
by Roseanna White | Dec 5, 2016 | Book News, Giveaways and Contests
To celebrate the release of Giver of Wonders ~ and the season of giving and sacrifice and love that it celebrates through our Lord and Savior ~ I’m giving away a stocking full of special treats!
What will it contain?
Well, that’s a secret. But I’ll tell you that a copy of
Giver of Wonders will be tucked inside, along with some treats for you ~ and some to give away.
The giveaway will run from December 2-20, 2016. Open to both US and international readers, though the stocking can only be shipped to US addresses; in the event of an international winner, she will be given a digital copy of the book and a special gift courtesy of Amazon. 😉
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Roseanna White | Nov 1, 2016 | Announcements, Book News
It’s November 1st! That means that at long last, my first Christmas novel is LIVE!
I intended to have this ready to go last year, but, um . . . I didn’t. 😉 Given that the book was only half written last November, I instead took the holiday season to finish it up and then had this year for editing and feedback and that sort of excitement. 😉
But I’m so excited to share the story of Cyprus and Nikolaos and Petros. And seeing it reviewed in RT Reviews two weeks ago with a 4.5 Star Top Pick rating was pretty darn awesome too. This is what RT had to say:
Perfect for the Christmas season, White’s latest is a story
that begs to become a tradition. The setting comes alive in sights, sounds and
smells, but it’s the people in this book that make it so memorable. Despite the
general solemnity to the plot, vivid characters and their strong and unswerving
faith frame the tale in life and warmth and love. This story of love and faith
belongs on every holiday reading list, it’s a beautifully crafted reminder of
the true purpose of giving.
Squee!!
So I figure I’ll share a bit of behind-the-scenes on this book today and tomorrow–and then later in the week is the Fall 2016 Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt, where I’ll be hosting Stop #4–so be sure to swing by then for a chance at the epic grand prize and for a giveaway just from me too, where you can choose from either of my recent releases.
Now . . . Cyprus.
When I decided to write this story, I figured it would be fun to get a peek at the Visibullis family that I’ve written about in
A Stray Drop of Blood and
A Soft Breath of Wind–two hundred fifty years after those stories. Though readers certainly don’t see any of those previous characters on the page, we do see their legacy. At one point, Dorus Visibullis, father of my heroine, receives a shipment of scrolls and codices (think early books) from his uncle, part of his inheritance. And on each scroll and codex is part of his Christian heritage–including an eye-witness account of the resurrection by Abigail, which Benjamin transcribed in her later years.
I hope readers enjoy this sort of nod at the early books–and that they fall in love with these characters too. Cyprus has in a way been a long time coming for me. I was in college when I decided I wanted to use the name for a heroine someday. Not sure why, but I just love the way it sounds. So I had Dorus and his wife Artemis name their girls after cities where they’d lived. Alexandria, Rhoda (after Rhodes), and Cyprus.
When I was brainstorming what I would make happen in this book, I knew it was crucial that Cyprus not look like the typical Greek/Roman girl. I wanted it to be dangerous for her to venture out alone in a world where it wasn’t unusual for children to be kidnapped and sold as slaves. And the rarer the coloring the better. At first I’d thought blond would work, but then I remembered reading that no slave in Rome fetched a higher price than a redhead. So that’s what Cyprus needed to be.
I searched for images forever. Seriously. Looking for some appropriate stock photo that I could use for Cyprus. But I couldn’t find one. Anywhere. So I took to DeviantArt and eventually stumbled upon Kirilee, who had this amazing series of “Greek Queen” photographs.
I contacted her about using one in accordance with her permissions, which stipulated that we couldn’t do anything like change out her face for someone else’s, but she had no problem with me reddening her hair. So the kind Kirilee became my Cyprus.
Cyprus is a girl who receives a miraculous healing in the opening chapter . . . and who then spends the next years of her life wondering why God would save her. She has always believed in Him . . . but she is just a girl, as her father keeps reminding her. A girl has no purpose but to marry advantageously. Can that really be all the Lord wants from her? Or will she doubt too much and have that paralysis overtake her again?
When tragedy strikes her family, the questions only get worse. Why save her for this? But love for her sisters spurs her onward, into a fight against the culture, the expectations, and into the realization of what God really asks–for everything, sacrificed freely to Him. So that He can work His wonders.
It’s a story of love at its foundation. Love for our parents, our siblings, our children. Love for our friends, love for the one who becomes our spouse. But ultimately, love for God.
This is a story about the man we now call
St. Nicholas. But in my typical fashion, it’s not the sort of story you might expect when you hear that. Because it’s not just about the man who created traditions we still keep today. It’s about the God-given love, the God-given gift of healing that spurred him to take extreme actions to save his friends. And it’s about those whose lives were forever changed by it.
Also, quick note!
I have four other books on sale this month!
by Roseanna White | Oct 12, 2016 | Book News, Cover Designs
There’s something about seeing the cover for the first book in a new series.
Maybe it’s because it’s a whole new style, a whole new look that you know will carry out through the subsequent books.
Maybe it’s because there are new themes, new characters.
Or maybe it’s just because it’s always exciting to get a new cover, no matter the number in the series. 😉
Regardless, I was sooooooo excited to see this when I got my first glimpse a month ago, and I am equally excited to get to share it with you now! This cover totally and completely (in my opinion, LOL) captures the essence of the story. Rosemary–perfect. The books!–perfect. The pose–perfect. *Blissful sigh*
A Name Unknown will release next July. Description below. But for now . . . THE COVER!!!!!
About
Edwardian Romance and History Gains a Twist of Suspense
Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped
her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate
on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class
society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman
is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime.
How does one steal a family’s history, their very name?
Peter Holstein, given his family’s German blood, writes his popular series of
adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own
neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change
his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a
historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might
be answered.
But as the two work together and Rosemary sees his gracious reaction to his
neighbors’ scornful attacks, she wonders if her assignment is going down the
wrong path. Is it too late to help him prove that he’s more than his name?
~*~
I know, I know–you are now so eager to get your hands on this book that you want to rush out and pre-order a copy. Ahem. 😉 The Amazon link is live–I’ll post others as they appear.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, 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. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.