Giveaway – To Treasure an Heiress Release Day!

Giveaway – To Treasure an Heiress Release Day!

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

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:

  1. Visit the Hunt through the Pages page
  2. Download the Hunt clues to keep on hand as you read
  3. Answer the questions as you go!
  4. Return to the page once you’ve finished and input your answers into the form
  5. 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.
  6. 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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Cover Reveal ~ Shadowed Loyalty

Cover Reveal ~ Shadowed Loyalty

by | Nov 4, 2021 | Book News, Books, Cover Designs

Back in August I shared the announcement about Shadowed Loyalty, my 1920s Chicago story, that will be coming from Chrism Press in May of 2022. Well, not long after that, I had the joy of working on the cover for it!

It isn’t often that I get to design my own book covers, and while Chrism Press is a branch of WhiteFire Publishing (the company my husband and I own), the designs are all done by the amazing Rhonda Ortiz, so I was fully prepared to come, hat in hands and eyes wide, to beg her to let me do this one, LOL. But she beat me to the punch by saying, “You’re going to do yours, right? You do ‘Roseanna covers’ better than I could.” To which, of course, I said, “YES, PLEASE!!!”

Honestly, I’d already been searching for images. I thought I’d do a “pretty dress” cover with that iconic 1920s style…an authentic era gown, even. So I went to my usual sources for genuine era gowns with public domain photos…and I found nothing. Nada. So by the point that the task was officially handed to me, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Until Rhonda said, “We totally need something with the same vibe as Stephanie Landsem’s In a Far Off Land.”

To which again I said, “YES!!!!”

I absolutely adore this cover of Stephanie’s (and the book is amazing too!), and while it’s set a decade after mine, in Hollywood rather than Chicago, the vibe is allll kinds of right.

So off I went, searching for 1920s styled models. And hilariously, I found the exact one they used on In a Far Off Land. At first I thought I’d better avoid her for that very reason–I don’t want it to look too much like hers, after all. But then I thought, “Well, let’s see what I can do to make it unique.” So I chose a different position…I darkened her hair…I changed her lip color…I added a hat. And of course, I put a historical Chicago background behind her.

When I announced the book, I had quite a few comments that mentioned how much they liked the feel of the image we used in the blog–dark and mysterious, with a gangster flair (this is about the Mafia, after all). So I wanted to make sure I captured that air of mystery, of the underworld. And when I showed it to a few people, I got some great reactions.

Are you ready to see? I hope so! Here it is, and be sure to scroll down to the text afterward to get more info or pre-order a signed copy!

 

Ready…

Set…

Voila!

So as you can see, I went with some deep shades, toned in blue. I focused on the headshot, but we still get a glimpse of her fabulous beaded dress and her era-signature cloche hat. I use an Art Deco accent and font, but not a full frame, the better to leave room for her lovely face.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

When I showed it to the Chrism editors for approval, one of the first questions was, “Are you going to be selling those earrings in your shop? They’re fabulous!”

I do totally agree. I also love the matching bobby pins…and I found a necklace from the same jeweler that matches the description of one that plays a key role in the story too! So I’m excited to offer all three items in my store. (As of this posting, I have the items ordered from the jeweler, though they’re not in hand yet. I will fulfill any orders that come in as soon as I get them from the acclaimed Sweet Romance Jewelry shop!)

See the Earrings
See the Bobby Pins
See the Necklace

And of course, if you’d like to pre-order, you can do that EXCLUSIVELY from my store right now! It will begin appearing elsewhere in the new year, but why wait to reserve your signed copy? 😉 Pre-order pricing will only last until release!

As a reminder, though, placing the order now will charge your card now but the item will not ship until May, when I have them in hand.

Pre-Order Now

Pre-Order Now

About the Book

Sabina Mancari never questioned her life as the daughter of Chicago’s leading mob boss until bullets tear apart her world and the man she thought she loved turned out to be an undercover Prohibition agent. Now she sees how ugly the underworld can be. Ambushes, bribes, murder, prostitution—maybe Lorenzo, her straitlaced fiancé, had it right when he said it is better to stay far removed. And maybe, if she can understand him and his baffling faith, he will give her another chance.

But Lorenzo isn’t sure he’s ready for that. All his life he has loved Sabina, only to realize she had never felt the same about him. While he’s relieved to see her pursuing God, the Prohibition agent is pursuing her father just as intently, and it falls to Enzo—and his legal skills—to keep trouble at bay. He wants to believe that Sabina can change…assuming they can stay alive until their wedding day.

Shadowed Loyalty, set amid the glitz and scandal of the Roaring Twenties, examines what love really means and how we draw lines between family and our own convictions, especially when following the one could mean losing the other.

Introducing the Bookish Things Shop!

Introducing the Bookish Things Shop!

by | 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. =)

Bookish Gifts

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Bookish Jewelry

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Christmas

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Giveaway – The Nature of a Lady Release Day!

Giveaway – The Nature of a Lady Release Day!

by | May 4, 2021 | Announcements, Book News, Books, Giveaways and Contests

There’s a lot of information here,
so here’s a quick list of what you’ll find in this post!

1. How I came up with the idea for The Nature of a Lady and why I love it

2. The “Hunt through the Pages” is on, and it has some awesome prizes

3. A science and faith resource page

4. Companion articles on subjects from the book

5. Facebook LIVE event link

Inspiration for The Nature of a Lady

I can’t believe it’s here! Finally! Release day for The Nature of a Lady, book 1 in the Secrets of the Isles series!

After seven books in a row that took place during a war, I was ready for a break–something pure fun. And that’s what this series is! Oh, not to say there aren’t some serious subjects contained in these pages. But writing these stories have been pure joy for me. We’ve got pirate tales, treasure hunts, mistaken identities, new love, old love, hometown rivalries…yep. FUN.

Hilariously, I actually got the idea for this book when The Number of Love released. My author copies arrived, and I was signing and packing up the books that readers had pre-ordered through my store. As I was looking at packing slips and signing books accordingly, I noticed quite a pattern. Namely, I have a LOT of readers named Elizabeth (or some variation thereof). Enough that at one point, I pulled another sheet forward and went, “Oh, look, another Elizabeth.”

Another Elizabeth.

The words stuck in my head. All day. Into the next. Another Elizabeth. Wouldn’t that be a funny concept for a story? Maybe it could be about a group of people all sharing the same name…could be a contemporary…it would be fun as a YA…but that’s not my style. No, so what would make sense as a historical?

I was out on the swingset with the kids when the next piece clicked into place. Edwardian era. A girl–a noblewoman in hiding, maybe–shows up at a flat she just let. The landlady greets her with “Oh, another Elizabeth is it? Hope you’re more dependable than the last.” This Elizabeth soon discovers that the previous occupant left all her stuff…including her troubles. And our heroine meets the same basic physical description too. So she gets confused with the previous Elizabeth. Then the brother of the original Elizabeth shows up…

Well, the flat turned into a holiday cottage, the name of the book got changed from Another Elizabeth to The Nature of a Lady, and the story certainly became a lot more fleshed out as I decided what sort of trouble the original Elizabeth–Beth–left for the new Elizabeth–Libby. And gracious. So much fun!!

My first step was a fabulous setting, and I settled on the Isles of Scilly (pronounced Silly), 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall. Figured I’d toss in a hunt for pirate treasure, give the hero Oliver (Beth’s brother) a rival he’s in constant battle with, have that rival be a would-be-old-flame of my third POV character, Mabena, Libby’s maid…and then just go along for the ride.

I hope you love the result as much as I do! These characters…they really gripped my heart, my mind, and my imagination. They ask questions about things that matter. They deal with tragedy and chronic illness. They struggle with anxieties and what friendship really means, how to find their place in the world. They ask questions about the universe itself. They find and deepen faith; and there’s a grandmother character I think you’ll adore.

Hunt Through the Pages

To celebrate the release of The Nature of a Lady, I thought it would be super fun to do something a little different from my usual giveaway. This time, I’m inviting YOU into the treasure hunt!

“Hunt through the Pages” while you read the book, find the answers to 20 questions, and turn them in for access to a SECRET PAGE! What’s on this page? Exclusive videos, a downloadable recipe booklet, a bonus scene featuring the story of the eldest Tremayne brother, which I’ve called “The Heart of His Brother,” and a sneak peek of the next book, To Treasure an Heiress!

PLUS, if you get your entries in by July 19, 2021, you will be entered to win one of TWELVE prize packages! (Each correct answer is one additional entry!)

Visit the Hunt through the Pages page here on my website for the full rules, to download a printable PDF of the clues, and to fill in your answers and be entered to win one of those twelve prizes!

The Prizes

Twelve winners will receive a “treasure chest” full of:

  1. A vintage teacup with saucer and a dainty spoon
  2. Two servings of flavored loose-leaf tea
  3. Honey and sugar cubes
  4. Cakebites
  5. A pearl and leaf necklace
  6. A Zoom link to join me and the other winners on Saturday, July 30 at 7 pm EDT for an hour to chat about the book and enjoy our tea together!

 

So grab your pirate hat, an eyepatch, and get your best “Arrr!” ready to roll off your tongue! We’re huntin’ pirate treasure, matey, and it’s bound to be fun!

On Science and Faith

Throughout the pages of The Nature of a Lady, Libby struggles a bit with how to reconcile her love for the scientific method and discovery with the faith of her mother, which seems very closed-minded to her. Oliver, a faith-filled vicar but also a bit of a botanist, helps her see that the two don’t need to be at war. This is a conversation I’ve heard played out many times over the years, though, so I thought it would be fun (and hopefully valuable) to chat some more about it.

If it’s a subject that interests you, please join me on the Science and Faith page. There you’ll find an article I’ve written, a conversation I had via email with other authors with scientific backgrounds, and some resources for further reading.

Go to "Science and Faith"

Companion Articles

In the weeks leading up to release day, I’ve also been posting articles on subjects corresponding with the book! You can find links to all of them now in one handy location. Check them out here!

Go to Companion Articles

Live Event

Join me for a LIVE chat on Tuesday, May 4th at 7pm EDT! Behind the scenes, an excerpt, a treasure hunt, and more! Join the event HERE.

It’s HERE! Dreams of Savannah Release Day

It’s HERE! Dreams of Savannah Release Day

by | Jan 5, 2021 | Announcements, Book News, Books, Giveaways and Contests

I first came up with the idea and wrote the manuscript way back in 2011, fully expecting it to be published in the next year. But God (thankfully!) had other ideas. Nine years later, it’s finally coming out, and let’s just say a lot has changed in those nine years–not just in my story, but in the world. The book originally meant to hit a few Gone with the Wind notes now has a very different goal. Themes I never would have considered back then became the central ones. Lessons I didn’t know I needed have become so important to me.

In many ways, the process of this book opened my eyes to the noble ideals of racial reconciliation. I certainly won’t make any bold claims that this story will do any amazing work in that vein–I have no idea what it will or will not strike in the hearts of any readers. But I know what rewriting and editing have done for my heart. I know how the lessons my heroine learned have opened my own eyes. And I pray–I pray with fervency and hope–that it will do the same for you.

 

One of those lessons Delia learns is that it’s through learning each other’s stories that we can really come to understand and love each other. And so, I’d like to invite you all to share yours. Your personal story, your family’s story, your community’s…whatever you feel is what led you to where you are today. I love it when readers contact me to say, “My grandfather had a role like this character’s in the Great War!” or “My family came from this same area!” Those many emails I get actually inspired me to begin a new project. I’ll have a post dedicated SOLELY to it soon, but for now, a quick invitation. If you’d like to share your story, I’ve created SeeingtheStory.com as a place for you to do so. You can type it up, or you can record it either just with audio (even just calling in!) or with video. We’ll then index and post your musings, so you can share with your own family and everyone else’s! Let’s preserve our stories. They’re what keep us connected to our past and give us the courage to face the future. How? Because stories change the world.

About the Book

Cordelia Owens can weave a dream around anything and is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope and comes up with many a romantic tale of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother and sister.

But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him.

As the War Between the States rages ever nearer and Savannah’s slaves start sneaking away to the islands off the coast to join the Yankees, both Phin and Cordelia get caught up in questions they never thought they’d have to ask–questions that threaten the very dreams of a future they’d cherished.

Dreams of Savannah Prize Pack

Dreams of Savannah PRIZE PACK Includes:

  • One (1) Signed Print copy of Dreams of Savannah
  • One (1) “Because Stories Change the World” tote
  • One (1) “Once Upon a Time” pendant

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Prizes subject to change due to availability. Open to US mailing addresses only. Void where prohibited. Giveaway open 1/5/21-1/11/21. One (1) winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and will be notified via the email provided. Winner will have 48 hours to claim prize before a new winner is selected. See roseannamwhite.com for more information.

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International Giveaway

International Prize Includes:

  • One (1) print copy of Dreams fo Savannah – shipped through Book Depository, not signed.

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Prizes subject to change due to availability. Open to residents outside the USA only. Void where prohibited. Giveaway open 1/5/21-1/11/21. One (1) winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and will be notified via the email provided. Winner will have 48 hours to claim prize before a new winner is selected. See roseannamwhite.com for more information.

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Bookish Tees & Totes

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Tea Party Book Club

Coming up in February, we have a special Tea Parties for Dreams of Savannah! Mark your calendar and follow the link below for more info!

 
Saturday, February 20 & Friday, February 26 ~ with me
talking about Dreams of Savannah

Friday, March 19 ~ with Hannah Currie
talking about Heart of the Crown
More Info
Cover Reveal ~ New Jewel of Persia

Cover Reveal ~ New Jewel of Persia

by | Oct 22, 2020 | Book News, Books, Cover Designs

This

has been…quite a month. I have this vague recollection of coming home from my writing retreat bursting with ideas for Thoughtful posts and other website work. Super excited about classes and workshops and tea parties and T-shirts and all the many things I have going on over here.

Then…well, then the Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis for my 12-year-old son threw us all for a loop. We’re adjusting, and God is so good! But midnight blood sugar checks and insurance worries and so much thought going into meals and food, plus playing catch-up from all the work I fell behind on have taken their toll on me, LOL. So my big goals of having a fabulous post this Thursday have yet again resulted in it being Wednesday, and here I sit with no ideas. 😉

So…a cover reveal!! Those are always fun, right? I already shared this cover with subscribers to the WhiteFire Publishing newsletter (that’s the small press my husband and I run), but I wanted to share it with you guys too!

Jewel of Persia was my second published book, which released in January of 2011, so we’re coming up fast on its ten year anniversary. I deem that a fine time to refresh the cover. =) I’d had it on my list for quite a while, and I’d played around with different designs, but they all looked so much like the original that there was no point in changing, LOL. Then, on my birthday back in August, I decided that would be a great way to spend my day. 😉 So I decided on a new color scheme (cool colors instead of the warm tones of the orginal), used the same model photo, and got to work.

If you haven’t read Jewel of Persia, it’s my Esther story that’s not about Esther, LOL. You know me–I write historical fiction through the eyes of a fictional character, not the historical ones. 😉 In this case, I focus on Kasia, Esther’s childhood best friend who ends up a wife in Xerxes’ harem before Esther ever arrives there.

My research for this book combined the biblical account with Herodotus’s Histories, the ancient text about the Greco-Persian war. One thing I absolutely LOVED was how the war history fits perfectly into the biblical narrative–have you ever noticed that there are YEARS between the queen being deposed and new brides being brought in so a new queen will be named? I hadn’t! But that was when Xerxes was attacking Greece! And the very personality of this great king is consistent between the two accounts, proving they’re speaking about the same person. (That “I’ll grant you up to half my kingdom” promise was one Xerxes was rather famous for–he was constantly offering people cities if they pleased him, LOL.)

Jewel of Persia is actually one of my two bestselling books of all time, coming in right behind The Lost Heiress. I love that this book has reached so many readers, and I also love that I can now give it a fresh, updated look. =) But I also love that I still had the photos from the original shoot, so I could use the same model. That’s actually a funny story too.

So the girl was, at the time, a college student here from Lebanon, named Perla. My friend, critique partner, and fellow WhiteFire editor, Dina Sleiman has a lot of Lebanese connections due to her husband hailing from there, so when I said I needed a model of Middle Eastern descent for the cover, she said she’d ask around. Hilariously, that very weekend she was at a beach party and saw Perla, who she’d never met. So she thought it would be fun to introduce herself with, “Hey, would you like to be on a book cover?” Poor Perla ran away, terrified. LOL. But later she came back and asked what Dina meant, and a few weeks later, they arranged a photo shoot. I sewed the chiton she’s wearing, Dina added the beautiful striped scarf material, and we ended up with a slew of fabulous images.I love this one best, though, because of the movement in that scarf…

Here’s the original cover, which I still love:

 

And now, the new version! Same Perla shot, new background; I changed the color of her clothing, and I had to reshoot the bracelet–making my daughter model the actual bracelet that I have, courtesy of the amazing owner of the Greek Jewelry Shop, Aris. (A few months after he granted me permission to use this bracelet, his lions’-head torc designs actually found a home in the gift shop of the Louvre!!!! For the original cover, he let us use his photography, but then he actually sent me a sterling silver torc, made to my size!) New title font, bigger name to be more easily read in thumbnail…and voila! Ready??

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And just for kicks, here are the two side by side. What do you think?

 

The new version will be available in both ebook and print in time for Christmas!
“Classic” cover editions are now on sale for 50% off!