by Roseanna White | Oct 13, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
In our homeschooling, we read one children’s book each of the school days and discuss a different aspect of it each day. This week we’re reading The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills, which takes place in turn-of-the-century Appalachia, in a coal-mining town. The premise is that the character, Minna, is too poor to afford a coat, so all the mothers of the community pool their scraps and quilt her a multi-colored coat that she says is like Joseph’s coat of many colors. She loves it because each scrap is a story, and now she carries a piece of each of her friends with her to keep her warm.
Being from the Appalachians ourselves, I’m loving this book. It’s so cool to see visuals of that era-gone-by, and I’ve been amazed at how much Xoe actually knows about it. I can point to any of the old-fashioned things in the illustrations, and she’ll say, “Oh, that’s the thing that blows out air on the fire” (a bellows) and “that’s the tub with the stick in it that you make butter with” and “that’s an oil lamp, silly–it looks like the one on our shelf! Remember, you got it from Gran-nan!”
I love this because as she identifies everything, she puts a story to it–just like Minna with her coat. It was all “Nonna has one of those” and “That was in that story you read to us before, about the pancake.” Our assignment for the story yesterday involved that storytelling aspect, and it recommended we get down a quilt and recall the stories in the squares. But, alas, we don’t have a quilt quite like that.
It was in casting around for something similar, though, that I realized my daughter does this already, with everything. There’s no such thing as as simple answer with her. Everything’s a story. It’s never just, “Look at my new sparkly red shoes.” It’s “Look at my new sparkly red shoes–they’re like that girl’s from the Oz movie, with the wizard and the lion and the man made of metal, and she clicked them together . . . ” =)
I love that about my sweet little girl. And I love the storytelling tendency in general. Do you have a memento or heirloom that’s your favorite, not because of monetary worth, but because of the story attached? I’d love to hear it!
by Roseanna White | Oct 6, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
So I found myself rather unexpectedly working on a Regency-era romance this week. It’s fun, and interesting. I’ve always loved regencies, and in college I read so many novels written at the time and in the time that it was pretty natural to come up with an idea for a story set there of my own. But . . . well, then I left it hanging and pursued other eras, other books.
With the resurgence of popularity of regencies, though, I’ve broken this novel back out–and, as usual, realized my research from back-in-the-day was awful. I’d started the revision process a few months ago and even written out a solid outline for the story, but still. There were some details missing. For instance, my hero still lived in ###. Ever been there? Yeah, me neither, LOL. So Roseanna had to go on a virtual tour of England and figure out where it would best be set.
I decided on a little town called Bishop’s Waltham outside Winchester, in Hampshire. My hubby got a kick out of this, because a nearby county to us here is Hampshire, WV . . . which is rather near Winchester, VA . . . and there’s a school in Cumberland only a few letters off from Bishop’s Waltham. His reaction: “Do we live in Little England or something?” LOL.
Anyway, doing this research has proven to me yet again how much I love this stuff. The research itself, the places I learn about, the whole culture of 200 years ago. It’s so awesome. I learned that Bishop’s Waltham was a parole town during the Napoleonic Wars, for instance, where French officers were held as prisoners of war. I learned that there are sand boils in the moor for my heroine to got lost in (he he he). And that what is hailed as King Arthur’s Round Table is on display at the Great Hall in Winchester. All sorts of cool things for my characters to experience!
Happy sigh. I love my job. =)
by Roseanna White | Sep 29, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Do you all remember a while back when I told you about the awesome Greek jeweler who’s letting me use his jewelry designs on my book cover? If not, that original story is here. But of course, the story hasn’t stopped. =)
I emailed Aris again to ask if he has high res photos my designer could use, feeling like a total bother for asking. But Aris, being a wonderful gent, immediately sent me a whole slew of photos from different angles. He also said if we needed anything more, to let him know, though he’d be leaving Athens next week for an extended business/pleasure trip. Including a stop in Paris. At the Louvre. Where his lions’ head designs, like the ones I’m using, are going to be sold in the gift shop. Of the Louvre. OF THE LOUVRE!!! Is that not the coolest thing ever?
He also added me to his website, which is also cool. Not as cool as the Louvre, but very cool nonetheless. =)
What I really love about his designs is that they’re based on Ancient Greek artifacts and museum pieces, so they all have that flavor of being centuries old. My hubby and I spent an hour browsing his site the other day, just gaping in awe over all the cool stuff he has.
So that’s been my excitement for the week. (The Louvre!!!!!!) Just had to share. And given that my designer is now–even now–working on the front cover for Jewel of Persia, I will soon have MORE awesome news to share.
(Sorry I didn’t have a fun historical tidbit, but I have instead a headache. And you know. This has to do with my historical novel, so . . . hope you care, LOL. Because THE LOUVRE!!!) š
by Roseanna White | Sep 22, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Okay, gotta get away from Ancient Persia for a while before I go cuckoo-bananas. =) So today we’re taking a brief trip back to the 1880s and into the world of spiritualism. Familiar with the movement? If so, you’ll know how weird it is. If not–boy are you in for an eye-opener! š
So, three years ago or so we were watching the history channel, and there was a special on about spiritualism–a movement whose goal was to reconcile the religion strictly taught in Victorian society with the scientific development suddenly running rampant. People thought it would be fun to try to use science to prove the spiritual world–an interesting concept, sure–and went about it in a way that soooooo had me shaking my head.
In England, where the movement really gained steam, spiritualism was a fashionable hobby for the new upper-middle class. People would get together for tea party seances and sit around munching their biscuits while they tried to call the dead into the midst. They would parade the children (the children!!!) out to serve as mediums. They would conduct different experiments involving moving furniture and knocking.
Now, when I saw this, my first thought was exactly what the critics of spiritualism in the day said: this is just silly nonsense.
Then it hit me–it wasn’t just silly nonsense, it was downright dangerous. People who had no clue about the spiritual world were opening doors and inviting who-knew-what into their lives. And no one cautioned them that they were doing this, they either thought it fun or ridiculous.
A couple days after watching this, my dad gave a sermon on Daniel that made a story idea click in my little head. A Victorian-era Daniel story, where the character isn’t facing the magicians of the Babylonian empire, but rather this new brand of magicians in the spiritualism movement. Someone who has actually seen the spiritual world and so knows its true colors–someone better at their games than they, yet who wants nothing to do with them . . .
I’ve got several intimidatingly large tomes on the subject waiting to be read, waiting for the perfect time for me to sit down and write Revealer of Secrets. Who knows–maybe it’ll be soon. =)
by Roseanna White | Sep 15, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Okay, so since I’m on vacation right now (mwa ha ha ha!) I’m cheating and cross-posting something for a friend. And since she writes historical fiction and this is my historical day . . . works pretty well. =)
So, dig in and learn a little about Rita Gerlach’s wonderful Revolution-era romance, Surrender the Wind. Enjoy!
~*~
~ When a
n American patriot of the Revolution inherits his grandfatherās estate in faraway England, he inherits more than an isolated manor house. He discovers Juleahās love and a plot that leads to kidnapping, murder, and betrayal, in this stirring tale of fidelity and forgiveness. ~
Instead of answering interview questions, Iām commenting on some quotes from reviewers to give my readers a deeper glimpse into the storyline in Surrender the Wind.
* * *
From author Marylu Tyndall ~ Ms. Gerlach’s historic research is evident throughout the story, and her attention to detail and literary descriptions of scenes placed me right in the middle of the action.
If a writer wishes to write a historical novel, research is a vital, essential part of developing a great story. When I began Surrender the Wind, I read numerous accountants of the Battle of Yorktown where the book opens in the prologue. I researched uniforms, dress, weaponry, food, and culture.
As the book moves forward into Chapter 1, the reader is taken to England, to a crumbling manor house in Devonshire. The historical research from this point on had to be in the details. I wanted my reader to see in their mind the scene, outdoors and indoors. Everything from a tallow candle in the socket of a brass candlestick, to the blue and white pitcher and bowl on the heroineās washing table, adds strong visual imagery. My editor told me once that a place can become a character in a book. I feel that is true for Ten Width Manor. It’s walls hold secrets of lives past and present in the story. Because it is the ancestral home of the Braxtons, Ten Width has a stronghold on those living in it.
Then there are the historical cultural markings in a book that make up the characters. Dress. Etiquette. Traditional family life. I studied 18th century wills and marriage customs, the fashions of the period, and how the classes interacted with each other.
* * *
From author Linda Clare ~ The American Revolutionary period comes to life as Gerlach explores themes of patriotism with a faith element.
In America today there is a resurgence of patriotism. We are returning to our roots, our Constitution, and faith. In the 18th century faith played a major role in the lives of people in both the Colonies and United Kingdom. In Surrender the Wind, I bring faith into the story as a lifestyle. It is delicately woven into the characters’ personalities. One thing I did not want to do is write a āreligious novelā. My goal was to write a novel where readers would become immersed into the characters by relating to the struggles they faced which bring about spiritual breakthroughs.
* * *
From Annette Temple ~ A Well-Watered Garden Blog’ This book is one of the most romantic books I’ve ever read. The passion and love that is poetically described between Seth and Juleah was rousing.
I am so grateful to Annette for this comment. She helped me realize that I achieved my goal. Most of us ladies want a bit of romance in our stories, donāt we? We want a hero that is tough with the world, but tender with his lady. And a heroine that is strong in the face of tribulation, but swept away by the love of a man. Romance in a novel, in my opinion, is the most intriguing when what is written is just enough to leave the rest up to the readerās imagination. In Christian fiction a writer brings out romance deftly, love that goes beyond the material, but deeper into the heart and spirit of the characters.
Iāll close here with a romantic excerpt from Surrender the Wind . It is Seth and Juleahās wedding night. I hope you will consider reading my novel, and keep an eye out for the release of book 1 in a new series, Daughters of the Potomac, coming out in May, 2012, entitled āBefore the Scarlet Dawnā.
* * * * * *
In his bedchamber, which they now shared, Juleah slipped on her silk nightdress. Thin white ribbons laced the front. She sat at the dressing table brushing her hair. Tinted with the golden splendor of the candles, she smoothed it over her shoulder and ran her fingers down its length. Excitement filled her, tripped over her skin along with desire. She glanced around the room. How masculine it appeared. A fresh coat of paint would improve its appearance, and white curtains over the windows would bring it warmth and light.
She set the candlestick on the table next to their bed. The brass clock on the mantelpiece chimed out the hour. She paused to listen to the musical sound it made, while she pulled down the coverlet. The door drifted open. Seth came inside, shut it, and proceeded to pull off his waistcoat.
āAh, have you seen the moon?ā She opened the drapes wide to let the moonlight pour in. It bathed the room soft blue. āIs it not lovely, Seth?ā
He joined her at the window. Wrapping his arms around his wifeās waist, he stood close behind her. His breath brushed against her neck and she sighed.
He whispered in her ear. āDoubt thou the stars are fire. Doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar. But never doubt I love.ā
It pleased her that he, a Virginian rebel, had memorized the beauty of Shakespeareās verses. Melting with longing, she turned to him. He took her into his arms. She reached up and pushed back a lock of hair that fell over his brow. āI will never doubt your love, not for anything in the world.ā
He brought his lips to hers and she strained against him. Love rose within each heart. He lifted her, and her feet dangled above the floor. Holding her, he kissed her, turned with Juleah toward their bed, and took his bride away from the window.
* * * * * *
Read Chapter One: http://www.abingdonpress.com/forms/displayImage.aspx?pcid=1173111
Ritaās Website: http://www.ritagerlach.com/index.html
Surrender the Wind is available wherever books are sold. Kindle additions available from Amazon.com
Cokesbury Bookstore is having an amazing sale. http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=783958
by Roseanna White | Sep 11, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
My hubby and I were Sophomores at St. John’s College on 9/11/01. We were in class when the planes struck the World Trade Center and had no clue what was going on. As we drove home for lunch, we saw a very strange sight for
Annapolis though–two white hazmat vans (strange looking things) rushing onto Rt 50 right in front of us. A curiosity that we ignored until we got home and my MIL called us to tell us to turn on the news.
As we drove back for afternoon classes an hour later, it seemed like a different world. Annapolis was deserted, all the government offices vacated and the Naval Academy on lockdown. Because my college is sandwiched between those two things, police stood at the corners of the college, checking IDs before allowing us to enter. It was a terrifying time. It rewrote reality.
I remember having the thought, “What is relevant now? What matters? These stories I’m working on seem so trivial, but what stories wouldn’t?”
We drove home that weekend, and across every bridge homemade banners stretched declaring “God Bless America.” People had stuck Styrofoam cups into chain link fences to scroll out messages of their patriotism. American flags had sold out.
And now, nine years later, I think most of us have forgotten that again, or have at least shoved it to a convenient place in our minds, one that we don’t have to look at but when we realize the anniversary is upon us.
So every year, I make it a point to pull out the essay I wrote on 9/11, which was published in my hometown paper a week later. It helps me remember–perhaps it will help you, too.
To My Brother, the Stranger
I did not know you. I never met you. If I had seen you, you would have been simply a face in the crowd. My thoughts never touched upon the possibility of your existence.
And yet. . .
And yet when I heard of the tragedy of losing you, you were suddenly my brother, my sister, my best friend. You were the comrade I never had the opportunity to meet, the face I could sketch simply because of how many faces you are. And every time I open my mind, it is to realize anew that you were a person, you were loved, and now youāre gone.
Itās a shock I never expected to feel , a pain no man, woman, or child should ever have to endure. And I did not know you. How much worse must it be for the widows, the orphans, the childless parents, the brotherless sisters that were made on that day? How much worse again for those who yet know nothing about the fate of those dearest to them?
It is a pain no one should have to gaze on, much less be consumed by. It is a piercing that should quickly tear down all barriers until there is nothing left but a shaken humanity, a resolved people, a united nation. It should induce the best in man when he looks at evil, when he sees the dancing in his enemyās camps. It should make him realize that the sickness he feels, the death he sees is a presence to be ignored no longer.
I pray that somehow this change in our lives will be used in a way to make us better. I pray that as I walk down the streets of my untouched city I never forget that it could be gone in a moment. I pray that as I pass a stranger I remember to remember that he is not a stranger to someone. I pray that soon all our fears are exhausted and we are left instead with hope. And I pray that we never take for granted the greatness of our nation, lest through our disregard it lose that thing that sets us apart.
I can never say the right words to those who are grieving, because there are no words to be said. I did not know you. I never met you. All I can offer you is the love of a face you have never seen and the prayers of a heart that is reaching across the miles to the strangers it now calls brothers.
May God enfold us in His arms until the terror goes away. May He settle his peace over us until the rivers of tears run dry. May He comfort us until we become victorious. And may we never forget that it is He who will lift us from the mire. Today America has united in common anguish. Tomorrow we will rejoice in justice. And all the world will know that this is a nation that God has blessed and will never forsake. Let us be the first to proclaim that.
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, sheās 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 booksā¦to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.