by Roseanna White | Jun 17, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Nine years ago today, I pledged my heart, body, and future to David. The man I loved since I we were 15, the man I knew with all that was in me was The One. Sometimes, I think he’s much more than that.
It seemed an appropriate day to muse (not for the first time, I know) on Love–and to share some of the awesome pictures from our gorgeous beach wedding. =)
Through my life
, I’ve known a lot of love.
That feeling that Mom and Dad will always be there, always encourage, always believe in my dreams–even when those dreams defy convention (like when I get engaged at 17 and married just before I turn 19).
I’ll always have a place on Daddy’s knee.
Mom will always be there carry my burdens with me.
That knowledge that for every storm (like the one that raged up the coast the day before The Day) in life, God sends me a rainbow.
That we have friends and family willing to travel hundreds of miles to share our Joy. And that after traveling all day, they’ll put more hours into decorating the rental house hosting our big day.
Love is looking into David’s eyes and knowing, each and every time, that this is the man God planned for me, and for whom I was planned. Knowing we are perfectly matched, perfectly balanced.
Love is that security that comes with resting my head on his shoulder.
Love is laughing over nothing, rejoicing in each moment.
It’s dancing barefoot in the sand when you forget your shoes for your own wedding (ahem, David!;-)
It’s standing together, beside all those that matter. It’s standing together always, through whatever the years bring you.
These days, love is also cuddling warm little bodies with damp curls pressed against your cheek, it’s helping put on dress-up costumes and pretend to dash powder onto little noses. It’s laughing over toddler knock-knock jokes–and looking over into each other’s eyes and thinking, “This is us. These are ours. This is family.”
Love is building a life on much more than one day. It’s building a life on every day.
Thank you, Lord, for all those you’ve put in my life. For my family, for my friends. For those who have emailed encouragement, who know how to read my heart in the lines that I write.
Thank you most of all for the man who bends over backwards to make my dreams come true–who not only believes in them with me, but who chases them down for me when my legs begin to fail.
David–you’re my everything. Here’s to way more than 9 years to come!
by Roseanna White | Jun 16, 2010 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
I am writing, in the other window up on my computer, the last scene of the war. Whew! It’s about time, right? I mean, this thing has been going on for ages, and I’ve been carefully sifting through all the facts jammed in my little head, searching for those key items that have to be included and skipping the rest.
I covered Thermopylae last week. I wrote about Xerxes burning Athens to the ground yesterday. Today he’s about to lose a sea battle at Salamis, a little island near Athens. And then the war is over.
Glory hallelujah, amen!
Okay, so I’ve enjoyed writing about the Greco-Persian War, actually. For starters, it’s one of those things that most people sorta-kinda know happened . . . that was one of the prophecies in Daniel, right? And, er . . . we’ve heard of that Xerxes fella, and, well, Thermopylae–300 was a cool movie, so sure. Thermopylae. (FYI, I’ve yet to see all of 300.) But it’s all very obscure, and I seriously doubt most of my readers are going to already know what happens at each big event before I tell them.
That’s pretty cool.
I get to take a look at historical events through new eyes–which is fun for a nerd like me. Most challenging and interesting is figuring out how to write about it in a way that’s still approachable to a love story.
Y’all will have to let me know how I do on that once you rush out to buy it and read it next year. 😉
But now that the war’s over, I’m looking forward to bridging events with a ridiculously scandalous scandal Herodotus recorded and using it to segue brilliantly (ahem) into the book of Esther.
Have I mentioned I’m already up to 104,000 words, and I haven’t hit the book of Esther yet? As in, the book that inspired this whole thing?? Sheesh, I see some slicing and dicing in my future. But for now, writing and growing.
And peace–sort of–at last!
by Roseanna White | Jun 15, 2010 | Uncategorized
Quick note–I’m a guest today at Strong Women, Brave Stories Blog if you want to swing by and get a peek at my heroine.
Now, the real deal–a special Story Time Tuesday treat for y’all today–a chat with Marlo Schalesky about her book Shades of Morning that releases TODAY!!
Now, I have not yet read this book, but I read Beyond the Night last year and so fell in love with Marlo’s writing, so I cannot WAIT to get ahold of this new one!
I’m not running a giveaway with this one, but I don’t need to–Marlo has a fantabulous sweepstakes up right now on her website that you HAVE to check out!
~*~
About Marlo
Marlo Schalesky is the award winning author of several books, including Shades of Morning, which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist to create a new type of novel that she hopes will impact readers at their deepest levels. Marlo’s other books include the Christy Award winning novel Beyond the Night, and its sequel If Tomorrow Never Comes, as well as her only nonfiction Empty Womb, Aching Heart- Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility.
She’s had nearly 700 articles published in various Christian magazines, including Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman, In Touch, and Decision. She has contributed to Dr. Dobson’s Night Light Devotional for Couples, Tyndale’s Book of Devotions for Kids #3, and Discipleship Journal’s 101 Small Group Ideas. She is a speaker and a regular columnist for Power for Living.
Marlo is also a California native, a small business owner, and a graduate of Stanford University (with a B.S. in Chemistry!). In addition, she has earned her Masters in Theology, with an emphasis in Biblical Studies, from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Marlo lives with her husband and five young children in a log home in Central California.
When she’s not changing diapers, doing laundry, or writing books, Marlo loves sipping Starbucks white mochas, reading the New Testament in Greek, and talking about finding the deep places of God in the disappointments of life.
Roseanna piping in to say, “The New Testament in Greek! We are obviously kindred spirits, Marlo!!”
~*~
About Shades of Morning
Marnie Wittier has life just where she wants it. Quiet. Peaceful. No drama. A long way away from her past. In the privacy of her home, she fills a box with slips of paper, scribbled with her regrets, sins, and sorrows. But that’s nobody else’s business. Her bookstore/coffee shop patrons, her employees, her friends from church – they all think she’s the very model of compassion and kindness.
Then Marnie’s past creeps into her present when her estranged sister dies and makes Marnie guardian of her fifteen-year-old son—a boy Marnie never knew existed. And when Emmit arrives, she discovers he has Down syndrome – and that she’s woefully unprepared to care for him. What’s worse, she has to deal with Taylor Cole, her sister’s attorney, a man Marnie once loved—and abandoned.
As Emmit—and Taylor—work their way into her heart, Marnie begins to heal. But when pieces of her dismal past surface again, she must at last face the scripts of paper in her box, all the regrets and sorrows. Can she do it? Or will she run again?
~*~
What’s your latest book?
Shades of Morning releases today from Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishing Group.
Oh, cool–we get you on your release date! That’s exciting!! What’s your favorite part of the story?
I loved writing the scenes with Emmit, the 15-year-old Down syndrome boy. He was so much fun with his frustrating stubbornness, simple worldview, and honest, uncomplicated love. It was a fun, funny, and profound to watch him drive Marnie crazy and yet heal her broken heart. I think readers will fall in love with Emmit, just like I did!
How could we not?? What inspired this story?
This story was a gift from Andy on one ordinary Sunday morning at church. I went not expecting to see anything different, or special, or extraordinary. But God had other plans. And so did Andy. In the middle of the third song, a noise came from the far side of the church. A loud noise. Strange, awkward, and off-key. Then, it grew louder. I furrowed my brow. Was that someone singing . . . badly?
I stood on tiptoes and peeked toward the sound. And there was Andy. His arms were raised, his eyes closed. And he was singing to his God for all he was worth. Andy, in his middle teens, with blond hair, thick glasses, and small ears. Andy, with Down syndrome and a grin on his face big enough for the angels to see. Andy, shout-singing with all his might through that radiant smile.
That moment changed me. It showed me that beauty is found in unexpected places, and that God’s gifts in our lives are often wrapped in awkward, off-key packages. I witnessed something beautiful, something wondrous that day, and it made me see that so often the hard things in life, the things we want to hide away, to forget, to cover up, can be transformed into things of beauty in the hands of God.
And that’s how Shades of Morning was born – in those moments while Andy worshipped and I was left breathless by the wonder of it.
You’re leaving me breathless with amazement at God and His workings already. What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?
I hope reader will see that God’s gifts in our lives don’t always come in pretty packages. Often they come wrapped in ways we don’t like and don’t want. But God uses these unwanted gifts to free us from sin, regret, and to transform our lives and make us new.
A big “wow” right there. Very true, and something I’ve read in a few different sources just today. Hmm, maybe He’s trying to tell me something? LOL. Is there a theme to this book?
Always! Because there are things in every person’s life that don’t go as expected or hoped. We all have regrets. We all have those moments when the very thing we’ve been hoping for becomes something difficult and unexpected.
So, I wrote Shades of Morning to explore those moments in life – when hopes are dashed, expectations crushed, and everything seems as it should not be. The story delves into those experiences to discover how the very things that we regret, that we dread, can be transformed into the things that bring exquisite beauty and wonder into our lives.
In the very places where our hopes are dashed, we can find hope. Where our expectations are crushed, we can learn to expect insights and wonder. Where we first see ugliness, we can find beauty unlike anything we’ve ever encountered before.
A gorgeous theme! Now–when I read Beyond the Night last year, you totally blew me away with that last chapter. It made me cry, which is an achievement few books can boast, and that rocketed you to the top of my Favorites list. But inquiring minds want to know–why do you write stories with surprise endings?
My hope is that readers will catch their breath in wonder and say, “Ooo, that’s cool. That changes everything!” Personally, I love stories with surprise twists that tie into the overall theme of the book. So, for my books, my goal is to have a twist that reveals a deeper meaning in the story. I want to surprise and delight readers not just with something they didn’t see coming, but with something that allows them to see and experience the characters’ journeys in deep ways.
In the end, my real prayer is that when readers catch their breath at the ending, they’ll also catch their breath in wonder at the mystery and beauty of our vivid God. I hope the vision of Him will take their breath away. At its heart, that’s what the surprise twist is all about. That’s what Shades of Morning is all about.
You pulled it off perfectly before! I can’t wait to read this one and see what you do with it. (Picture Roseanna rubbing her hands together.) What lessons have you learned through the publication process that you wouldn’t have guessed as a pre-published writer?
This is going to sound strange, but the most important lesson for me was learning to finally let go of the desire to be published. God had to pry my fingers off my dream born when I was 13-years-old, but when He did, everything changed. I had bought in to mindset of “pursue our dreams, reach for the sky, dream big, nothing’s impossible if only you try hard enough.” It sounded good. But for me, that philosophy was deadly. I needed to completely surrender my dreams in order to live God’s. It was like ripping out part of my soul. But it was worth it. Now, when I write, it can be an act of worship and obedience, instead of something that’s all about me and my dreams. And I tell you, that’s made all the difference in my writing, and has became a good part of the theme in all my books.
I’ve heard that from several sources–it’s all about making His dreams our dreams . . . then finding how He leads us to places we couldn’t have imagined. Are there any people (family, writing group, editors) who you rely on when writing?
Absolutely! My husband has been wonderful with support and encouragement. He’s my first reader for everything I write, watches the kids regularly to give me writing time, and continues to believe that God has asked me to do this writing thing, even when everything doesn’t go as I hope.
Other than that, my editor, Julee Schwarzburg, has been wonderful. And my agent, Steve Laube, has been a great source of encouragement and support as well.
In addition, I relied heavily on my friends, Diane and Rick Pate, the parents of Andy, the Down syndrome boy on whom I based my character, Emmit. They were a wonderful source of details, funny stories, anecdotes, and everything I needed to bring Emmit to life.
Sounds like you have an awesome support system! Aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?
I have five children – ages 1, 4, 4, 7, and 10. Need I say more?
No–that says it all. =) Mine are 2 and 4, and they keep me plenty busy. Good thing your hubby watches them to give you writing time! Finally, tell us why you love Christian fiction.
I love Christian fiction because I love a powerfully told story with deep meaning. I love characters who show what truth looks like through lives lived and struggles fought. I love to see through another’s eyes, feel what they feel, experience life in a new and different way. I think we all do. That’s why movies and TV dramas are so popular. Fiction is great entertainment.
But it’s also more. It has the power to change lives, make a difference. By seeing through the eyes of another, by living vicariously through the lives of characters, by encountering the true God even in a made-up plot, I am touched, challenged, changed. I see God in new ways. My vision is broadened, deepened. And I discover truth with new clarity. Fiction lays bare the imperfections of my soul, stirs my doubts and questions, and drives me into the throne room of God.
~*~
Thanks so much for visiting, Marlo! It’s a true honor and pleasure.
Readers, be sure and check out Marlo’s site at www.marloschalesky.com. You can purchase Shades of Morning at Amazon or CrossPurposes.
by Roseanna White | Jun 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
Backstory–one of the thing we authors are taught is that backstory can be a major drag. All that history between your characters? Their shady pasts? Yeah . . . don’t dump it all in during the first three chapters. Spread it out, space it out, drop the readers into the middle. Right?
As a rule, this is a fabulous rule. (Duh.) But it can be tricky with characters who’ve known each other forever. On one of my loops we’ve been discussing which is more interesting, a hero and a heroine who have known each other for years, or ones who meet in the first chapter or so.
Me, I like both, but I admit there’s something I adore about an H&H that already have a relationship that gets newly nudged into love. Maybe it’s because I’ve known my hubby since we were in middle school. Maybe because it eliminates the concern of “Wow, I just had people meet, fall in love, and get engaged in the course of a few months. That’s so a bad idea in the real world!”
In the contemporaries I’m shopping right now, I’ve got various forms of this. I’ve got the two who had summer fling nine years before and are tossed together again after that near-decade of silence–she’s loved him all along, he’s about to embark on his second marriage since then.
I’ve got the friends-from-the-cradle that have been in love which each other all their lives but managed to screw it up until they both came to the Lord. Then the hero more or less hunts her down in rural Missouri and determines not to leave until she gives him one last chance.
I’ve got the colleagues who have sat beside each other for years, but the hero never noticed the heroine until one rainy day when she finally got his attention by being her usual sweet, helpful self.
Of course, then there’s the ones who actually meet–he rescues her, she chooses to trust him when she’d never trusted a man before, and I’m having a lot of fun (I say as if I’ve taken the time to work on this lately) developing a solid relationship that has no history at all.
So what’s your favorite? The stories of sparks flying between two people who meet for the first time within the pages, or the ones where there’s a rich tapestry of history behind them that you get to watch burst into flames? =)
by Roseanna White | Jun 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
Today I’m excited to welcome Jill Elizabeth Nelson to my blog! I got to know Jill way-back-when (in like 2006) after reading her debut novel
Reluctant Burglar. She helped me launch a series of promotional games that entertained us all for a while, and now I’m excited to promote her latest novel,
Calculated Revenge!
Jill has offered a copy of Calculated Revenge to one lucky reader, so as usual, leave your comment and an email address below!
~*~
About Jill
My first a
nd only marriage is still going strong after 27 years. We have four kids who’ve pretty much flown the coop. Yet the chickadees keep coming back to roost. Puzzling phenomenon. We must not give them enough incentive to stay away.
By day I masquerade as secretary to the CEO of a health care corporation and as housing manager for a senior apartment complex. By night I throw off my mask of conformity and turn into a wild and crazy writer who can hardly wait to jot down all the cool things my characters are telling me, so I can share them with my readers.
Did I say I hear voices? Alas, I’ve been like this most of my life. At least since sixth grade, when I penned—er, penciled—my first mystery novel. No trace of that youthful manuscript exists today, and the world is grateful.
My writer’s journey has taken me in many different directions. I’ve walked the roads of journalist, columnist, essayist, poet, story teller and book reviewer. My current path is the one I’ve coveted all along—novelist. My Guide and Mentor in all my travels is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory!
~*~
What’s your latest book?
Calculated Revenge released in April from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Here’s a teaser:
It’s been eighteen years since Laney Thompson’s sister was abducted and killed, but Laney’s pain and haunting guilt has never faded. Now the murderer is back, taunting Laney with mementos of her sister and threatening Laney’s young daughter. School principal Noah Ryder is her best hope for protecting her daughter—if she can convince the former investigator to take the case. As the threats escalate and clues lead to shocking secrets from the past, Laney’s survival—and that of her daughter—depends on the rusty gifts and skills Noah wants only to forget.
Oo! Sounds so good! And I can’t even win it–shucks. 😉 What’s your favorite part of the story?
I love when Noah finally realizes that Laney’s in love with him and Laney realizes at the same time that Noah loves her. They’ve both spent a great deal of time and effort to hide their feelings from one another, and now at a highly inopportune time, they have to deal with the stunning revelation of mutual devotion where they thought their feelings were unrequited.
Ah, the big Reveal. Siiiiiggggghhhhh. Is there a theme to this book?
I hope the reader sees the theme of forgiveness front and center. The depth of forgiveness required from my characters is cavernous, but not nearly the scope of what Jesus did for us. I hope the reader grasps that comparison and is helped to come to terms with the need to forgive others in their own life. The corrupting power of hatred and bitterness is the flip side to that forgiveness coin. I hope the reader takes the example played out in the story as a jolt of awareness–a spear to the gut, if you will, as to what could happen in their own soul if they don’t let go of hurts and grudges, even those that seem just and deserved. If God gave us what was just and deserved, instead of His unmerited grace and favor, we’d all just be greasy spots on the road. His example must be our lifestyle if we are to enjoy peace and freedom in our hearts.
Amen! What novel have you read and enjoyed recently?
I recently read a book called Murder in the Choir by Joel B. Reed that thoroughly entertained me and dealt well with racism. I wouldn’t necessarily categorize the book among “inspirational fiction,” but it was a decent PG-13, which is pretty wholesome for what’s out there in the secular mystery/suspense category. Amazingly enough, Reed is a self-published author from a small town near my own. I was thoroughly impressed by this man’s writing skills. This is not usually the case with self-published novels, so he’s the rare bird. Readers can look him at http://www.whiteturtlebooks.com.
I love finding those unexpectedly awesome writers! Do you remember where you were when you got your first call about a book contract?
I was at the Christian Writers Group conference in Ohio in 2005. Before I left for the conference my agent had let me know that my proposal for Reluctant Burglar would be going before the publication board, and that I should hear one way or another by the end of the week. Needless to say, I was a tad distracted during the conference, and I was naughty. I took my cell phone everywhere with me—turned on! Finally, just at dessert time during the awards banquet it went off. Talk about someone’s heart leaping into their throat! (I can now testify this can truly happen.) I zipped out of the banquet room and into the hallway to hear the news. My agent was very deadpan and recommended that I sit down. Now my heart was in my toes. Then she yelled in my ear, “They’re offering you a three book contract!” My heart went into orbit around the moon! When I shared the news with my fellow conferees, there was mighty shouting and rejoicing. Many unpublished writers at the conference said that being a part of my “moment” gave them hope that theirs would truly come. What a sweet side-effect of that first Big Call.
Awwww! That is such an awesome story! (And anyone who hasn’t read Jill’s To Catch a Thief Series, DO THAT!) Any upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?
Legacy of Lies releases from Steeple Hill in October. It’s about a cop’s widow who moves to a small town to help her grandmother run her sewing business. All plans are sidetracked when she discovers the bones of an infant buried in her grandparent’s back yard. Is her legacy one of murder and lies? In order to discover the truth that will either condemn or redeem her family name, she must team up with the last man on the planet she’d care to feel attraction for—another cop.
And readers, Jill will be back with us in October to talk about this one! Where else can readers find you or your writing online?
My web site contains excerpts, links to buy, my speaking schedule, a monthly contest to win an autographed copy of my latest release, and an opportunity to sign up for my quarterly newsletter. Pop on by at http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com. I also have a readers’ group on Facebook. We chat about all sorts of things, book-wise. I’m also on Twitter and Shoutlife. Oh, and I have a blog on my web site, too. I give away lots of books there that are not my own. Here are links to these spots:
Blog: http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/artisticblogger.html
Jill Elizabeth Nelson Reader’s Group on Facebook
Twitter
Shoutlife: http://www.shoutlife.com/jillelizabethnelson
~*~
Thanks so much for visiting, Jill! Readers, you can purchase her book on Amazon or CrossPurposes.
Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Contest ends 6/17/10. Winner will have two weeks to claim book.
, I’ve known a lot of love.
Thank you, Lord, for all those you’ve put in my life. For my family, for my friends. For those who have emailed encouragement, who know how to read my heart in the lines that I write.
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.