by Roseanna White | Dec 29, 2009 | Uncategorized
Well, I finally found the two hours I needed to finish reading
The Glassblower by Laurie Alice Eakes last week–and boy was I glad I did! This is a sweet and charming historical romance that will make your heart flutter and spark your imagination.
Meg Jordan wants nothing more than to start a school for local children, so that they don’t have to be sent away for their education as she was. The apple of her father’s eye, she has been given a building and promised windows from Jordan Glassworks . . . as soon as they get other orders finished. That is surely why she is breathless with excitement after meeting Colin, the new glassblower from Scotland. It surely isn’t a personal interest–her father is very strict about not socializing with the employees.
Colin has never seen a bonnier lass than Miss Meg Jordan, but he is warned from the moment he steps foot in the glassworks that he ought not get his hopes up. Which is fine, because he did not venture to America for romance. He came to find a better life to extend to his mother and siblings–the least he can do after abandoning the family, which he is certain led to the boating accident that ended his father’s life. Had he been there . . . but the Lord has forgiven him, and now he has a fresh start. A fresh chance. He will prove himself quickly to be a master glassblower while working on the goblets Mr. Jordan requests for his daughter’s engagement . . . if only he could prove to his heart that said engagement made Meg off-limits. But she seems unwilling, at the least, to become betrothed to her neighbor. And why would the doting Mr. Jordan force the issue? Something is not right.
The Glassblower is a truly excellent book on so many levels. From Heartsong Presents, it’s a short read and moves quickly, but Laurie Alice is an expert at making those few pages feel complete and full, carrying you through a complex and tender story with elegance and grace. The love story is truly blissful-sigh-inducing, and there is just enough tension to make the stakes high and unyielding. I really appreciated the balance of those devices, though. So often tension feels false or over-inflated to me, based on nonsense, but that is far from the case in this novel. The author found the perfect way to offset each romantic stride forward with outside complications, and to answer each moment of antagonism with a new development in the relationship between hero and heroine.
It’s no wonder The Glassblower is an editor’s pick this year for Heartsong Presents! This is a must-read that you’ll breeze through and walk away from feeling better than you did when you sat down with it. You’ll fall in love with the characters and watch them come to a deeper understanding of their faiths through the pages. Don’t miss this one!
Right now it’s only available from the publisher and through the subscription program, but keep your eyes peeled! It’ll be on Amazon etc. in the next few months.
(I received this book as a complementary reviewer copy.)
by Roseanna White | Dec 28, 2009 | Uncategorized
I can honestly say I never expected horses to play a very big role in any of my contemporaries. I mean, historicals, sure. But contemporaries? I’m not the type to write a ranching type novel, so . . . you can imagine my surprise when my modern pirate story sudden demanded I include some quality time with Arabians.
I’ve always loved horses, and I took riding lessons for a year when I was in middle school. I was never quite as good at it as I wanted to be, nor as fearless, lol. But I still have such respect for those magnificent animals–unlike my husband, who grew up beside a slew of them and still harbors some resentment over that one that bit him, lol.
My heroine in Seized is Bedouin, and I put her in a family that still breeds Arabians as their livelihood. Upon looking up the breed, I discovered some amazing facts about these noble horses that (and was reminded that much of what we know about Bedouin culture is tied to them). For starters, they’re smaller than many breeds of horses, barely larger than a pony. Some Arabians even have fewer vertebra and ribs than other breeds. These qualities give them a compact frame perfectly suited to long, arduous treks through the desert.
Arabians are also noted for their high-carried tails, curved necks, and concave profile. They actually have features in their heads like larger nasal passages and a special flap in their throat to allow for easier breathing in the sand. These horses, so loved by the Bedouin that the best of them slept in the tents with the family, are truly magnificent creatures. And because of how closely they lived with humans, they were bred based on personality and intelligence, so the line is now among the friendliest of horses out there, though still noted for being spirited.
I’ve never been enough of a horse afficianado to be able to identify breeds at a glance (other than a Clydesdale, lol), but the more I read about Arabians, the more I realized how distinct they are. And I’m going to have a lot of fun making my heroine’s heart light up when she gets to spend some time with them after five years of never so much as seeing one. Now the hard part–to think up some clever names . . .
by Roseanna White | Dec 24, 2009 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I decided to post today solely that I could copy my friend’s idea from her blog yesterday and chat about some of my favorite Christmas things. =)
I have so many fabulous memories surrounding the holidays, but one of my favorites is from the first year my grandmother came to stay with us on Christmas Eve. That meant Jen and I shared a room that night, and we both well before the agreed-upon time with our parents. For a while we just lay there and talked, but then we decided we’d just get up, plug in the tree, and wait. My sister went to the door, opened it–and ran smack into Mom, who was leaning on the doorframe. Jen shrieked, screamed “Busted!” slammed the door in Mom’s face, and jumped back in bed. Which wouldn’t have been nearly so hilarious had we not been 15 and 18 at the time. =) Our mom was laughing too, not actually mad. We come from a family of very-anxious-Christmas-ers. (My husband does not. There was a bit of compromise necessary when we got married, lol.)
Anyway. I love the old Christmas songs, especially the hymns. Though in college and made a collection of jazzy, swingy versions of the popular songs, and those are fun too. =)
I love all the lights. So magical . . .
I love the baking, and the eating what’s been bakes. 😉
I love those times when I’ve thought up exactly the right present for someone, and the way they thrill when they open it.
I love sitting back and reflecting on the miracle of that first Christmas.
And now I’m going to go cuddle my kiddos, get some coffee, and enjoy my Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas, everyone!
by Roseanna White | Dec 23, 2009 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Back before we had kids, we used to debate what we’d tell them about Santa. And as my first child approached an age where beliefs began to form, everyone asked us, “Are you doing the Santa thing?” And we’ve never said things like, “Santa’s watching” or “Santa will be coming next week.” But as a house that allows TV, it’s inescapable. Every single kids’ show is all about Santa this time of year, so my 4-year-old has latched onto it. I don’t mind–I still believe in Santa too;-)
But I did want to make sure she understood what Christmas really is. So last week as we played around the tree on morning I told Xoe the Christmas story, off the cuff. I’ve never tried to tell it before in preschooler terms (though we’ve read plenty of toddler books on it) and putting it in my own words so that she would understand was a lot of fun. Sure, some things had to change. Like Jesus was born in a barn instead of a stable–barn she knows. Stable, not so much. And we certainly didn’t get into the whole virgin thing, lol.
As always, when telling my preschooler anything, I’m never sure what will stick and what will float right out her ear. But I knew she’d gotten the point that night when we drove to my mom’s. Actually, it happened two nights in a row.
As we took the final turn onto their road, Xoe looked out the window and saw one of the first stars to show in the night. “Look, Mommy!” she said with the exuberance only a kid can muster. “It’s the star, just like in your story! It’s for baby Jesus!”
My husband and I just exchanged a look as we agreed. A look that said, “Yep–she took a good thing from the story this time.”
Obviously, she’s still excited about Santa. But we also told her the story of St. Nicholas, who gave gifts on Christmas to point the children back to Christ. And I’ve been really impressed by her Christmas spirit. Sure, she wants to open presents (a lot, lol). But she also wants to have a gift for everyone from her. You oughta see the adorable little car she made Rowyn out of paper and tape. =)
Merry Christmas, everyone!
by Roseanna White | Dec 22, 2009 | Uncategorized
Which is to say, I haven’t had time to crack open a book, which is a crying shame, cuz I’ve got one fabulous one I’ve barely started and two Christmas stories just
begging to be read. So I’ll chat about them, but I’m warning ya–I don’t have much to say. =)
Right now I’m reading The Glassblower by Laurie Alice Eakes. I have been looking forward to this book for a long time, ever since Laurie Alice announced to our historical group that she’d sold it to Heartsong. It isn’t available on Amazon etc. yet, but can be ordered from Heartsong and through the bookclub. The Glassblower is about Meg, a young woman who dreams of opening a school in her New Jersey town so that other children aren’t forced away from home for education as she had been. Enter the charming Scotsman Colin, master glassblower, who just got a job at her father’s glass making family. Right away something sizzles between them, but Meg knows nothing can ever come of it. Her father would never permit her to keep company with a mere laborer–instead, he has another suitor in mind for her.
This is a short gulp of a book, and I’ve read titles from Laurie Alice before, so I know it’ll be beautifully written and will speed by once I have an hour to dedicate to it. I’ll do that tonight so that I can debate between the two Christmas titles from Summerside’s Love Finds You line that just showed up.
First to arrive was Loree Lough’s Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska. Can’t wait to read this largely because I’ve been chatting with Loree for the last few months, and she’s such a wonderful lady that I just know I’m going to fall in love with this book. (Not to mention that the back cover sounded fabulous;-) It’s all about an ex-Marine, self-dubbed Scrooge who’s none to happy to be going home to the town where “It’s Christmas All Year Long.” Especially when he keeps butting heads with Sam, the stubborn manager of his aunt’s shop.
A day later came Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire by Lauralee Bliss. This one’s a historical about an artist who orders a mail-order bride . . . but is expecting someone a little more refined than the penniless Sara. As Christmas transforms the tiny town, will the lessons of the season change his heart?
So, there you have it. Three great reads I haven’t had time to read yet. =) Maybe you’ll have better luck than me this holiday season, I say as I teach my daughter how to use her new ZhuZhu Pet . . .
by Roseanna White | Dec 21, 2009 | Uncategorized
Well, it was another successful title contest last week. Though only three of you left ideas, they were so great that it got my juices flowing. I had planned on selecting some finalists and voting, but I instead came up with one I really like, so I’m going to divide the spoils among you three lovely contributors.
So, here’s what it comes down to. Given that it’s a romantic suspense, I need something strong and punchy. Something to capture the black market aspects as well as how the hero steals the heroine’s heart–and trust–with the first glance. So here’s what I came up with: (drumroll please . . .)
Seized
Apparently titling experts are big fans of single-word titles, so I’m really pleased with this. When I was reading through Sandi’s suggestions and got to the ones with “seized” in it, it just jumped out at me.
I also had a great time writing said book this weekend, after getting to know my hero a little better. And discovered it’s really cool to sit around the living room with my laptop while my hubby rereads Stray Drop and the kids frolic under the Christmas tree. Felt so cozy! =)
Hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas week!
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.