Uncategorized - Roseanna M. White

Thoughtful About . . . Love

by Roseanna White | Feb 14, 2013 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized

I know, a predictable topic for Valentine’s Day. 😉 But you gotta love the classics, right?

I’m amazingly blessed when it comes to love. I found my true love in high school, got married at 18, and haven’t regretted a minute of it. In this day and age, I know that’s rare. We live in a kind of strange society where it’s accepted that teenagers are going to be sexually active, but not that they’re capable of making long-term decisions on romance. A world where they’re told to pick a career focus at age 13, but then that college students change majors on average 5 times (or something like that).

But I was never typical–I say that in all honestly, LOL. I knew from primary school onward that I wanted to be a writer. And I knew in high school that if I were smart, I’d marry someone who was happy to support me in that goal until the dough came rolling in. 😉 At that age, I had my list of what the Perfect Guy would be. He would be older than me. He would be taller than me. He would have shorter hair than me. Those were my criteria.

Then I met David. And, well…he was taller. =) Ten months younger, he had a ponytail while at that age I had a bob, but oh the dimples. The green eyes. And most of all, the soul that mine understood so perfectly. He too was atypical. More focused on life-after-high-school than most. Another rare teen who not only understood consequences but contemplated them. A guy who immediately put his total support behind my writing dream…and made it his dream too, deciding then and there that maybe he’d like to get into publishing someday.

Be still my heart!

We went to college together, from our West Virginia town to St. John’s in Annapolis. Yes, at first my parents worried that I wanted to go there just because he was leaving high school a year early to do so. But I explained that we both wanted it because it was an awesome school, and the fact that we both thought so was, you know, kinda one of those things we had in common that made us such a great couple to begin with… And after visiting the college, my parents knew it was the place for me as surely as I did.

Still, ours wasn’t the typical teenage romance. We were engaged our last year of high school. Not exactly a popular decision among teens today, but we knew what we wanted. During our first year of college, we started planning a beach wedding for that next summer. Good decision, gotta say. 😉

We got married after Freshman year. Found a ridiculously expensive postage stamp of an apartment. Finished college together, David went out and got a job with his family’s company. We decided to start a family, and afterward to move back home. And now, eleven years after those beachfront I-dos, I can say with the perspective of age that, yep, we knew what we were doing. We knew what we wanted.

Because we knew who we were.

In a lot of ways, David and I are so very different. Where I’m temperate, he’s passionate. Where I’m quiet, he’s talkative. Where I’m reserved, he’s demonstrative. Which is perfect. We balance each other out in those respects. He knows how to draw me out, and I know how to listen. And we have the same sarcastic sense of humor. The same dreams. And of course, two of the most adorable kids on the planet. 😉

Some couples have “their song,” usually something they danced to once. We have our song too–from the fabulous kids’ show Phineas and Ferb. =) Yep, we found our Evil Love. (Told you we share a sarcastic sense of humor, LOL.)

Cover for Whispers from the Shadows!

by Roseanna White | Feb 13, 2013 | Uncategorized

I got my cover for Whispers from the Shadows! It arrived in my inbox on Monday. A lovely present for my son’s birthday. =)

I’m so excited! I love the colors, I love the ship, the model’s lovely, the dress I would love to add to my wardrobe (eh? eh??), obviously love seeing “Author of Ring of Secrets” under my name, and I just love the feeling of mystery they captured!

My favorite part, though, is the necklace. See, the necklace is pretty important. It’s from the end of Ring of Secrets and is passed down to the next generation in Whispers. I mentioned that in my cover questionnaire, but I also knew it would be difficult to find the perfect one. So when I saw this, it made me giddy. At which point my editor shared that the designer and his wife MADE this for the model to wear! He found the gold chain, and his wife found some pearls that would slip on over the end. Just like in the books. Isn’t that just awesome??

So there we have it! Whispers from the Shadows, available now for pre-order!

Pre-order from Amazon!

Pre-order from ChristianBook!

I’ll post the official back cover copy when I have it, but for now, I put up a little description of my own making on my website.

Special Guest Susie Finkbeiner & a Giveaway!

by Roseanna White | Feb 12, 2013 | Uncategorized

I’m doing a rare Tuesday post today to talk about a truly amazing book. Yes, it’s a WhiteFire book, so you might think I’m biased. But hold that thought. 😉

Last year, our other acquisitions editor, Dina, sent me a first chapter to look over. It was for a book she was considering, and she wanted to get my take on the tone. I could see why she’d want that–just looking at the summary, it’s a book that could be too dark. That could be too heavy. That could be too…hard. Not hard to read, but hard to take. And while WhiteFire tackles subjects others won’t, we’re not a big fan of dark-for-the-sake-of-dark.

But Paint Chips…even in that first chapter, it was different. It spoke of sad things, but there was hope even in those first pages. Light. I liked that, so I gave a thumb’s up and went about my business. Dina kept reading…and then David read…and then we had a committee meeting. They both voted yes, and I still hadn’t read it, but I liked what I’d heard, so I voted yes too. For reference, that was the first book WhiteFire bought that I hadn’t read most-if-not-all-of. But hey, that’s what a committee’s for.

We welcomed Susie enthusiastically to the family, and I laughed when I realized upon typing the contract that she was a Facebook friend I interacted with almost daily. Duh, LOL. But that made me even happier to welcome her to the family! 😉 I got to work right away on her cover, sending her the above as a test-run. After all, I’d never read this book, I didn’t think I’d really be able to grasp it just from her questionnaire…but she quickly replied with “That’s it! That’s my cover!!”

Over the next couple of months, Dina worked her magic with her edits (Dina is a master of plot and scene structure, gotta say–and she does freelance work with that now, so if you’re a writer and need some help in that area, check her out!!), Susie worked her magic in incorporating them, and the manuscript came to me, ready for line edits.

Imagine Roseanna sitting at her desk, glued to her laptop as Hurricane Sandy went through, muttering phrases like, “If we lose power, I still have five hours of battery. I might be able to finish this on five hours of battery…” I just couldn’t put it down. I didn’t want to stop reading this story, because if I did, I’d leave one or both of the characters in a tough spot…and I couldn’t do that to poor Dot or Cora. I couldn’t. Besides, I wanted to keep laughing. And crying! I actually cried reading this book, and those of you who know me know that I don’t cry over stories. Not books, not TV, not movies…I cry, like, once a year. Maybe twice. It’s not my thing, so if this did it–that should be proof right there that you had better go buy it! 😉

Paint Chips is a book about family. About the ravages of a broken one and the healing touch of a mended one. It’s a story about the power of redemption…a power that shines the brightest into the darkest crevices. It’s a story that broke my heart. And then put it back together. Because it shows the ugly parts of our world. Human trafficking, abuse, the hard streets. But it shows even more starkly the beauty. What love can do. What faith can change.

When I finished reading this book, my first thought was, “Wow. I’m so glad this is ours! I want to publish this!!” (A good thought, yes, since it was only two months from release at that point, LOL.) So…seriously. This book is an experience you don’t want to miss. It’ll change you. Change how you look at the world, at those who love you unconditionally, at the Father who sees so much more than we do. Read it. You’ll see.

Here’s the back cover blurb, to give you an idea of, you know…what it’s actually about. 😉

What lies beneath the layers of hurt?

Though haunted by her troubled
past, Dot has found a safe haven. She has a fierce protector and a
colorful collection of friends…but sometimes she wonders if her life
will ever be normal again. Though college and romance await her,
embracing them requires a new kind of strength–one she isn’t sure she
has.

Emerging from years of confusion, Cora struggles to latch
hold of the sanity she needs to return to the real world. She yearns to
find a place of peace…but first she must deal with the ghosts of her
past.

Can this mother and daughter overcome abuse, betrayal,
abandonment, and the horrors of sexual trafficking, and make it back
into each others arms?

Facing the past is never easy. But as they chip away the layers, they might just find something beautiful beneath the mess.

And if you haven’t watched Susie’s book trailer yet, WATCH IT!! Seriously awesome–live action, and the best book trailer I’ve ever seen. (We’re not comparing it to mine because, well, that’s like saying “Which baby is cuter? Yours or your sister’s? Uh….LOL)

Now for the giveaway!

First of all, y’all should just go buy the book, because at $3.99 for digitals, why not? 😉 (Buy from Amazon…Buy from B&N…Buy from our distributor) But I’ll offer one free digital to a commenter. To make it more interesting, though, to a second winner, I’ll purchase for you your choice of items from Susie’s jewelry store, Inspired Novelties. Half her proceeds are donated to worthy causes (different one each month), and all are inspired by literature–and beautiful! I have several of her pieces, and they’re awesome. =)

To enter, leave a comment below telling me which is your favorite piece from Susie’s shop, and an email where you can be reached. Want an extra entry? Share the giveaway! Tweet it, blog about it, email it to a friend…have at it. =)

Void where prohibited. Entry into the contest is considered
verification of eligibility based on your local laws. Chance of winning
depends on number of entries. Contest ends 2/19/13. Winner will have one
week to claim prize.

Thoughtful About . . . Potatoes

by Roseanna White | Feb 7, 2013 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized

The Little Potato Peeler
by Albert Anker, 1886

I want to be like a potato. Aside from the fact that they don’t have hourglass figures, that is. 😉 But every time I reach for one in dinner prep, it hits me anew.

I want to be able to sprout no matter where I am. No matter how unsuitable the “where” is to sprouting. That right there would be enough. If we could put out roots like a potato, then just think how secure we’d be in our lives, wherever we are. Whatever we’re doing.

I want to be long-lasting. No week-away expiration date. I want to be able to still go strong after weeks and months left sitting. Because sometimes there are periods of inaction in life. Of rest. If I were as long-lasting as a potato, those wouldn’t bother me a bit.

I want to be hearty. I want my work to stick to your bones, yes. But more, I want to know that I’m made of sterner stuff than fluff and nonsense. That I’ve got some starch to me. Maybe that gets potatoes a bad rap in this age of dieting, and maybe it gets people bad raps too sometimes. But that’s the stuff that energy is made of.

I want to be a chameleon, handy for any number of oh-so-different goals. Is there anything you can’t do with a potato? Slice them, fry them, boil them, bake them, mash them, make them a base for a soup…for a candy…for a bread. If I could just be half so useful in half so many ways…

I want to be full of good things. Starch aside, potatoes have nothing but goodness. Anything bad has to be put into them. Lord, make me so pure!

I want to be a staple. Cultures rise and fall around potatoes. I don’t profess that kind of hubris, LOL, but I want to be the kind of wife my husband builds his life around. The kind of mom that provides a life of stability and love for my kiddos. The kind of friend that can be depended on for anything. The kind of writer, the kind of editor, the kind of mentor that people come back to over and over.

I want to be a potato. Not that kind that sits on a couch and does nothing, but the kind that can do it all. The kind that’s just fine with waiting and doing nothing when it’s called for. The kind that can then be picked up and put to any number of uses.

Lord, make me a potato. Sometimes I’m not so sure I have what it takes to be one of those lumpy brown legumes. But I pray I do. Help me to live up to their example. Help me to be a potato too.

Thoughtful About . . . Only Blocks

by Roseanna White | Jan 31, 2013 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized

For Christmas, my little guy got some Legos. He’s got great fine motor coordination and will sit there and happily build some fun things. But last week, he just couldn’t get the pieces to stick together like he wanted. And from happy builder he turned into wailing child.

I, in my infinite wisdom, (ahem) said something along the lines of, “Rowyn baby, I know you worked hard, and I understand that it’s frustrating, but you don’t have to cry over it. It’s only blocks.”

My logic did little to help him, gotta say. But it sure resonated with me.

What do you think we look from heaven, toiling away at our lives? Building our castles, our kingdoms, our empires? All our grand plans, all our hard work, all our building and growing and planning? To us, it’s everything. It’s our world. It’s our focus.

A Lego building at NASA’s KSC

But to God? I can imagine him watching us with a fond smile, just like I like watch Rowyn snap colored blocks together. I can imagine him sitting up a little straighter from time to time, opening his mouth to point out a better way to do something–but we, stubborn children that we are, shake our heads and say, “No. I want to do it myself.” I can imagine him sighing when that way doesn’t work and our little world we’ve built comes tumbling down.

And oh, that hurts us. How we cry and rant and rage and sometimes even rail at Him for not making it all better, conveniently forgetting that we refused his guidance because our vision was just so perfect.

That, I think, is when God gathers us into his arms and whispers in our ears, “You don’t have to cry over this, baby. I know you worked hard. I know it’s frustrating when things don’t turn out like they should. But they’re only blocks.”

Still, we can’t quite accept that, can we? Those blocks, those tools, are all we have to work with. And we so wanted to build that thing we imagined…

And so God pats our back and says, “I know. And I want you to build it too. Let’s do it together, okay? Let me help you fix this problem right here…”

That might require undoing some of the other work we’ve done to get at the flaw. And we might cry a little more when we see that. But then he’ll fill the hole, line up the pegs, shift it all away from treacherous ground, and hand it back over.

And sometimes, we might greet his aid with a new tantrum and toss it all aside. But most of the time, I hope, we learn from him. We see where we went wrong. And we smile up into our Father’s eyes and say, “Thanks, Abba.”

A Lego model of Trafalgar Square, London

Because even if it’s only blocks, he still cares. He still claps when we create a masterpiece, he still feels our pain with us when it doesn’t turn out right. He still helps us perfect it, and then pats us on the back in paternal pride. Toiling at it is still something he wants us to do.

But let’s remember what it is we’re working with. And whose advice we should take while we’re building away. He’s got a better vantage point up there than we do here at eye-level. And a whole lot more experience with fitting those blocks together.