by Roseanna White | Jul 18, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
In case y’all haven’t seen this already . . .
I have an official title for my second Culper Ring book! Wooooot!
For any of you non-writer folk out there who might be scratching your heads going, “Okay… um… what’s so exciting about that?” allow me to explain a bit. =) An author’s titles aren’t always approved by the publishing committee, so they’ll then ask for a list of other possible titles and will go from there, sometimes picking from that list but more often using it as a springboard to come up with a title their marketing experts say will sell. I was kinda surprised when there was no discussion on either my first title or series name–they loved both Culper Ring Series and
Ring of Secrets. I was warned, however, that the second two books would be talked about. 😉
So. I’d originally called this book I’m writing now Mask of Truth. The experts at Harvest House didn’t think “truth” sounded romantic enough, so asked for other suggestions. I sent them a list of probably two dozen alternatives, LOL, and they took the words I’d listed as appropriate to the story and feel and came up with–drumroll please……
Yay!! It’s a beautiful title that I totally love, and I’m now having fun weaving its imagery into the story as I write. =)
And of course, one of the first things I changed was the name of
my Pinterest board for the book. Which, I might add, is now full to bursting with Regency style clothing that my characters would be wearing, so if you have an intense love for those Jane Austen-esque fashions, you might want to hop over there. 😉
And while you’re browsing through beautiful empire gowns, I will be back in Baltimore of 1814, where poor Gwyneth is even now sitting at a borrowed desk in a rumpled gown with pencil smudges flawing her ivory skin and bizarre drawings before her . . . 😉
by Roseanna White | Jul 12, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I’ve had a hectic few weeks, and in some ways it’s been a real roller coaster ride. I got good news just to have it nullified two days later. I’ve had to come to grips with a few things, put some things aside for a while–and as someone who always hopes and works for more, that was a toughie.
But even while I’ve mourned the loss of that oh-so-brief good news, I’ve also gotten to enjoy some of the most fun aspects of what I do. On the author side, I enjoyed a nice long chat with my editor, going over revisions for
Ring of Secrets. That was a blast, as we laughed over the silly things that had slipped past me and got into the nitty gritty of the story. She loves it just about as much as I do, so there really was no pain involved.
And on the editor side, I got to have the same sort of conversation in reverse with one of our authors. =) We got to talk over revisions to her ending, weighing some of the different options and talking about her characters and how they’ll best
Shine. I love that!
In the back of my mind there’s still sometimes that lurking disappointment. That realization that I can’t reach further right now—which on the one hand is fine, because I love where I am. But I’ve always been stretching. I’ve always been trying to find the next project and, in recent months, trying to figure out how to balance my commitments. It’s a little weird to realize that for now, that’s not necessary. Oh, I still have plenty to balance with writing and editing and designing and, of course, parenting and home schooling. But still . . .
Yet even as I waited for the phone call that ended up reversing my good news, I finished up the research I’d been doing for my second Culper Ring book. Even as I put aside the project that had been distracting me from it, I got excited about dedicating myself to Gwyneth and Thad. I’m having so much fun getting to work on this one!
And some of the best news ever just came, after all–my best friend/critter and I have officially scheduled a writing retreat for next spring. WOOT! Can’t wait for March!!!
by Roseanna White | Jul 5, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I got it! I got it! My cover for Ring of Secrets has arrived in a share-able version, so naturally today must be spent in sharing (assuming you haven’t already seen it on Facebook).
Exciting!!! Also exciting is that you can pre-order them on Amazon (please “like” the page for me!) and ChristianBook.com.
And the official blurb, to remind you of how much FUN Ring of Secrets is going to be… =)
This exciting romantic spy novel from Roseanna M. White combines
fascinating cloak-and-dagger secrets with a tale of love and intrigue
during the Revolutionary War.
Winter Reeves is an aristocratic
Patriot forced to hide her heart amid the Loyalists of the City of New
York. She has learned to keep her ears open so she can pass information
on British movements to Robbie Townsend, her childhood friend, and his
spy ring. If she’s caught, if she’s hung for espionage…well, she won’t
be. Robbie has taught her the tools of the trade: the wonders of
invisible ink, drop locations and, most importantly, a good cover.
Bennet
Lane returns to New York from his Yale professorship with one goal: to
find General Washington’s spy hidden among the ranks of the elite.
Searching for a wife was supposed to be nothing more than a convenient
cover story for his mission, but when he meets Winter, with her
too-intelligent eyes in her too-blank face, he finds a mystery that
can’t be ignored.
Both believers…and both committed to a
separate cause. Will their faith in God lead them to a shared destiny or
lives lived apart?
by Roseanna White | Jul 4, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Happy Independence Day!
Liberty Tea
In the 1770’s Colonists forsook the partaking of tea imported from
the British, and thus American women looked to their own gardens and the
world around them to create their own teas. Ribwort, sassafras, willow
bark, birch, strawberry leaf, lemon balm, verbena, and currant bush
were used as substitutes, as well as raspberry leaves which were used to
make “Hyperion Tea.” Spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen, orange
bergamot, catnip and pennyroyal were used to create mint teas. Flowers
such as red rose petals, blossoms of linden, elder, red clover,
chamomile, violet, red rose petals, rosehips, linden blossoms, elder,
red clover, chamomile, violet and goldenrod were also brewed into tea.
Teas were also made from sweet fern, spicebush, ambrosia, twigs of sweet
gum, fennel and dill seed, parsley, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and
sage.
Wanna know more? Hie thee over to Colonial Quills, ask for a cup, and settle in with the ladies for an Independence Day celebration Colonial style! We’re going to have a blast!!
https://www.roseannamwhite.com/2012/07/independence-day-liberty-tea-party.html
by Roseanna White | Jun 28, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
With the fires raging in Colorado, this is a topic on a lot of minds this week. As someone who used to have a major phobia of fire, wildfires are a terrifying thing to me, and my prayers go out to all those affected, both residents and the brave men and women fighting the fires.
But that’s not exactly where I’m going today. 😉 It so happens that in my daily reading, today I got to I Corinthians 3.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each
one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it
will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of
what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
I’ve always been so struck by this. It’s not talking about salvation–we’re saved, Paul makes that clear in verse 15. But, as members of God’s family, we’re given His foundation and then have to build our lives upon it. We’re given our choice of things to build with. Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw. And then the Lord’s holy fire will test it.
Fire is the theme in one of my two works-in-progress, so I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. It’s one of the four ancient elements, a force that can give life or destroy it. Out in Colorado, it’s wreaking havoc . . . and bringing a lot of people to their knees before God.
Fire refines. It burns away the garbage, burns away the chaff, and leaves purity in its wake. Usually this is in a contained situation, like in refining silver or gold. I would never-ever try to apply it to a wildfire! Don’t mistake me there. But even in the wake of that tragedy, there are those seeds, long dormant, brought to life and let to grow only because they were exposed to the high heat of the flame. Trees that gain life through destruction.
When I was a kid, terrified by fire, my neighbor’s fire barrel turned over once, and half his yard burned before he got it under control. This brought my fears back to the surface real quick–but then I noticed that, in spite of the drought, that grass that had burned came back vibrant and green, while the rest of the lawn was an ugly brown.
Somehow or another, the fire brought life.
My prayer is that I can build my life’s work with purity. With metaphorical gold and silver, with gems and precious stones. I pray that when the fire comes down upon me, it leaves me and mine gleaming rather than consumed. I pray no loss is suffered.
Lord, direct our hands as we’re building, help us build for You. Help us make the right decisions that will withstand that holy fire. And give us the peace to know that even when something seems to be burned up and left destroyed, it’s only so that You can send us something new, something better to take its place. Go before us, Father, and make clear the path.
by Roseanna White | Jun 21, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
The other day I was reading Romans 8 . . . and coming to the conclusion that it’s one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I know I’ve read it many times before, but it just hit me how much is in this one. And how amazing it is that we get to apply it to our lives.
I was especially hit by Romans 8:11.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
WOW. I don’t think I ever really paused to consider that the Spirit–the same Spirit I have in me–is that life-giving, dead-raising force. He raised Jesus from the dead. He breathes life. And He’s in me. Not just coming upon me on occasion, like they recorded in the Old Testament, but dwelling within us.
What excuse do we ever have for feeling dead inside?? We’ve all been there, right? Those days, weeks, months when we can’t feel our faith–and since faith isn’t an emotion, we don’t need to feel it. But there’s something to this thought too–when the Spirit is within us, we cannot be dead. And if we feel we are…? Then something is deceiving us. It could be disease, chemical imbalance…or it could be the enemy of the Spirit whispering lies.
But we need to attune our ears to His truth instead–one of the other things about the Spirit that always made me sit back and go Wow. His job is to provide us with the Truth. With guidance. With comfort. So when He is there within us, so is Truth. And we can be nothing but alive and vital.
Another thing hit me with that–what is alive and vital is growing, always. Am I?
Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. Sometimes it seems I’ve stagnated. But just like with water, what is stagnant is death. And He is life.
So what do we do when we find ourselves struggling with this? Not feeling like these verses tell us we should? Not able to wrap our minds and hearts around what we know is true but seems so . . . distant?
The answer comes in verse 15.
For you did not receive
the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Another WOW. The Spirit never wants to make us feel any of those negatives. He wants us to remember that we’ve got a family now, a literally-awesome one. And with Him in us, that gives us certain privileges. Like calling out to the most Holy One and calling him Daddy.
Thank you, Lord, for calling us out of fear, out of death. Thank you for calling us into your family. And thank you for filling us with the very Spirit of Life.
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.