by Roseanna White | Feb 15, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Monday, during my big writing day of the week, the unthinkable happened–I ran out plotted story! Agh! Which is to say, I’m not anywhere near done my MS (okay, nearish), but I’d only figured out in detail up to a certain turning point. Which I’d just finished. I then had to sit back and go, “Okay . . . now what?”
My particular method of writing historical romance is to take two plots and weave them together. The first is mine. My characters, their motivation, the events of their lives that have very little to do with anything but my own reality. But then my second is history. The actual people, places, and events that shape the world I put my characters into. When all goes well, that second plot is what fuels the first toward its resolution.
But as I sat there staring at my screen on Monday, plotting, I was at a total loss. My notes on the Civil War stared blankly back at me. See, I’m now in early October of 1861. During which nothing big enough happened to make the big time lines. So what in the world was supposed to anchor my story?? I had nothing, not a thing in my notes until February. February! What in the world happened until then??
Plenty, of course, just not on a grand scale, not the kinds of things that make the lists for general Civil War history. Luckily, I have a resource that gives me specifically Savannah’s history, which is what I need. Because there was an awful, awful lot going on in Savannah during those “empty” months on the time line.
Panic.
Vigilantes.
Islands on the coast falling to the Yankees.
General Lee’s arrival.
Statewide questioning about whether Savannah is worth fighting for–a question Savannahians didn’t much appreciate.
The blockade cinching tight.
And that’s not getting into the politics that had all of Georgia in an uproar. See, one of the BIG reasons for succession was Federal v. State Rights. Slavery laws were but one example of this, the fact that the southern states felt the north had no right to dictate to them what they could or couldn’t do, that the federal government shouldn’t have such power. But what was the Confederation doing? Dictating to them what they could and couldn’t do. Telling them they had to raise a certain number of troops, and that those troops weren’t to defend Georgia, they were to be sent to Virginia to fight on the front. And that their slaves had to be sent wherever the Confederacy needed them, to dig trenches.
And that, since there weren’t enough volunteers, they’d have to institute the first-ever draft on North American soil.
Can you imagine how those people felt? They’d declared a revolution to keep a centralized federal government from deciding what their states could do–only to create a new one that did the same thing, and in ways even the politicians in Washington hadn’t done. Was it any wonder the people were disillusioned? Panicked? And, where necessary, devious?
This first year of the war might have been relatively quiet compared to the rest . . . if you’re standing at a distance, looking at the divided nation as a fractured whole. But when you get up close, you see it was far from it.
There may not have been so many loud shouts, but there was a world of mumblings. What they lacked in cannon fire they made up for in quiet betrayals—betrayals that led directly to those louder months coming, when disillusioned rebels led the Yankees straight to the heart of Confederate fortifications.
Oh yeah–I’m having lots of fun with this “little” history. =)
by Roseanna White | Feb 8, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
First, today is the LAST STOP of my
Annapolis blog tour, and I’m going out with a bang–on
Seekerville! Talking about the importance of our words, both the ones we speak (or type) and the ones we don’t. Head on over! And now for your regularly scheduled programming. 😉
~*~
I finally, finally reached a critical turning point in my manuscript–my hero, long stranded in Cuba, gets to come home. But as I sat down, fingers poised over keyboard and ready to make his dreams come (momentarily) true, I paused. And said something like, “Aww, man. How am I supposed to get him there?”
I knew all along this would be tricky. In 1861, it was, shall we say, a bit difficult to gain entrance to the Confederate States of America. See, there was this little thing called the blockade . . . LOL. I had a plan for it, but it was a loose one. Based upon a few quick searches, some squinting, and a couple, “Eh, good enough for now”s.
But it wasn’t good enough for the real thing. So my internet searches got more intense, and where they failed, I looked for help. By the end of my work day on Monday, I’d exchanged about a dozen emails with six different historians. And I had enough to go on.
I’d determined that the most likely port of entry from Cuba would be Cedar Key, Florida. So my search started with the lovely, oh-so-friendly folks of
Low-Key Hideaways, who had a plethora of historical information about their little island on their website, including a wonderful hand-drawn map from the 1880s. I emailed the info address on their website and within
minutes had a response, which was also forwarded to a friend of theirs who knew the island’s history well.
Said friend applauded me for making the Cuba-Cedar Key connection and referred me to others from the town who had written books about it during the Civil War, so could answer any questions I had about the town’s layout at the time.
That was a lovely start to my day, that verification that, hey, I’d landed him in the right place! Phew! And it was a good spot, because it was the western most terminus of the Florida railroad. Surely, surely, that would make it easy, right? I could just stick my hero on a train to Savannah.
Except, er, there seemed to be no train from Florida to Georgia. Um . . . I found a map that had a connector line marked as “built during the war,” but it didn’t tell me when. Argh! This was the point where my hubby said, “You just need that one railroad buff who can answer your question off the top of his head. Find him.”
I started doing random searches for “Florida railroad Civil War” and came across and article sourced from the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. Needless to say, their website was my next stop. I found the email address for their historical editor, sent him a few questions. Which he forwarded to the historian at the Florida East Coast Railway. Who forwarded it to a professor friend who’d just written a book about it.
I’d found my guy! He emailed later that evening answering my exact question–and giving me the year on that connector line, which was, sadly, two years too late. =( But I now knew that my hero could only take the rail from Cedar Key to the other side of Florida, Fernandina. From there, it would be a stage coach to Savannah.
Not what I’d planned on–but doable. And right. Oh, how I love knowing I’ve gotten details like that right!
All that research made for not as much writing time as I’d liked, but it was well worth it. And now I have a host of oh-so-helpful people who are on my acknowledgment list for this book. =) And more information on Civil War Florida than I ever thought I’d need to know. 😉
by Roseanna White | Feb 2, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Monday and Tuesday of this week, I had the joy of attending the Christian Product Expo in Lancaster, PA. I went with CAN (Christian Authors Network), who was hosting the breakfast on Tuesday. Each author sat at a different table so we could chat with the retailers. After that, we each gave a five minute speech. And then we all had books to sign and give away to the retailers.
This is the first trade show I’ve ever attended–the closest thing to it was the Home School Fair I went to last spring. Otherwise all my big events have been writers conferences, so this was a great new experience for me–a glimpse into another, critical side of the industry. It was so interesting to sit at the tables and heard the store owners talk about how they got into this, how long their stores have been open, what they use for engraving, what sells best in their stores, how much they charge for certain things . . .
But of course, one thing I really loved was hearing, “Oh, that’s where I know you’re name! I carry your book!” and “The Love Finds You line is so popular!” =)
Though for me, the absolute best part was the signing. Getting to chat with each and every retailer, seeing where they were from. I had a box of
Love Finds You in Annapolis to give away, and also a box each of
Jewel of Persia and
A Stray Drop of Blood. I knew going in that most of them would already carry the LFY line, and none would carry the WhiteFire titles. So I was really, really intrigued to see that they were just as interested in my Biblical titles as
Annapolis. =) One retailer apparently even started reading JoP during the morning activities and was raving about it over lunch, LOL.
I think so often we get caught up in OUR part of the world, our specialty, our corner, that we tend to be oblivious to the other sides. Or at least I am. 😉 This reminder that those other sides of the coin are still part of the same was wonderful. To realize that we’re all working toward the same end, joint parts in the body of Christ, striving to do the same things–reach others for Him, and tend His flock. It was an experience I’m eager to repeat, and one that will affect how I see my own side of the coin from now on.
by Roseanna White | Feb 1, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
First, I want to thank everyone for sharing my excitement and offering your congrats and encouragement on my Big News. Being able to talk about it at last makes it so new and real, LOL.
I was tempted to talk about the Christian Product Expo I just attended in Lancaster, but since that’s not historical, ha ha, I figured I’d better spare you all those details that probably wouldn’t interest everyone. 😉 So instead, I thought I’d share some of the things that have struck me in the memoir I’ve been reading for research.
Last week I downloaded a dozen free books on the Civil War, most of them original texts from the era. The one I opened first was A Confederate Girl’s Diary by Sarah Morgan Dawson. Sarah was a young lady in Baton Rouge during the war, and getting her view of events has been so interesting. It isn’t just the events through her eyes that get me–it’s her outlook on the whole state of affairs.
What strikes me most is her casual acceptance of looming death. One of the parts I just read says something along the lines of “I assured Mother that Charlie could protect me. And of course, should he be killed, I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself.”
As they’re evacuating the city during a brief shelling, they go by a camp of guerilla soldiers, and she and her sister call out something like, “Die protecting us!” Even when it’s her own brother’s and father’s lives on the line–or extinguished–it’s told in her diary with grief but no despair. But rather with a calm acceptance of whatever life might give.
And yet there’s also the kind of scattered delight that reminded me of a character in an Austen novel. When Sarah is telling about the above-mentioned escape from the city, she gets only a block away before her shoes become so uncomfortable that she decides to turn back and get different ones. And of course, once back in the house, she thinks she had better grab some spare clothes. And of course, then she must gather some ribbons . . . and a comb . . . and her letters–but which ones?
The picture she paints of herself, comically oblivious to the shells whizzing overhead when it’s about something as critical as finding her favorite belongings, is that of someone who has adjusted in ways she never imagined to a world gone quite mad.
And that, in my opinion, is one of the most amazing traits of humanity–our ability to adapt. No matter the era, no matter the circumstances, as a whole we will change as our circumstances dictated.
Much like this Confederate girl who mourned the loss of the Sarah of old . . . but didn’t let it render her speechless.
by Roseanna White | Jan 26, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Another thoughtful day as a result of our home school reading. =) This week we saw Elisha take over for Elijah, and during his stay with all the young prophets-in-training, we got to a story I remembered from when I was a kid but forgot the context of.
So one day, while all the young prophets are off in the woods so they might chop down enough wood to build new houses, an ax head flew off one of the shafts. Landed in the river. Kerplunk. The young man wielding it looked on with distress and cried, “Oh no! That was borrowed! Aaaaaaggghhhhh! Now what am I supposed to do??”
Now, I’ll admit I don’t know every nuance of the Law, but I suspect that the penalty for accidentally losing an ax head wasn’t death or anything. 😉 But the guy was upset. He’d borrowed something, borrowed it for a noble cause, no doubt promising to return the tool in the same condition in which he’d gotten it. Which was certainly not at the bottom of the river.
Still, it’s a little thing, isn’t it? An ax head. Kind of akin to lost keys. Or a broken down car. Vital things, but not really life-and-death things. Yet seeing the young prophet’s distress, Elisha picks up a stick, goes to the exact spot in the river where the ax had fallen, and tosses it in.
Up floated the ax head, as if it were made of wood.
When reading this to Xoe, this is where I stopped and said, “Now, what are axes made of?”
Xoe: “Metal!”
Me: “Does metal float?”
Xoe, laughing: “No, it sinks!”
Me: “And that’s why this is a miracle.”
Simple. Little. Wasn’t it?
The more I thought about this “little” miracle, the more I realized it wasn’t so little. Perhaps it wasn’t as showy as parting the sea, or the river. Perhaps it wasn’t as over-reaching as feeding thousands with a few loaves (Elisha did both of those just before this too). But it required rewriting the laws of physics. And you know, that’s a pretty big deal. Making an ax head float . . . well, you might as well make the young prophet fly. Pretty much the same amount of miracle needed.
So I sat back, and I chewed on it. God, through Elisha, rewrote the laws of physics–for one lost tool.
And yet still people doubt that He cares, especially about the little things. Still people doubt what He can do. Still people will say, “Why didn’t He just stop the ax head from flying off??” instead of looking at what He did do.
When I first heard this story, I couldn’t have told you what “laws of physics” were, LOL. Sure, I knew metal didn’t float, but mostly this story fell into the category of “Wow, isn’t God nice?” in my little-kid mind. And He is. He is so, so nice. So good. So loving.
So much so that He’ll do the impossible just to restore peace of mind to one who loves Him.
I’m going to be clinging to that ax head a lot. As a reminder of how far the Lord will go for the little things. As a reminder of how quick He often chooses to act. As a reminder of the “small” miracles that He does that we often probably don’t even notice. But that require just as much miraculousness as the big ones.
With God, there really is no big or small. He doesn’t weigh and measure like we do. I believe he sees a need, measures the faithfulness of the asker, not the task itself. And does what needs to be done.
Thank you, Lord, for caring on a scale I can’t fathom. For the ax head as well as the Red Sea. Thank you for the big things you do to save lives and nations . . . and for the little things that let us get through each day.
by Roseanna White | Jan 25, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
This past week, I’ve been doing a lot of research. I downloaded about a dozen free e-books to my Kindle, all from the Civil War, mostly memoirs and first-hand accounts. And, of course, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which I deem it a gross oversight on my part that I’ve never read. (Though I was in The King and I in high school and can’t think of the book without breaking out into song: “Small house of Uncle Thooooooomas, small house of Uncle Thooooooomas, writ-ten by a wo-man, Harriet Beecher Stooooooooooooow-eh.”)
When I first started writing this Civil War book, I thought, “Oh, good. I’ll have two books to write in the next year set in this era. My research will get to double up.”
Except, of course, that these two books are about as different as you can get when set in the same era. In my current one, both hero and heroine and Confederates. From Savannah, with its unique Georgian culture. Under their unique Georgian laws. The other one will have hero and heroine who are both Union sympathizers, though my heroine will be a widow of a secret Confederate. It’s set in Maryland, which had many who left the state to join the Confederacy, but the state itself was basically not allowed to, given the military presence.
Okay, so my fashion research will be able to double up. Otherwise . . . LOL.
And though it means more work for me, I really love how different stories can be when set in the same time. My colonials are good examples of this too.
Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland is set in 1783. Hero and heroine are Patriots, and the heroine even observes that she’s scarcely seen a Tory since the war began, which would have been true of Williamsburg, where she grew up. But in my next book, set in 1780 New York City (or rather, the City of New York as it was called at the time), my heroine is literally surrounded by Loyalists after growing up in a Patriot household on Long Island. Who had control of a place played an enormous part in what that place was like.
In either the Revolutionary or Civil War.
Well, that’s what I’ve been thinking about this past week. 😉 Do you have a particular era you love–and have you noticed the amazing spectrum of perspectives available in it? I’d love to hear about it!
Now back I go to my manuscript. My heroine has just gotten word that the hero is dead. Poor Cordelia!
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.