by Roseanna White | Dec 5, 2016 | Book News, Giveaways and Contests
To celebrate the release of Giver of Wonders ~ and the season of giving and sacrifice and love that it celebrates through our Lord and Savior ~ I’m giving away a stocking full of special treats!
What will it contain?
Well, that’s a secret. But I’ll tell you that a copy of
Giver of Wonders will be tucked inside, along with some treats for you ~ and some to give away.
The giveaway will run from December 2-20, 2016. Open to both US and international readers, though the stocking can only be shipped to US addresses; in the event of an international winner, she will be given a digital copy of the book and a special gift courtesy of Amazon. 😉
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Roseanna White | Nov 1, 2016 | Announcements, Book News
It’s November 1st! That means that at long last, my first Christmas novel is LIVE!
I intended to have this ready to go last year, but, um . . . I didn’t. 😉 Given that the book was only half written last November, I instead took the holiday season to finish it up and then had this year for editing and feedback and that sort of excitement. 😉
But I’m so excited to share the story of Cyprus and Nikolaos and Petros. And seeing it reviewed in RT Reviews two weeks ago with a 4.5 Star Top Pick rating was pretty darn awesome too. This is what RT had to say:
Perfect for the Christmas season, White’s latest is a story
that begs to become a tradition. The setting comes alive in sights, sounds and
smells, but it’s the people in this book that make it so memorable. Despite the
general solemnity to the plot, vivid characters and their strong and unswerving
faith frame the tale in life and warmth and love. This story of love and faith
belongs on every holiday reading list, it’s a beautifully crafted reminder of
the true purpose of giving.
Squee!!
So I figure I’ll share a bit of behind-the-scenes on this book today and tomorrow–and then later in the week is the Fall 2016 Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt, where I’ll be hosting Stop #4–so be sure to swing by then for a chance at the epic grand prize and for a giveaway just from me too, where you can choose from either of my recent releases.
Now . . . Cyprus.
When I decided to write this story, I figured it would be fun to get a peek at the Visibullis family that I’ve written about in
A Stray Drop of Blood and
A Soft Breath of Wind–two hundred fifty years after those stories. Though readers certainly don’t see any of those previous characters on the page, we do see their legacy. At one point, Dorus Visibullis, father of my heroine, receives a shipment of scrolls and codices (think early books) from his uncle, part of his inheritance. And on each scroll and codex is part of his Christian heritage–including an eye-witness account of the resurrection by Abigail, which Benjamin transcribed in her later years.
I hope readers enjoy this sort of nod at the early books–and that they fall in love with these characters too. Cyprus has in a way been a long time coming for me. I was in college when I decided I wanted to use the name for a heroine someday. Not sure why, but I just love the way it sounds. So I had Dorus and his wife Artemis name their girls after cities where they’d lived. Alexandria, Rhoda (after Rhodes), and Cyprus.
When I was brainstorming what I would make happen in this book, I knew it was crucial that Cyprus not look like the typical Greek/Roman girl. I wanted it to be dangerous for her to venture out alone in a world where it wasn’t unusual for children to be kidnapped and sold as slaves. And the rarer the coloring the better. At first I’d thought blond would work, but then I remembered reading that no slave in Rome fetched a higher price than a redhead. So that’s what Cyprus needed to be.
I searched for images forever. Seriously. Looking for some appropriate stock photo that I could use for Cyprus. But I couldn’t find one. Anywhere. So I took to DeviantArt and eventually stumbled upon Kirilee, who had this amazing series of “Greek Queen” photographs.
I contacted her about using one in accordance with her permissions, which stipulated that we couldn’t do anything like change out her face for someone else’s, but she had no problem with me reddening her hair. So the kind Kirilee became my Cyprus.
Cyprus is a girl who receives a miraculous healing in the opening chapter . . . and who then spends the next years of her life wondering why God would save her. She has always believed in Him . . . but she is just a girl, as her father keeps reminding her. A girl has no purpose but to marry advantageously. Can that really be all the Lord wants from her? Or will she doubt too much and have that paralysis overtake her again?
When tragedy strikes her family, the questions only get worse. Why save her for this? But love for her sisters spurs her onward, into a fight against the culture, the expectations, and into the realization of what God really asks–for everything, sacrificed freely to Him. So that He can work His wonders.
It’s a story of love at its foundation. Love for our parents, our siblings, our children. Love for our friends, love for the one who becomes our spouse. But ultimately, love for God.
This is a story about the man we now call
St. Nicholas. But in my typical fashion, it’s not the sort of story you might expect when you hear that. Because it’s not just about the man who created traditions we still keep today. It’s about the God-given love, the God-given gift of healing that spurred him to take extreme actions to save his friends. And it’s about those whose lives were forever changed by it.
Also, quick note!
I have four other books on sale this month!
by Roseanna White | Oct 12, 2016 | Book News, Cover Designs
There’s something about seeing the cover for the first book in a new series.
Maybe it’s because it’s a whole new style, a whole new look that you know will carry out through the subsequent books.
Maybe it’s because there are new themes, new characters.
Or maybe it’s just because it’s always exciting to get a new cover, no matter the number in the series. 😉
Regardless, I was sooooooo excited to see this when I got my first glimpse a month ago, and I am equally excited to get to share it with you now! This cover totally and completely (in my opinion, LOL) captures the essence of the story. Rosemary–perfect. The books!–perfect. The pose–perfect. *Blissful sigh*
A Name Unknown will release next July. Description below. But for now . . . THE COVER!!!!!
About
Edwardian Romance and History Gains a Twist of Suspense
Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped
her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate
on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class
society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman
is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime.
How does one steal a family’s history, their very name?
Peter Holstein, given his family’s German blood, writes his popular series of
adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own
neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change
his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a
historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might
be answered.
But as the two work together and Rosemary sees his gracious reaction to his
neighbors’ scornful attacks, she wonders if her assignment is going down the
wrong path. Is it too late to help him prove that he’s more than his name?
~*~
I know, I know–you are now so eager to get your hands on this book that you want to rush out and pre-order a copy. Ahem. 😉 The Amazon link is live–I’ll post others as they appear.
by Roseanna White | Sep 22, 2016 | Book News
In each of the first two books of the series, I had third point-of-view character who was the heroine’s lady’s maid. I obviously needed another third character to give us that below-stairs view in this books . . . but I wanted to shake it up a bit. So instead of getting to know the heroine’s maid, I decided we’d get to know the villain’s.
I loved introducing Kira Belova, who introduces us in turn to the mysterious Russian buyer of the diamonds that we’ve heard mentioned since book 1. Well let me just tell you, Andrei Varrenikov is quite the piece of work. And Kira is his mistress (though we never see them in any such situations, don’t worry!). Once the prima ballerina with the famous Ballet Russe, a knee injury has left her broken and desperate to cling to the life she’d worked for. Willing to do anything to keep her pretty Parisian flat and the facade of wealth she’d gained through Andrei.
Even spy for him. Even though it means posing as a maid–a servant’s position her family had worked generations to escape from.
Through Kira, we get a glimpse into Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution. A hint of a very different culture than the English one we’ve otherwise seen. And, I hope, a few surprises. =) It’s also thanks to Kira that we get the 3 scenes in the book set somewhere other than the Cotswolds–PARIS!
Photo of the Eiffel Tower taken by my daughter, by the way. And we crossed right over the Place d’Iena and saw signs for the Guimet, the museum mentioned there! How cool is that?!
Now. Today begins the Celebrate Lit Blog Tour for A Lady Unrivaled, which means lots of chances to get some opinions about the book and enter my giveaway that’s exclusively for Celebrate Lit!
Included in this giveaway is a tin of tea from England. But not just from England. From HRH Prince Charles’s Highgrove Shop–a shop attached to his Cotswold estate, where he’s an avid organic farmer/gardener. (All proceeds from the store go to a charity.) So this isn’t just any tea, this is prince-approved tea. 😉
Here’s the Celebrate Lit line up!
by Roseanna White | Sep 21, 2016 | Book News
I knew it would be a little tricky, making my hero in book 3 a man who wasn’t exactly likeable in the first two books. But that was part of the challenge.
In book 1, we see Cayton marry for money and break the heart of Brook’s cousin. In book 2, we see him newly widowed and overwhelmed by the guilt of having never come to love his wife.
I do have a soft spot for characters who need redemption, and Cayton was certainly one of those! As A Lady Unrivaled begins, he has already repented, he has already determined to be the man God wants him to be . . . he’s just finding it more difficult to accept forgiveness than it had been to ask for it.
Naturally, this is what makes him so much fun!
There’s one going on right now at Overcoming With God! You can also read Noela’s gracious review of the book on that site.
And on Friday, it’s time for another Colonial Quills tea party! Join me on the blog for a giveaway and on our Facebook event for a chat at 12 noon EDT!
by Roseanna White | Sep 19, 2016 | Book News
Hello, lovely readers! I’m back from my tour of England and Paris and ready (er…something, LOL) to dive back into the world of blogging. =) And of course, last week A Lady Unrivaled released!
Bethany House and I will be hosting a truly spectacular giveaway soon–stay tuned for dates and details!
And beginning this Thursday, the book will be on tour with Celebrate Lit, along with another fun giveaway that includes a tin of tea from Prince Charles’s Highgrove Shop in Tetbury!
My big blogging plans for this week are basically to share a few pictures we took that relate to the book.
In the very first chapter, we see Ella sneaking into the Library at Ralin Castle. I had the pleasure of touring Knightshayes in Devon, and their library–oh my gracious. So my little visual tour of the book will begin with this.
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.