by Roseanna White | Sep 24, 2014 | 17th-19th Centuries, Remember When Wednesdays
Hey look at me, actually remembering that I should blog on Wednesdays. 😉 In fact, I’m blogging twice. I have a post up on Colonial Quills today too.
It’s short and sweet and visual, so I thought I’d direct you that way, for a glimpse at some Colonial American art. Take a peek!
by Roseanna White | Sep 18, 2014 | Remember When Wednesdays, Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
This past weekend, I was in Annapolis. Strolling old, familiar streets, laughing with old, familiar friends. Striding across rain-dampened grass that I’ve darted over many a time, struggling to keep a book-laden bag on my shoulder.
Now, homecoming is every year, but this is the first we’ve gone. Because it was our 10th. Ten years! Gracious, that makes me feel old, LOL. But as we sat on the Quad, browsed through the bookstore, and watched the truly spectacular Star-Spangled Fireworks light up the sky over back campus, I realized it didn’t matter how long we’d been gone–there’s something about St. John’s that never leaves you.
The event was over the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, the battle that “The Star-Spangled Banner” commemorates–because Francis Scott Key was an alumnus, thank you very much. =) One of our most famous, but…well, then again we can also claim the creator of MacGuyver. In fact, he received an award at the banquet this year. So yeah. FSK + MacGuyver. St. John’s obviously rocks. 😉
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| View of McDowell Hall from Back Campus |
I don’t often just talk about St. John’s on here because, well…so few people know what it’s all about, and I could ramble on forever on the subject, which no one wants, LOL. But today, I have to talk a bit about it. Because if anything struck me this weekend, it wasn’t the fireworks. It was the camaraderie. It was the sure knowledge that whatever stranger I spoke to on campus, we had common ground.
We are Johnnies. And that means something very special.
It means we can talk about Plato, Aristotle, and St. Aquinas. It means we debate Marx and Jefferson and Nietzsche. It means we have a working knowledge of physics and metaphysics and biology and chemistry…and that we might take a conversation on one of those into music theory at any moment. It means we know how to think, we’ve learned how to ask questions. It means we can carry on a conversation with absolutely anyone, on any topic…though fair warning, we might sneak Greek into the weirdest places.
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| This is from the SJC website…but it’s also pretty much one of my bookcases |
Being a Johnny means loving books. Loving literature. Loving philosophy. But more, it means loving learning. It means cherishing what has shaped us, not just the way we turn out. It means recognizing the value of the journey. It means recognizing that different opinions, different perspectives, different conclusions aren’t to be dismissed–they’re to be learned from. They don’t have to convince us…but you know, in examining what we don’t agree with, we often discover why.
Yes, we study Mr. God Is Dead right along with Augustine and Aquinas and the Bible itself. And you know what? Reading other people who question the very existence of God, the value of faith, made me value it all the more. Made me understand why I believe what I do…and made me able to talk about it to those who don’t.
St. John’s helped make me who I am. In every single book I’ve written, you’ll find reference to Program material–whether it be based on the work themselves (like
Jewel of Persia) or feature cameos of some of my favorite books (Brook, in my upcoming
The Lost Heiress, is wading through the German of Hegel, which is so difficult that German students often use the English translation!).
This weekend, I was reminded of all that. I got to hang out with my friends and talk about everything from dog breeding to Plato’s Symposium. Wine making to the publishing industry. I got to chat with current students and know that, though I’m a decade older, we all have that Johnny soul. I got to watch alumni from the ’40s come up to the podium and talk about how they fled Hitler’s Germany…and were blessed to find the opportunity in America to attend St. John’s.
I got to remember why I so love asking questions, exploring the what-ifs, thinking through a story…and teaching my kids Greek (everyone thought that was awesome, by the way). I got to be, not just a wife, not just a mommy, not just a teacher or a writer or an editor…I got to be a Johnny. I’d almost forgotten how cool a distinction that is.
by Roseanna White | Aug 27, 2014 | 20th Century, Remember When Wednesdays
Let’s blame it on being an American–I know little about the details of how a king (or queen) becomes a king (or queen). In my head, it’s an instant thing when the previous monarch passes away. A bit, I suppose, like the swearing-in of the vice president as president when the president dies. It happens within hours. Voila. Done.
And yes, to a point that’s how it is. Researching the Edwardian era, I of course discovered that King Edward died in May of 1910–a mere 3 months before The Lost Heiress begins. But in my head, that meant the transition was already over. His son, King George, became king. Voila. Done.
I honestly didn’t think to look into any more than that while writing The Lost Heiress. I turned it in. No biggie. Then I started my research for The Outcast Duchess, and through that reading realized the error of my ways. And saw that King George’s coronation hadn’t been before my stories started. Oh no. It was smack dab in the middle of Brook’s first Season in The Lost Heiress–June, 1911. A year after his father’s death. A year, obviously, to prepare for the momentous day. In my story–and I didn’t once mention it. Yikes!
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| King George V in coronation robes, 1911 |
Luckily, it’s early days yet in edits, LOL.
Though books set up to WWI are deemed Edwardian, King George V was the king all through my series. And though it was his father who set the standard for the extravagance and luxury that made the era famous, I have to say I think I would have liked George much better. Where Edward was over-indulgent, George was more restrained. Where Edward was uninhibited, George seems to have been composed. They were two very different men . . . and yet, in his journal after his father’s death, George wrote that on that day he lost his dearest friend–his father.
Sniff. Sniff, sniff.
I think one of the things I admire most about this man who is king during my stories though, is his own tale of love.
You see, he wasn’t always the heir-apparent. He was the second son, and his brother was the one everyone thought would be the next king. He thought his destiny was to serve in the Royal Navy, and he embraced that gladly. He fell in love with his German cousin, but the families didn’t approve the match. He proposed anyway–she refused him and married the heir to the king of Romania instead.
Two years later, George’s older brother Albert, the presumed heir, became engaged to a cousin the family did approve of–Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. The family called her May (as there was kinda still a Victoria on the throne at the time…) But only six months into their engagement, Albert died of pneumonia.
It was grief that brought May and George together. They mourned Albert together. They comforted each other. And they fell in love. Theirs was a story of socially-acceptable-matches meeting deep-from-the-heart love…and oh, how history needs those!
Though King Edward was known for his affairs and paramours, King George was known for his dedication to his wife. He had a hard time, he himself admitted, expressing his feelings out loud. So they exchanged love letters all their lives.
Sniff. Sniff, sniff.
Yes, this is a king who deserves some mention in my series! And though in The Lost Heiress I really only mention his coronation a couple times, I’m going to try to put a bit more about him in later books. Because though I’m calling this an Edwardian series, Edward was gone. George was ruling. And he was setting an example that deserves to be noted.
by Roseanna White | Aug 5, 2014 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
I was so, so touched last week by the huge number of you guys who contacted me about helping out with A Soft Breath of Wind. I ended up with more beta readers than I could have dreamed, and exactly the number of influencers I was hoping for. Thank you, so, so much!
And so I thought I’d put out another call–this one isn’t so much work. 😉 Next week, from Thursday August 14 through Sunday August 17,
A Stray Drop of Blood will be on sale on Kindle for
A Stray Drop of Blood will be on sale on Kindle for
A Stray Drop of Blood will be on sale on Kindle for $0.99.99.99. This marks the second occasion when it’s been on sale in all its long life, and I need some help spreading the word.
Now, as fate would have it, the sale begins on my birthday. I didn’t plan it that way–I turned in a list of titles we’d be running sales on, and the ad coordinator assigned the dates. But that’s what we call a happy accident. =) And I can think of no better gift for turning 32 than
A Stray Drop of Blood having a weekend of superb sales!
If you’d be willing to help me spread the word next week, I would be eternally grateful. I’ll be posting Tweets you can copy right in or retweet from my feed, and also Facebook posts. I’ll have graphics and memes and photos you can post (like the one above). I’ll create a variety so that those who want to participate can post a couple times during the sale without it being the same thing over and over again.
If you want to help, you can do two things: check back here next Wednesday for tweetables and graphics, and/or ask for an email reminder. I know I have a hard time remembering when to post this sort of thing unless I get a reminder! So if you would like to be added to my list of folks to email the graphics and posts to, just shoot me a note at roseanna at roseannawhite dot com –if that address doesn’t work for some reason, try roseannamwhite at gmail dot com.
Thanks so much for all your support, everyone!!
by Roseanna White | Jul 30, 2014 | 20th Century, Remember When Wednesdays
Confession: I knew the Edwardian era followed the Victorian, and that it was because King Edward VII followed Queen Victoria on the throne of England. But it took me a ridiculous amount of time to realize that King Edward = Prince Albert, known as “Bertie” in the reign of his mother. I’d researched Victorian England. I knew about the prince. But I didn’t realize he’d changed his name upon taking the throne, LOL.
That was a pretty easy lesson to learn about the Edwardian days, though. But even that had some details I didn’t realize!
In my research for Scotland, I found this awesome book: Edwardian Scotland by C. W. Hill. It’s proving to be invaluable! And one of the first fun facts I learned was that, not only did Queen Victoria specifically request that her son not change his name, but Scotland as a whole objected to the one he chose and refused to acknowledge the “VII”! They claimed that the first three King Edwards of England were not monarchs of Scotland, and in June of 1901 they began collecting signatures for a petition against the name–which eventually filled five volumes.
Who knew you could object to such a thing?? Not that King Edward gave a whit what anyone else thought of his choice, LOL. He’s called “the merry monarch,” and much of the British empire was a bit torn about him. On the one hand, he eschewed the morals his mother had drilled into them–he was a gambler, a womanizer, and showed blatant disregard for many of the principles they held dear. But on the other hand, he was affable, amiable, and made no major blunders as a ruler. So all in all, he was well-loved…but not a role model.
Of course, one of the best-known traits of the era named after him is the extravagance that the nobility enjoyed. Edwardian Scotland helped put that in perspective for me. When the gentlemen went grouse hunting, they regularly bagged thousands of pheasants. Thousands, in one weekend! And the king’s meals went like this:
Breakfast – haddock, poached eggs, bacon, sausages and kidneys, chicken.
Morning snack – lobster salad and cold game or chicken
Luncheon – eight or ten courses (more if there were guests); the king’s favorite foods were game, so one would often see duck, chicken, York ham, chops or steaks…or for a humbler option, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
Tea – scones, crumpets, muffins, tarts, cakes, gateaux
Dinner – twelve to fourteen courses (!!!), with more game. This was they broke out things like the “turducken” of their day, like a pheasant stuffed with a snipe stuffed with truffles and garnished with sauce. What did they call that, I wonder? Pheasniples?
And apparently the Kardashians are far from the first celebrities to lend their image to products. 😉 Okay, so we knew that. But I had no idea that the nobility in the Edwardian era–and even the king himself!–were featured in ads. He famously posed for this one for Horniman’s Pure Tea.
Of course, as the title of the book suggests, Edward didn’t confine his time to England–he vacationed every winter in the Highlands, where he kept company with Andrew Carnegie and British nobles in Scotland. He was unfortunately deceased by the time my book starts, so no mentioning the king in the neighborhood for me (pout, pout), but I’m interested in seeing what the royal family was up to by the time my story begins, once I get further in Edwardian Scotland. In the meantime, I’m soaking up all the awesome minutia!
by Roseanna White | Jul 23, 2014 | Remember When Wednesdays
It was with great shock that I realized a few days ago that we have only a month of summer break left before school starts up again. I’m not ready to be done with my summer…but I gotta say, I’m looking forward to this next school year. We’re studying early American history, and the books are just awesome. When I unpacked the box when they arrived a month ago, I kept going, “Oh, wow! We’re reading this? Yay!”
So for my post on Colonial Quills today, I decided to answer that “So what about early American books for kids?” question once and for all. 😉 I’ve posted our entire reading list, complete with links and pictures.
We’re also hoping to visit some east coast landmarks and historic homes, so if you have any favorites do let me know!
by Roseanna M. White
I’m a homeschooling mom. That means that, while we’re still basking in
the joys of summer, I’m also planning out the next school year (less
than a month until it begins!). While my family is planning vacations
purely for fun, I’m trying to figure out how to turn them into field
trips. And I admit it–I’m excited about next year. Why? Because we’re
starting 2 years of American History. =D
Dinner – twelve to fourteen courses (!!!), with more game. This was they broke out things like the “turducken” of their day, like a pheasant stuffed with a snipe stuffed with truffles and garnished with sauce. What did they call that, I wonder? Pheasniples?
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.