by Roseanna White | Jun 8, 2016 | Book News, Remember When Wednesdays
Many of you probably saw this on Facebook on Monday, but in case you missed it . . . I’m super-excited to share that my next series (beginning July 2017) has its official titles!
The series itself will be called London Shadows.
I love this. My editor recommended something that has “London” in it as immediate branding of the setting, and after toying with a few ideas for a few days, this is what I came up with, and I’m so glad they liked it. The “London” comes because, though the majority of the books aren’t actually set in London, my main characters are all from there, and it greatly affects who they are. Because they’re not upper-crust London-dwellers. They’re former urchins . . . they’re the underbelly of London . . . they are the shadows. Not to mention that the name hints at the mystery and suspense that will be threaded through the series, and, if you’re getting very deep into it, the shadow of war over all of Great Britain in 1914.
So that’s the series . . . but what about each book?
My original plan was for The Name Thief, The Music Thief, and The Time Thief. I liked these quite a bit, but the team at Bethany House wanted the titles to immediately evoke the era, and while these sound cool, they certainly don’t scream “historical romance!” A very valid point. So I sent in a list of alternative titles for each book, and I’m thrilled with the ones they decided on:
These sound much more historical-romancey . . . plus they have the same rhythm as The Lost Heiress, The Reluctant Duchess, and A Lady Unrivaled, which should give readers a sense of continuity as we switch to the new series. Which means I’m one very happy girl. =D
A Name Unknown will release next July (2017), following thief Rosemary Gresham as she leaves London for a job unlike any she’s done before–she has to steal a man’s good name. She heads to Cornwall (where I will be heading in September, SQUEEE!) to the home of Peter Holstein, suspected German spy. But what she finds is a man who stutters so badly he can barely speak, not one filling important ears with German sentiments. She finds a man with secrets, but with a faith unlike anything she’s ever seen. What she finds is a good man . . . and so how can she steal his good name? Peter, meanwhile, is debating changing his name to the nom de plume he uses for his popular adventure novels that he writes in secret. But would even that convince his neighbors to trust him and remind them that he is English at heart? As he digs into his family history with Rosemary’s help, he seeks to discover why his family first left Germany to begin with . . . and whether it will ever again be enough to be simply Peter Holstein.
I’m just now doing my research for book 2, A Song Unheard. This one will focus on Rosemary’s “sister” Willa Forsythe, who is sent to Wales in autumn of 1914 to infiltrate the Belgian Symphony Orchestra, who was brought to Wales by two wealthy sisters to save them from the German occupation of Belgium and bring arts to their principality. Willa, a violin prodigy who has never had a day of training in her life, is eager to rub elbows with these world-class musicians . . . even if her true purpose there is to steal from one of them, so that he’s forced to accept the help of her boss in getting his super-intelligent little sister out of Brussels . . . and into British Intelligence. Among lessons in music, hints of the Belgian Resistance, and a foray into Belgium to steal his sister for him, Willa and violinist Lukas will learn more about themselves than they ever thought they could . . . and unleash music inside Willa capable of soothing more souls than just her own.
The final book is just barely an idea, LOL. An Hour Unspent will feature the older brother of my clan of thieves, Barclay Pearce. He will be issued a challenge to steal an hour from Big Ben’s clock tower, and his research in how to do so will take him to the door of the clock-maker who helps care for the iconic clock–and, inadvertently, to the aid of this clock-maker’s daughter, Evelina, a suffragette who is frustrated at how the war is stifling her cause. This one will delve into how clock-makers found new uses for their talents in this time of war, helping to create weapons rather than timepieces, and also on how these fierce suffragettes turned their attention to the war effort as well . . . and accomplished more for their cause in so doing than any of their marches or rallies had ever achieved.
I’m so excited for this series!!! And will soon be launching a contest related to A Song Unheard, so stay tuned for that (tuned . . . ha. Punny.).
by Roseanna White | May 18, 2016 | 17th-19th Centuries, 20th Century, Ancient World, Remember When Wednesdays
I’m a historical fiction writer–and a historical fiction reader. I have always loved to learn history (or reinforce it) through a fictional story. For me, for my mind, that makes facts stick in ways that an article or non-fiction book seldom make it do. It makes it come alive. It makes it walk and breathe.
Over the weekend, I was hanging out with my family and with a man named Sascha–back in 1993, he came here from Germany for a year and stayed with my family as a foreign exchange student. We’ve seen him several times since, but the last was, for me, 16 years ago, when he came in for my high school graduation and stayed in for my sister’s wedding in July, traveling with friends for the weeks in between. Last year in May, he got married in Palermo, and my parents went to the wedding. Now he and his new bride came for a visit here.
Somehow, the talk around the dining room table turned to different parts of history as we ate. We talked about volcanoes, and I had to tell about the one in Mexico the kids learned about in Hill of Fire (by Thomas Lewis), an early reader about a volcano that came up out of a farm field and erupted in 1943.
We talked about the beautiful, intricate wood carvings he brought for us from the small German village where his father was born and raised, and I was reminded of the amazing carvings in The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs (by Betty G. Birney–a really, really cool book for kids, and which adults can enjoy too, if you’re looking for a read-aloud!)
Sascha brought chocolates, as well, including some Ferrero Rocher from Italy, in their shiny gold wrappers. My niece loves any chocolates in shiny wrappers–she refers to them as “chocolate balls of deliciousness” and collects those wrappers . . . which, of course, reminded me of the candy wrappers in The Kitchen Madonna (by Rumer Godden), and how the inventive children used them to create something beautiful and meaningful. And how the quest for each piece of paper, each scrap of material changed hearts and lives.
And those are just a few examples from dinner. Over the course of the weekend, various conversations also touched on the Baptist movement in Sweden (Gathered Waters by Cara Luecht), the Iconoclastic Fury in Holland (The Sound of Diamonds by Rachelle Rea), WWII in Holland (The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum).
How the Russian Orthodox church was separated from the Western church (research for A Lady Unrivaled). We talked about the early church before the Bible was canonized, and I brought up what I’d learned when researching for Giver of Wonders.
It’s possible I talk about history more than the average person, LOL–it’s one of my passions, it’s what my writing involves, plus I homeschool my kids, so I’m reading it with them every day. But it’s history that I remember so well because of story. History that’s real to me because characters have made it so. History I rarely forget, because those stories have become a part of my heart, a part of my life.
I’m always baffled by people who don’t read fiction. Or, no–I understand those who just aren’t inclined toward it, whose minds work differently than mine. What I don’t understand are people who scoff at those of us who do enjoy fiction, especially genre fiction. Who deem it stupid or foolish or a waste of time, who call it “not real literature” and feel so superior because they only read non-fiction or so-called “literary” works.
To me, it’s the difference between a line drawing and a realistic painting. Between an indistinct statue and animatronics. To me, a compelling story makes what was real come to life again.
And so, whenever I come across those scoffers, I just smile. And I talk about whatever subject they’re talking about, the things I’ve learned about it . . . and the stories that brought it to life. I don’t ever apologize. I don’t really argue. I just prove the point. Yes, I write romance–and there are a ton of scoffers over that. I write historical romance. I read fiction of every genre and variety. Non-fiction when I must, to research, but it’s usually what I can weave into my story that I really remember. And I can talk intelligently. I know things they don’t, and I’m excited learn things I didn’t already. I can challenge them, and accept challenges in return.
And for me, it’s all thanks to fiction.
by Roseanna White | Apr 27, 2016 | Remember When Wednesdays
Well, the Scavenger Hunt is over, I’m home from my writing retreat, so now it’s back to usual blogging. 😉
Unlike my previous writing retreats, this one didn’t involve going to a cabin in the mountains or meeting up my best friend (sadly) there or in her neck of the woods. This time, I was simply making use of my parents’ house 10 miles away from home while they were on vacation (and messaging said best friend regularly so I could pretend she was there). I still slept in my own bed at night, was there to tuck my kiddos in and feed everyone breakfast in the morning. I still went to knitting class and doctors’ appointments.
But it was no less successful.
At the start of my retreat last week, I had 94,000 words written in The Name Thief. (Which for some books is finished. I realize that, LOL. But for me . . . no.) I had 15 scenes left to write, some of which required hefty amounts of research.
At the close of day 1, I’d written 12,000 words. Pretty darn good, and I took a nice chunk out of the scene list. I’d spent a portion of my day researching the royal family of England and all their various branches who were, in 1914, ruling other European nations as well. (Seriously, folks, they were all cousins! All of them–Russian czar, German kaiser, English king, you name it. First cousins all.)
 |
The necessities of my writing morning.
Coffee. Notes reminding me of things like character’s father’s name.
Glasses. Laptop. |
On Day 2, I wrote 13,500 words–this was my long day in terms of hours. With no obligations out in the world, I was at my parents’ from about 9:30 in the morning until nearly 7:30 that night. My grandmother, who has an apartment on my parents’ property, had to check on me to make sure I was still alive. 😉 (I had found the caramel pretzel Klondike bars in their freezer. I was awesome.)
 |
| The one I had didn’t have that many pretzel pieces–this is my official complaint. 😉 |
Best of all, at the close of my business day on Tuesday, I knew the end was very close. I would be able to finish up with just a few hours’ work on Wednesday. That is such a happy feeling!
On Wednesday, my day was interrupted pretty substantially by a doctor’s appointment I’d already rescheduled once so didn’t feel I should ditch again, LOL. One of those that took forever as I sat in the office just waiting to be seen. I had considered bringing my laptop with me (after sitting in a parking lot and typing on Monday morning as I waited for a store to open, LOL), but decided not to. I regretted that. 😉 But then, it forced me to think through my ending very carefully, at my leisure, instead of just charging through as I normally do, so maybe it was a good thing.
And then, Wednesday afternoon, I got there–The End. Woot!
Thursday, since I was still officially “off” my other duties, I wrote my synopsis for the book, while it was still fresh. And, you know, did the dishes. That sort of thing.
This week, I’ve been reading through it, integrating some threads better, fixing mistakes, and adding quotes to the start of each chapter. And still so, so happy to have this wrapped up!
So, to wrap up, a few fun things I learned last week:
- If you pick a lock to open it, you can pick it to relock it as well.
(No, Mom, I didn’t pick your locks. You gave me a key, remember?)
- Electro-magnetic security alarms have been in use since 1850! Who knew?
- Prince Edward (son of King George V) had a nickname. Guesses on what it was? No . . . nope . . . guess again. David. (The last of his gazillion middle names)
- Prince Edward, after taking the crown after his father’s death in the 30s, was only king for a year–at which point he abdicated to his younger brother so he could marry his mistress, a divorcee of whom the church (and the government) did not approve.
- Writing retreats rock, wherever they are. 😉
by Roseanna White | Apr 13, 2016 | Remember When Wednesdays
Since The Reluctant Duchess is barely a week old, I thought I’d chat a little today about the heroine in it, Rowena Kinnaird–or more specifically, about her name.
Sometimes, you name a character once, and that’s it. Such was the case with Brice Myerston. Sure, I needed to find a reason for Brice to have as a first name something that wasn’t common to English men at the time, but that was easy enough.
This heroine, however . . .
In a previous draft, her name was Constance Augusta Grant. But she had an Aunt Constance, so she went by Augusta. Only, not Augusta–Gusty.
No one but me liked this. As in, no one. (Pout, pout)
I could ignore that when it was only (ahem) all my critique partners and family who didn’t like “Gusty” as a nickname (come on, y’all–I came up with that when I was 13! Obviously that means it’s SUPER COOL!). I had it all figured out. Wind was going to be a subtle theme in the story. Even Brice’s family home bore the Gaelic word for “Wind.” (Gaoth–which, by the way, you pronounce “Gway.” I know, right?) But then, when I turned in my synopsis before I started writing, my editors asked for a new name, so . . . guess who got a new name, LOL. (The wind theme is still here and there through the book. Better read it to see if you can find it, wink, wink. I even just gave you the first one!)
If one were to scroll back through the chats I exchanged with my best friend/crit parnter during the renaming process, one would have seen that I soon found all the most ridiculous and difficult to pronounce Scottish names in the world. Not that I intended to use them, but they were certainly entertaining. =) Really though, I knew what her name would be if it weren’t Gusty.
Rowena.
I’d always loved the name. Loved it so much, in fact, that I’d already planned to use it later in the series for another, minor, character. In the previous version in which I’d already used it, there was a very important rowan tree; so someone was named after this rowan tree. But I knew I intended to name my son Rowyn if I had a boy (I was in fact pregnant with him when writing this previous version of the book), and I didn’t want a character with my son’s name. So the character was instead a girl, and had a similar sounding name. Rowena.
Did I want to “steal” the name for my heroine? It took me a few hours to decide. But yes, yes I did.
And so, Gusty became Rowena.
But her previous last name wouldn’t work either–Grant is a real Scottish clan, which means that the Grants had a real chief and a real estate at this point in history. And I didn’t want to risk maligning them with my not-so-nice chief, Rowena’s father. Plus I wanted the freedom to place this clan, their home, etc. wherever I pleased. So rather than choose a real clan, I talked with my historical writers group, who advised I choose a real Scottish name that isn’t actually a clan on its own. One of the ladies even offered up hers. 😉 She told me Kinnaird was a sept (branch) of an existing clan, but didn’t have its own chief or anything. So Kinnaird (you say it kin-AIRD — and roll that R, baby!) it was, with my hats off to Deb.
Overall, I love this new name much better than my old one. But yeah, I’ll admit it . . . my editor caught a Gusty that had slipped into the first draft, LOL.
Evolution of other character names in the series, from first draft when I was a kid through final:
Brook Eden — started life as Brook Moon
Justin Wildon — has always been Justin Wildon, though his titles have changed
Regan — used to be Megan
Melissa — was always Melissa
Aunt Mary — used to be two characters, actually. Aunts Lisa (nothing screams Victorian England like the name “Lisa” right?) and Marie. (I may have had a good friend in middle school named Lisa Marie…)
Deirdre — used to be Lyddie
Douglas Kinnaird — used to be Douglas Grant
Lord Cayton — used to be Kent
Lady Catherine — her name hasn’t changed, but she wasn’t Brook’s cousin in earlier versions
Just FYI, I’m about to turn in the second round of edits on Book 3, A Lady Unrivaled. And I would just like to say that Ella has always been Ella. And she is so very Ella. 😉
by Roseanna White | Mar 18, 2016 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
We’re officially in the home stretch of the reading challenge! One week to go!
Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It
would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and
he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these
little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,[a] rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you,[b] saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
Faith and Duty
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
6 So the Lord said, “If
you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey
you. 7 And
which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to
him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to
eat’? 8 But
will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and
gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward
you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.[c] 10 So
likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are
commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our
duty to do.’”
It’s important to keep in mind her that we’ve learned what faith “as a mustard seed” is already–not small, but something that starts small and then grows exponentially into something sturdy, strong, big, and sheltering. What I’d never really noticed about this passage is that the second part tells us how to have such faith–by serving. By doing the will of God.
Ten Lepers Cleansed
11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
The Coming of the Kingdom
20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’[d] For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
22 Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’[e] Do not go after them or follow them. 24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They
ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until
the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed
them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”[f]
37 And they answered and said to Him, “Where, Lord?”
So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
Another something I never noticed. Jesus answers their original question very quickly: “The kingdom of God is inside you.” It’s already here. It’s come when Jesus came. We are to live that kingdom, expand that kingdom every day.
But then he goes on. He says, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.” But the desire will lead you to want to believe it, which will make people lie to try to deceive you. I’d never caught before that the warning stems from the desire.
by Roseanna White | Mar 15, 2016 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized
Now it happened, as He
went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread
on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”[a]
4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey[b] or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.
Something interesting to note is that Jesus was still honoring the Sabbath, right? He wasn’t out plowing the fields or building a house on the Sabbath. He wasn’t doing the work of man–he was doing good, doing the work of God. Every time Jesus reinterprets a commandment, he doesn’t make it less. He makes it more. Do not commit adultery or even look at someone with lust. Do not murder or hate. Remember the Sabbath and do God’s will on it.
Take the Lowly Place
7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 8 “When
you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the
best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9 and
he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this
man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But
when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when
he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’
Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table
with you. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When
you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers,
your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and
you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
I love this advice. It’s such simple instruction on how to be humble . . . and on how to keep from being put to shame.
The Parable of the Great Supper
15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread[c] in the kingdom of God!”
16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord
began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of
ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So
that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the
master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly
into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”
Leaving All to Follow Christ
25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If
anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be
My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or
what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down
first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who
comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Not exactly the promise we share with “seekers” is it? “Come follow Jesus and leave behind everything you loved before!” We tend to focus on the His burden is light side of things. And His burden may be . . . but the point remains that He doesn’t ask for just a bit of us. He asks for all of us.
Tasteless Salt Is Worthless
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
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.