Interview with Roseanna M. White & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted Word

Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. The Lost Heiress is Roseanna’s tenth published book. Her novels range from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. She lives with her family in West Virginia.

Learn more at www.RoseannaMWhite.com

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Savanna:  Welcome to the blog, Roseanna. We’re so glad you could join us today. Congratulations on your upcoming release, The Lost Heiress.

Roseanna:  Thanks so much, Savanna! It’s a pleasure to be here. 🙂

Savanna:  When did you first get the idea for this story and how long did it take you to write it?

Interview with Roseanna M. White & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordRoseanna:  Well actually, this idea came to me a looooooong time ago. As in, when I was 12. The first week of 7th grade, I decided I was going to write a novel, and unlike all those other times I’d tried, I was going to finish this one. I decided to write a story about a girl who was raised as a princess only to discover she was actually British…but of course, when she went home to her family, she gets mixed up in the very trouble that had killed her parents.

That original book took me a year and a half to write, and it was of course BRILLIANT. *Cough, cough. Ahem.* I rewrote it the summer before ninth grade. And then in college. Did a total rewrite round about 2006 and decided to pitch it at my very first writers conference in 2007. Fast forward another 7 years and I’d rewritten it again, this time changing the setting to 1910 instead of 1860…and this time it really came together. I did the rewrite in 3 or 4 months and am over the moon to have sold this, a rewrite of my first ever novel, to Bethany House—the first publisher I queried about it when I was 14! (Don’t know why they didn’t buy that version, LOL.)

Savanna:  What a story! I love it. Your book has traveled a great journey. 😉 How is your character Brook like you and how is she different?

Interview with Roseanna M. White & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordRoseanna:  Well, back in the day, Brook was designed to be Ideal Roseanna. She had my basic physical description…only prettier. 😉 She was what I wanted to be—bold and daring and maybe just a bit impulsive, but so witty and sweet that everyone forgave her for it.

Brook, even after so many rewrites, is still most of those things. But in the 19 years since I first wrote her, my understanding of her has certainly changed! In this last edit, I came to realize that her boldness was in part to cover her fear, and man did that change everything!

Savanna:  The Culper Ring series takes readers through multiple generations and time periods. Which era did you enjoy researching the most?

Roseanna:  I am such a history nerd, LOL. I honestly enjoy researching any era. There’s something so fun about discovering those little tidbits that sets each year and decade apart from the others that come before and after. But I gotta say, I’m glad to be sticking to one era for this series—more time to spend on characters and less on learning everything about the time!

Savanna:  What has been the most memorable book you’ve read so far this year?

Interview with Roseanna M. White & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordRoseanna:  Oh, this is a hard one! I’ve read so many awesome books, both on my own and with my kids (we homeschool). I think my favorite from our school reading was Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. A novelization about the life of Nathaniel Bowditch, this was an awesome historical fiction that brought to life an American figure who completely changed the lives of sailors—and whose book is still used by the Navy today.

In my personal reading, I have to say The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. I’m a bit behind the times but finally picked it up for my book club, and oh my goodness! SO GOOD!

Savanna:  Can you share with us a piece of writing advice that has made a difference in your career?

Roseanna:  I think it would have to be that your writing and publication journey is your own. No one else’s. You’ll never be your favorite author, you’ll never follow anyone else’s path. And you’re not supposed to—because God has a unique plan for you, and you can only discover it by following where He leads you.

Interview with Roseanna M. White & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordSavanna:  Beautiful advice, thank you. Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

Roseanna:  I’m always so excited to welcome a new book into the world, but there’s something so incredibly special about this one. It’s traveled with me more than half my life, and I pray that Brook’s story will entertain and inspire readers just a fraction as much as it has me over the years!

Savanna:  I know I’m looking forward to reading it. Thank you for sharing with us, Roseanna. Have a blessed day!

 

GIVEAWAY!!

Roseanna has graciously offered to give away a copy of The Lost Heiress to one lucky winner. Enter below and it could be YOU! 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! Contest is open only in the U.S. and ends September 15, 2015.  The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!