Interview & Giveaway! Roseanna M. White ~ Author of Ring of Secrets!!

Welcome to Christian Bookshelf Reviews, Roseanna!! Will you tell us a little about yourself? 

Thanks so much for having me, Melanie! Let’s see, about me...I’ve been married for twelve years to my high school sweetheart, we have two adorable kids, 7 and 5, who we homeschool, make our home in the mountains of Western Maryland/West Virginia, and I’m an editor for WhiteFire Publishing as well as a novelist. Once in a while I take the time for such luxuries as breathing. ;-)

What is your Culper Ring Series about? 

Well, back in the time of the Revolution, there was really a spy ring called the Culper Ring, George Washington’s most trusted intelligencers. Ring of Secrets weaves my fiction hero and heroine through the documented exploits of the Culpers. Winter Reeves is a Patriot forced to hide her heart amid the Loyalists of New York and uses her unique position to feed information to her childhood friend—one of the real Culpers. Bennet Lane is a professor from Yale who comes back to New York City with one purpose—to find the Patriot spy hidden amid the elite. From their introduction, he knows there’s more to Winter than anyone gives her credit for...but if she opens up her heart to this man who seems to see her depth, it could mean a noose around her neck.

Though history has no idea what become of the real Ring after the Revolution, my series continues with the question of “What if they didn’t all just go back to their normal lives?” Book two, Whispers from the Shadows,  follows the children of the characters from Ring of Secrets in the War of 1812. Gwyneth Fairchild, daughter of a murdered British general, flees to America to save her life—but when she finds herself under the protection of the charming Thaddeus Lane, she has to wonder how safe she really is, given that his family deals in a dangerous commodity—espionage.

The final installment, Circle of Spies, follows our family into the Civil War. Marietta Arnaud Hughes didn’t choose to be a spy, it was forced on her when she discovered that a Southern secret society, the Knights of the Golden Circle, has been meeting in secret cellars under her house. Her grandfather brings her into the Culpers and charges her with protecting a Pinkerton detective trying to infiltrate the K.G.C. But that detective, Slade Osborne, has some secrets of his own—and is none too sure Marietta is anything but a puppet of the Knights’ captain, who has been secretly courting her.

There are also two bonus novellas that come between the books. The first, Fairchild’s Lady, is available now for free download for all you devices! http://roseannamwhite.blogspot.com/2013/06/free-novella-is-live.html

What inspired the series and how many books will there be?

The inspiration came from a TV show that dug into the history of the real Culpers. Naturally, I had to ask, “What if one of their unnamed members was this cool chick pretending to be ditzy...and what if my hero and heroine are on different sides?” Then when the show said no one knew what became of them—well. That’s just fodder for imagination, isn’t it? LOL. So there are a total of 3 books and 2 novellas, making a series of 5. (Both novellas will be free forever.)

What is something the average reader wouldn't know about you? 

That I belong to a farming family but hate vegetables. *Sigh.* I wish I liked them, but alas!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

Primary school. =) I wrote my first story in class at age 6 and was hooked!

How many books have you written/published and do you have a favorite? 

I’ve written somewhere in the neighborhood of 25. Published far fewer, LOL. Of all those books written, five are available, two more slated for publication, and I have contracts on five more not yet written. =) My favorite? Oh dear. I don’t think I could decide between them!

Where do you like to write? 

Anywhere there’s quiet! LOL. Which I seldom get, being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom with two active, small children and a hubby who works from home. I’m most often at an end table in the living room, my chair turned to face it, laptop waiting for two minutes of opportunity. =)

What is the best and/or worst part about being a writer? 

For me, the best part is, well, the creativity. Coming up with stories, putting them upon the page...the worst part for me is the conflict between the time it takes to produce a book and the time the rest of my life takes—there just aren’t enough hours in the day!

Is there a place you’d like to visit, but haven’t yet? 

I’d love, love, love to go to Europe sometime. Italy especially. And Monaco. And England. And...

Do you have a favorite Bible verse? 

“So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.” 
I Samuel 3:19

This might seem like a strange one to pick as a favorite, but that image of words not falling to the ground has stuck with me for years. That’s my goal—to be like Samuel, so attuned to the Spirit that every word I speak or write (and every word I don’t) hits its mark and doesn’t fall to the ground.

What is your favorite holiday? 

Easter. =) I love spring, and more, I love the reminder of what Jesus did for me. So stinkin’ amazing!

A few this-or-that questions:

Snowstorms or Thunderstorms? Thunderstorms (so long as we are guaranteed no tornadoes)
Chocolate or Vanilla? CHOCOLATE!!
Tea or Coffee? Coffee-coffee-coffee-coffee...you’re offering, right? Where is it???
Call or Text? Um...email? LOL. Between the two, call.
Cats or Dogs? Both =) I’ve got cats at the moment but always had dogs before
Early-bird or Night-owl? Early bird, for sure!
Facebook or Twitter? Facebook. I try to tweet, but it still feels like a foreign language. ;-)

Are you currently working on any new novels? If so, could you give us a hint?

Always! My next couple years are pretty well mapped out for me. =) I just finished up edits on the third Culper Ring book, Circle of Spies, so I’m working on another quick little novella to come between books 2 & 3—about the parents of book 3’s heroine—and then I’m launching into my next series for Harvest House, Let Me Count the Ways. The first book of those, How Do I Love Thee?, is set in the Regency when Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a little girl, on an estate neighboring her parents’. My hero kidnaps my heroine, determined to make her pay the price for her fiance’s sins...and ends up fearing she’ll have to pay for his. Should be fun. =) And in between those, I’ll be working on another biblical for WhiteFire, Song of Solace, set in the time of Melchizedek and Abraham.

Thank you so much for being here! Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers and where can we find you on the web?

Sure! I LOVE to hear from readers, so you can email me at roseanna at roseannawhite dot com, or check out my website at www.RoseannaMWhite.com, my blog at www.RoseannaMWhite.blogspot.com, like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RoseannaMWhite and follow me on twitter @RoseannaMWhite.

And again, I hope everyone will download that free novella if you want a test drive of my writing. ;-) You don’t need to read the rest of the series to understand it, though hopefully it’ll make you want to, mwa ha ha ha, LOL. http://roseannamwhite.blogspot.com/2013/06/free-novella-is-live.html

Book Giveaway!

Roseanna is giving away a signed paperback copy of Ring of Secrets (US only) and a digital copy of winner's choice of A Stray Drop of Blood OR Jewel of Persia (open to everyone). Enter via the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to be one of the two winners. Ends 8/1.

To enter, be sure to sign into the Rafflecopter form and click “enter” on each entry you complete. Commenting alone will not get you entered – you must click enter on the form. Happy entering!

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