Your current Clash hostess is: Michelle Massaro
Roseanna M. White, author of two Biblical love stories and LOVE FINDS YOU IN ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (December 2011) makes her home in the mountains of Western Maryland with her husband, two small children, and the colony of dust bunnies living under her couch. After graduating from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, she and her husband founded the Christian Review of Books, where she is the editor. She is a member of ACFW, HisWriters, Biblical Fiction Writers, and HEWN Marketing.
Welcome, Roseanna! One thing I love about writing is how God speaks to me while I'm doing it. Have you learned anything new about God's character through this book?
Oh my, yes. As I rewrote this book a couple years ago for its paperback release, I realized that one of the most beautiful aspects of God’s nature that the story highlights is how He surprises us by meeting us in unexpected places. In Stray Drop, Abigail goes to Jesus’ trial hungry for revenge, and instead runs smack into the Lord’s forgiveness. She’s never the same, and I wasn’t the same after writing it.
I just got goosebumps! lol When's your favorite time to write?
It used to be early morning, but that was before my kids started waking up at 6 rather than 8. (boy do I hear ya) Most of my writing time ends up being during my son’s naptime, but my favorite times are still those times of quiet and semi-darkness, when I can sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, some treasured silence, and no interruptions—early morning or after the kids are in bed, when hubby’s occupied with a hockey game. ;-)
Where do your best ideas come from?
Life. =) Seriously, they usually come from a “what if” response to something I see or think. For Stray Drop, I was reading the biblical account of the crucifixion and I thought, “What if there was a woman in the crowd who came to the trial that day wanting revenge on Barabbas?” For my next biblical novel, Jewel of Persia, it was “What if Xerxes had another Jewish wife before Esther, who was Esther’s childhood friend?” For my upcoming American historical, Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland, it was “What if a woman’s already engaged to the man she loves but has to end the engagement in order to find her true self?” And the rest, as they say, is . . . a historical novel? ;-)
Ha! Cute! Share something about Stray Drop that you think readers would like to know.
It took me six years to write A Stray Drop of Blood. I got the idea when I was only 15, on Good Friday, and wrote a short story that day about a woman in the crowd at Jesus’ crucifixion. The story never left my thoughts, but I knew I wasn’t a good enough writer yet to do it justice. But during college, I spent a couple years studying the culture and texts that would have surrounded my characters, so I got down to work on it. I ended up finishing the book the same week I graduated from St. John’s. Looking back, I wish my writing had been a little better then (it would have saved me a rewrite! LOL), but I couldn’t have crafted the meat of this book at any other time in my life.
Thank you so much, Roseanna. I love getting into the behind-the-scenes action! Do you have a question for our readers today?
If you could travel back in time to witness any historic event, what would it be?
Readers, remember that our drawing is open all week. Comment and share our link to get additional entries. Winners will be announced on Friday. Be sure to include your email address. =)
