Chatting with Roseanna M. White today about the best meal of her day, her musical preferences, and the frustration of writing her latest leading lady, Willa Forsythe! Be sure to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a copy of A Song Unheard, thanks to Bethany House Publishers.

Enjoy getting to know a little more about Roseanna!

The Writer

Why do you tell stories?

They’re part of my soul, I think. I’ve been writing and playing make-believe since I was in primary school, and the world within my head has always been as intriguing to me as the world without. I always say that writing is, for me, like breathing—not something I have a choice about, but rather something I have to do.

Your favourite place to read

This is usually on my bed, propped up against my headboard with a mound of pillows. Sometimes on the couch or in our super-cushy leather chair.

Best meal of the day

Does morning coffee count as a meal?? I tend not to eat much breakfast, lunch is usually light and healthy, so if coffee doesn’t count (sigh), I’ll go with dinner, which is when I eat “real” food. 😉

Most beloved childhood book

No question here. The Emily Series by L. M. Montgomery. (Okay, so, yes, I cheat and name a whole series rather than a single book.) Because Emily was a writer—need I say more?

Whose music inspires you?

I’m a classical girl, so when I need inspiration, I tend to listen to the classical station, or else to instrumental music. Although when I need something upbeat, I also love Big Band—Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Benny Goodman especially.

What ice-cream flavour would you be?

Hmm…I’m going to go with Cookies and Cream—with peanut butter. Because I’m not all that adventurous, but sometimes there’s that unexpected streak, LOL.

The most recent novel you read

Just finished The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz and just started Crown of Souls by Ronie Kendig.

What’s your current book recommendation?

Oh my, so many! Depends on what genre/style someone’s looking for. But in addition to the ones mentioned above, some of my favorite authors include Stephanie Morrill, Naomi Rawlings, Terri Blackstock, Joanne Bischof, Lori Benton, and so many more!

Name a book character you can’t forget

Charlie from The Lady and the Lionheart. One of those books I’ll never forget.

Dream travel destination

Ha! My family just made a list. It might as well have said “the whole world,” LOL. But one of the biggies (and most difficult to actually get to do) is Padagonia.

The Book

Willa Forsythe is both a violin prodigy and top-notch thief, which makes her the perfect choice for a crucial task at the outset of World War I–to steal a cypher from a famous violinist currently in Wales.

Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he’s won–until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father’s work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only light he finds is meeting the intriguing Willa Forsythe.

But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn’t–that she must betray him and find that cypher, or her own family will pay the price as surely as his has.

What was the working title?

Well, I knew it would be called A Song Unheard long before I started writing it, but when I first pitched the series, I called it The Music Thief.

Describe your book in 5 adjectives

Musical, suspenseful, romantic, surprising, unexpected

Which character did you enjoy writing most?

Probably Margot, the little sister of my hero. I had great fun with her, and I was thrilled when Bethany House bought a new series that would feature her as the first heroine! The Codebreakers will begin next year with Margot’s story in The Number of Love.

Which character gave you the most grief?

Willa! Oh. My. Gracious. That girl is stubborn! I felt like I was wrestling her all through the story. I love how it (and she) turned out, but it was quite a feat to get her through her hang-ups and insecurities, to a place where she was open to love—from God as well as Lukas.

What emotions do you think your story will generate in readers?

I hope that it will touch a place in their hearts where their dreams lie, perhaps dormant, and remind them that God sees and knows those places and speaks to them.

What emotions did you experience while writing this story?

Other than frustration with Willa, LOL, I think I mostly experienced the certainty that God knows us. And He knows, therefore, how best to speak to each of our hearts.

How do you choose your characters names?

I’m often perusing lists of names from certain times or places. In this case, many Belgian names had to be discovered, both from the Flemish and French sectors. I found lists and just scrolled through them until one caught my eye.

Thanks Roseanna!

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated 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. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

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Visit Roseanna’s website and blog
Buy at Amazon: A Song Unheard or Koorong

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