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Contact: David
White
PR Author: Justin Hibbard
May 9, 2005
For IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local Author Roseanna White Plans Huge
Release
Local author Roseanna White hits the publishing world this July with a dramatic, historical novel entitled A Stray Drop of Blood (ISBN 0976544407). Mrs. White, 22, of Arnold, MD, is a recent graduate of St. John’s College. Though she finished her first novel when she was only 13, this will be her first widely published and marketed book.
A Stray Drop of Blood, much like Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion series or Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code, blurs the line between history and fiction in the extremely popular genre that’s sweeping the nation. Roseanna White’s A Stray Drop of Blood encompasses the life of a Jewish slave girl named Abigail who lives in Jerusalem during the First Century. Destined for failure, Abigail is sold into slavery at the age of 7 by her step-mother to a Roman Prefect. In the house of these strangers, Abigail is raped, struggles with an unwanted child, marries a Roman in unrequited love, and loses a loved one in the heat of Barabbas’ rebellion. As Abigail in hatred goes to witness the execution of Barabbas, she finds another who will be executed in his place, and what unfolds throughout that day will change her life.
In this fascinating and compelling read, White incorporates many characters throughout Biblical and Roman history. “What started six years ago as a short story that I wrote on Good Friday,” says Roseanna White, “grew into a much more involved idea, as a simple tale took on a much larger meaning for me.” In writing this novel, White took on the tasks of learning ancient Greek, studying the Bible, the First Century Church, and learning some of the traditions and customs of Orthodox Judaism. The author warns, however, “A Stray Drop of Blood is far more than a story about Judeo Christianity; it is an illustration of how little humanity has changed in the past two millennia, in spite of very different cultures with many different mores.”
Referring to herself as an encouraging observer, White explains that she often writes about these serious struggles and problems that she has seen others deal with. The main character, Abigail, represents many of the complex issues in today’s society. Her struggle with her allotted position in life, the sense of failure from her marriage, the questions both philosophical and spiritual that have no ready answers, losing those closest to her, and most importantly of all, trying to figure out what in the world is right for her life, Abigail mirrors not only the woman of the First Century but a woman of the Twenty-First Century as well. More than a simple story of faith, Abigail's story is one of a person alternately trying to be better and wondering why she bothers trying at all. “I think that's something that has plagued the human condition since the dawn of time,” comments the author.
As a graduate of the Great Books School, White had the opportunity to study in depth the setting of A Stray Drop of Blood. “At St. John’s College, we got into the nitty gritty of the world I wrote about—we studied its language, its writings, its very ideals. Doing so made me realize that the simple characters I had envisioned in my simple setting simply could not be—Ancient Greek is complex. Ancient Rome was complex. The time of the Gospels was most certainly more complex than I had ever realized.” Amidst balancing a strenuous curriculum, a new marriage, and work, Roseanna White took six years to accomplish this fascinating and highly complex story.
When this novel releases this summer, Roseanna White plans to go on a book tour, speaking to audiences in local bookstores and churches. Eventually, Roseanna hopes that the tour can pan out to national opportunities. Check local bookstores for A Stray Drop of Blood to release in July or order it online at www.whitefireprinting.com/publishing/.