Christy Award Nominated Author, Roseanna M. White in the Mountains of West Virginia

In one of the first bios I ever wrote for myself, I included the sentence: Roseanna M. White grew up in the mountains of West Virginia, the beauty of which inspired her to begin writing as soon as she learned to pair subject with verb.

Perhaps it might sound a little contrived…but it’s also very true. As a primary schooler, I would sit on our porch or in our bay window that looked out over the Potomac River, with the Appalachians surrounding me, and I’d sketch and write and daydream. I have always been so in love with the rolling mountains, the stretching forests, and the changing seasons of my home state. Though I lived for quite a few years in Maryland, my husband and I were eager to move back across that river again as soon as the opportunity arose—and were all the more grateful for the “wild, wonderful” state after over a decade away.

West Virginia is called “The Mountain State” for good reason—the Appalachian Mountains cover the entire state, providing not only breathtaking beauty but a bit of insulation for its culture. There are still places in rural WV without electricity and running water, though those are few and far between these days. And it’s said that the deep mountain accent is the most accurate preservation of Elizabethan English to be found today, having remained largely un-influenced from outside sources for hundreds of years after the first settlers claimed homesteads in the hollows and valleys.

My portion of West Virginia is surrounded by Maryland, a stone’s throw from Pennsylvania, and a reach in the other direction will show you Virginia. But though life in the Eastern Panhandle might be more like life in Maryland in some ways, we’re still fiercely proud of being West Virginians. We love the freedoms our state government protects, the history of how we seized the opportunity afforded by the Civil War to separate from Virginia, and the quirks that come with being a Mountaineer—the fact that hunting season is practically a holiday (complete with no school on the first day), you’re hard pressed to find a family without a pick-up truck (and possibly a four-wheeler), and you can’t drive down the road without seeing the blue and gold of the state university branded across practically everything.

Many know West Virginia thanks to New River Gorge Bridge, which is on our state quarter and is one of the most photographed locations in the state. It’s the longest steel span bridge in the western hemisphere, and it’s also the third tallest in the U.S. Once a year, the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic and open to pedestrians and extreme sports fans for Bridge Day—when BASE jumping and rappelling combine with music, food, and craft vendors for West Virginia’s biggest one-day festival.

If you’re a fan of natural beauty, there’s no shortage of state parks, trails, hiking, camping, and rafting to be found here. This summer, my family enjoyed climbing up to the peak of Seneca Rock; right down the road from Smoke Hole Caverns, where my little boy was sad to discover there were no bats ready to flap their way down to say hello (though his grandmother was greatly relieved).

Though most of my books are set on other continents, I did have great fun bringing the characters in one of my novels to my neck of the woods. In Circle of Spies, which takes place largely in Baltimore during the last two months of the Civil War, my secret confederate is scoping out a place to hide some gold and ammunition, and the railroad takes him to the West Virginia side near Cumberland, Maryland. My climax scenes take place here, where caves might just be hiding in the mountains…and where a few devious minds might just have stashed some gold. Who can say?

You can learn more about me and my bestselling Christian historical fiction at www.RoseannaMWhite.com ~ and I also have a store on my website for purchasing signed books. Feel free to swing by!

 

I’m offering a copy of my partially-West Virginia set Circle of Spies to one person with a U.S. address. Just leave a comment  to enter! (Please be sure to include a form of contact)

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.

(all info released and provided by author)