Here's a bit about the book:
In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.
Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn't count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?
As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel mysteries that go back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.
Bestselling and award-winning author Roseanna M. White whisks you away to two periods fraught with peril in this sweeping and romantic dual-time tale.
As part of the launch team for this book, I had the opportunity to ask some questions of the author. Here's how that went:
1. This book is your
first dual timeline, I believe. What prompted you to write in this style and
what challenges did you face with it? Will you attempt to write more in this
style?
It is, yes! I’ve long loved dual timeline stories but had never really had an
idea for one. As I was mulling over Louisa and Rem’s story one year while I was
vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, however, I was mourning the
fact that all the really interesting things happened on the islands during WW2
instead of “my” era of WW1. That’s when the idea struck. What if I told both
stories? The fascinating and tragic tale of the sinking of the Bedfordshire
as well as the earlier story I’d been wanting to tell for so long? So I pitched
that idea to Bethany House, and they loved it just as much as I did!
2. What fun Easter
Eggs will fans of your other books find in this one? Are there any books
that readers should definitely read before reading this one?
Mwa ha ha ha! You will find ALL the Easter Eggs! Or at least, there are a
gazillion in there. ;-) You don’t have to read (or reread) any other books for
this one, per se. It stands fully on its own. But…there are ties to the
Culper Ring Series, the Ladies of the Manor, Shadows Over England, the
Codebreakers, and even a nod to Secrets from the Isles (particularly book 2, To
Treasure an Heiress). This is truly the story in which ALL my story worlds
culminate!
3. What inspired this
particular story line?
The story of Louisa and Rem (my “yesterday” line) is one I’ve had in my heart
since 2004. It was the summer after I graduated college, and I woke up in the
middle of the night with this idea. A mixed-race heroine from the Outer Banks
whose family owned an inn…and a CIA analyst from the DC area who shouldn’t have
loved her. I wrote a contemporary version that summer, rewrote it entirely
several years later, and then excitedly realized their story would be even more
fun in a historical setting. I planted Rem in Room 40 in my Codebreakers series
to set it up, and there we go!
4. Did you have any
special inspiration for the characters in this book?
Wow, they’ve been with me so long I don’t know if I even remember the
inspiration, LOL. Louisa was born from my love of the Outer Banks, I think…and
I came up with Evie and Sterling’s story as a potential sequel back in the day
two. Putting them together involved changing a lot of circumstances, but the
hearts of those characters are what they’ve been in my own heart for nearly
twenty years!
5. Which character do
you most relate to and why?
Without spoiling the story, ha ha, I’ll simply say that the way Louisa devoted
her whole heart to her family was something that actually inspired me to devote
myself to mine through the years. Yes, she was a fictional character that I
created, but I created her to be what I wanted to be—someone who would put down
other tasks to show the people I love how much I really love them in those
moments when they need my attention,
6. What was your
favorite "nugget" of research that you gleaned when researching this
story?
I loved researching the Ocracoke Brogue! The accent of the islands has
developed over the centuries into its own unique dialect, and I watched a video
on it and read both a small book and a pamphlet about the history and flavor,
which also included a handy glossary of terms. What I loved most was seeing how
many of those “unique” words are part of my own small-town Appalachian culture
too, also preserved from centuries gone by.
7. What do you hope
readers will glean from this story?
I hope readers will come away seeing how the choices we make affect generations
to come, and how the issues of today are without fail rooted in choices made in
the past. So often we look at “kids these days” or politics or culture and take
issue with it without realizing that we’re the ones who created it. Yesterday’s
Tides may be the story of two romances in two world wars, of intelligence
and espionage and treachery, but mostly it’s the story of yesterday shaping
today and today informing tomorrow, and how important it is that we walk
bravely into the choices we want to live out.
8. Did anything
surprise you as you were writing?
Having written this book three or four times over the decades, LOL, I think the
most surprising thing for me was how it still felt like the same story to me,
even though none of the original plot was maintained. The hearts of
Louisa and Rem and Evie were still the hearts I’d gotten to know all those
years ago.
9. Any other fun bits
of trivia or behind the scenes extras you'd be willing to share with my
readers?
In May of 2021 my family actually took a trip to Ocracoke, to be there for the
anniversary of the sinking of the HMT Bedfordshire. We visited the
British Cemetery, took photos and videos, explored the woods, scouted the
island for houses, chatted with locals, and generally got to know the place
that my characters love so well. My aunt has been taking annual trips to
Ocracoke for many years, so it was also fun to explore an island that she loves
like a second home and meet her local friends. My own family tends to vacation
on Hatteras Island instead (they were once connected but are now separated by a
channel), so it was also fun to see what’s similar and what’s different on the
two islands.
10. What are you
working on next and when can we expect it?
Next up from me is my
new series called The Imposters, which will launch summer 2023 with A Beautiful
Disguise. This one combines an Edwardian circus theme with some fun
investigator hijinks, aristocrats spying on their own to make a living, and yet
another gorgeous English setting! I can’t wait for you all to meet the
acrobatic Lady Marigold, her brother Yates, Earl of Fairfax, the cast of Romani
and retired circus animals who call their estate home, and my noble-hearted
hero, Sir Merritt, who calls on them when illness and injury demands he find
help in an investigation surrounding the formation of MI5. SO MUCH FUN!!
This book releases January 24, 2023 wherever books are sold. Be sure to pre-order from your favorite retailer!
https://www.roseannamwhite.com/product/yesterdays-tides
https://www.amazon.com/Yesterdays-Tides-Roseanna-M-White-ebook/dp/B0B6Q3MJ9Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LZD00VVEOV53&keywords=yesterday%27s+tides+roseanna+m+white&qid=1672533476&sprefix=yesterday%27s+tide%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1
For more information, check out the following links:
Roseanna M. White's website: https://www.roseannamwhite.com/
Roseanna M. White's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RoseannaMWhite
My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5076866503
