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Elaine Marie Cooper Author

Historical Fiction That Grabs Your Heart and Feeds Your Soul

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Awards

Love’s Kindling—Selah Award Finalist!

March 7, 2020 by emcoop 10 Comments

Dear friends, It may seem as if I’ve been AWOL from my website but, in fact, I’ve been having work done on it to get it updated. Thank you, Angie Hammond at Pixel Dust!!

The update is just in time to announce something unexpected and exciting: My most recent historical romance, Love’s Kindling, is a Finalist in the prestigious Selah Awards.

Unexpected because it took awhile to see Love’s Kindling published. It was rejected by more than one publisher and I began to think no one cared about the love story between my characters, Zadok and Aurinda. But I was wrong. The manuscript was published by Burnett Young publishing, has received excellent reviews (thank you reviewers!!), and is now an award finalist. All I can say is, praise the Lord!

Thank you to my publisher Meaghan Burnett, my author care rep Jessie Anderson, and my editor Alycia Morales. You encouraged me along the way and I am grateful.

Thanks to Eva Marie Everson and the judges who deemed it worthy of being a finalist. I am truly grateful.

Mostly I thank all of my readers who have followed my books through the years. I count you all as precious and pray I can continue bringing you stories worthy of your interest. May the Lord bless you.

The Day the First Americans Died for their Country

May 27, 2019 by emcoop 1 Comment

When I was a child, I walked by the Jason Russell House on my way to school in Arlington, Massachusetts. Looking at the empty two-story dwelling, I somehow could feel its history—and its fear.

“There’s still blood on the floor in there,” my brother had told me.

Blood? I quivered at the thought.

I felt as vulnerable as Scout in “To Kill a Mockingbird” when her brother and Dill, the curious friend visiting from out of town, discussed Boo Radley, a mentally-challenged neighbor that they feared.

I viewed that dwelling in a whole new light when I learned that people had died there in the American Revolution.

The story of my hometown of Arlington is often swallowed up in the historical accounts of the Revolution. The focus has always been on the “shot heard round the world” and the initial battles in Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.

And though my brother/sister conversation gave me the creeps, it also instilled in me a fascination for the war that birthed our nation. History had come alive for me while on my way to the classroom.

One of the reasons that Arlington has not received as much acknowledgement on that first day of the war was that it went by a different name in 1775. It was known as Menotomy, from an Indian word for “swift running water.”

Situated between Boston and Concord, Menotomy Village was actually called “the bloodiest half mile of all the battle road.” More redcoats and patriots were killed or wounded there on April 19 than in all the other towns combined. This occurred when the British troops were marching back to Boston after the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord.

The Jason Russell House stands as a living memorial to those who died there that day.

Russell was a 59-year-old farmer, loyal to the cause of freedom. He owned a large farm—120 acres—right on Concord Road, the path upon which the British troops journeyed. Prior to the battles, Paul Revere and William Dawes both rode by Russell’s house on their way to warn the Minutemen.

When the Redcoats retreated from Lexington, word reached the villagers in Menotomy that the enemy was coming. Russell sent his wife and children to a neighbors’ house for safety.

It became a brutal battle.

A group of rebel Americans running from the British regulars sought refuge in Russell’s house where they could make a stand against the Redcoats. Russell, who had a lame foot, was the last to reach his doorway and was wounded by British bullets. He was bayoneted numerous times. Several other Americans were wounded.

Eight survivors ran into the cellar and shot and killed the first two regulars to come after them. The battle went on, to the Russell orchard and beyond.

In Victor Brooks’ The Boston Campaign April 1775 to March 1776, he describes the horrible scene:

“The ‘battle of Menotomy’ became the most brutal engagement of the day as house-to-house and room-to-room fighting resulted in Regulars and militiamen clubbing and bayoneting one another, pistols flashing, men swinging tomahawks and hunting knives and dozens of casualties on each side.”

Wow. No wonder my brother claimed there was still blood on the floor of the Jason Russell house. Even if it was not still visible, surely the floorboards echoed the carnage.

There still are several holes from musket balls visible in the house today.

Jason Russell was buried nearby his home, in the Old Burying Ground. His inscription reads:

“Jason Russell was barbarously murdered in his own house by Gage’s bloody troops on the 19th of April, 1775. Age 59. His body is quietly resting in this grave with eleven of our friends who in like manner with many others were cruelly slain on that fateful day. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.”

In 1923, the Jason Russell house on the corner of Jason St. and Massachusetts Avenue was acquired by the Arlington Historical Society and restored. In 1974, it was added to the National Registry of Historic Places. Tours of the home are still given and a museum has been added.

My novel, Fields of the Fatherless, depicts the story of Jason Russell and the events of April 19, 1775. It is available at Amazon and other book outlets. You can purchase it here

An April To Remember

April 18, 2019 by emcoop Leave a Comment

The residents in and around Boston thought it might happen. But they didn’t realize just how bad it would be.

Rumors and secret meetings abounded in Lexington, Concord, Menotomy Village and other small towns nearby the British-held port city. Quiet talk of war permeated conversations, increasing the anxiety of the colonists as they knew conflict approached closer every day. When it exploded into full scale skirmishes on April 19, 1775, the dye had been cast. The American Revolution had begun.

The British regulars first left Boston, then travelled west through Charlestown before they marched in the dead of night through Menotomy Village, MA. As the local residents awakened to the vibration of soldiers marching down the main road on their way to Concord, bells sounded the alarm and residents seized their muskets, prepared to make their stand. These lands were their homes and they intended to defend their families and farms to the death, if need be.

Buckman Tavern, Lexington, MA

The first shots were fired on the Lexington town green. The color of the spring lawn was watered with the red blood of the local men and boys who had risen before dawn to defend their town. Eight patriots were killed and several wounded. One British soldier was also injured.

The British forces proceeded towards Concord, where gunpowder and arms were rumored to be hidden for use by the colonists against the regulars. Wise patriots had actually moved the weapons elsewhere before the enemy troops arrived. But that didn’t stop the confrontation immortalized in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem, “Concord Hymn.” Two British soldiers were killed in the battle at the Old North Bridge. Their graves near the bridge are decorated with flowers to this day, courtesy of the British Embassy.

Old North Bridge, Concord, MA

As the exhausted British troops retreated down the road toward Boston, colonists who had learned to fight behind trees and stone walls, picked off numerous red-coated soldiers along the way. In the meantime, reinforcements for the Brits were on the way down the main road from Boston. Once they joined forces west of Menotomy Village, the battle grew even uglier. By the time the conflict reached the Jason Russell farm in Menotomy, the fiercest battle of the day—and the deadliest for both sides—occurred at the Russell House.

Jason Russell House, Arlington, MA

Menotomy Village is today called Arlington, Massachusetts. When I grew up there, I frequently walked by the Jason Russell House. It was now designated a historical site with a sign out front and, as a young girl, I wondered what had occurred there. It was not until I grew up that I learned the full story of this major incident, hidden from most history books. I was so moved by what I learned, I determined to write about it in novel form. I wanted to bring the characters alive on the page through words that would help my readers understand that these were living, breathing humans who sacrificed so much for the birth of America.

I’ve written this story in the multi award-winning Fields of the Fatherless. You can purchase the book on either e-book or paperback. I hope that reading about this little-known battle will help you appreciate our ancestors who shed their blood to create a free America.

April 19 is now a public holiday called Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts and Maine. In Wisconsin, schools are required to teach students about the events and notable people of the American Revolution.  

It is regrettable that most of these United States do not commemorate the first day of the war that birthed America. We should never forget. I will do my part to help Americans remember.

To purchase Fields of the Fatherless in Paperback, click here.

In E-book, click here

“A Heart For Freedom” Releases!

October 18, 2018 by emcoop 2 Comments

 

Author Janet Grunst won the Selah Award in 2016 for A Heart Set Free, and now the much-anticipated sequel, A Heart for Freedom, has released! Here is the back cover information:

 

He longs for freedom, but he won’t risk those he loves.

Matthew Stewart wants only to farm, manage his inn, and protect his family. But tension between the Loyalists and Patriots is mounting. When he’s asked to help the Patriots and assured his family will be safe, he agrees.

She’s seen the cost of fighting England, and she wants no part of it.

In Scotland, Heather Stewart witnessed the devastation and political consequences of opposing England. She wants only to avoid war and protect the family and peace she finally found in Virginia. But the war drums can be heard even from home in the countryside, and she has no power to stop the approaching danger.

The consequences are deadly.

When Matthew leaves for a short journey and doesn’t return, Heather faces the biggest trial of her life. Will she give up hope of seeing him again? Will he survive the trials and make his way home? What will be the consequences of his heart for freedom?

A Heart For Freedom Cover

My Review:

A Heart for Freedom by Janet Grunst is a historically-accurate novel that depicts the quandary of the colonists in 1776. While many Americans desired freedom from England, an equal number desired to remain loyal to the King. What is often missing from historicals during this time period is the other third of the colonists—those who desired freedom yet desired peace as well. Their simple lives as farmers and merchants were about to be turned upside down by war and they knew the consequences would be life-changing. They could no longer ride the fence of indecision.

This novel is a riveting look at the rippling effects of events that force the main characters to choose one side or the other. They long for peace that can no longer be, as the discontent of the Patriots and the military response of the King’s Army force the issue.

In A Heart for Freedom, a sequel to A Heart Set Free, Ms. Grunst shares the lives of Heather and Matthew Stewart, who struggle to remain neutral as farmers and owners of an ordinary (a Colonial era hotel). They, along with their children and their circle of friends, become impacted by the Revolution in ways that disrupt their peace of mind and challenge their faith. A compelling read that makes me look forward to Book 3 in this series!

 

Author Bio:

Janet S. Grunst 2

 

 Janet is a wife, mother of two sons, and grandmother of eight who lives in the historic triangle of Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown) with her husband. Her debut novel, A Heart Set Free was the 2016 Selah Award winner for Historical Romance. A lifelong student of history, her love of writing fiction grew out of a desire to share stories that communicate the truths of the Christian faith, as well as entertain, bring inspiration, healing, and hope to the reader.

You can read Janet’s blog here

Available on Amazon here

The Surrender at Saratoga that Changed the World

October 17, 2017 by emcoop Leave a Comment

 

The battle continued to go poorly and rumors filtered through the hospital tent.

“We’re outnumbered. Our mates kept shootin,’ but they were shootin’ more.” Abigail’s patient gasped for air as she stitched the wound in his chest.

“Try to rest, Private. You are safe here in hospital.” Abigail gave the distraught soldier another drink of rum—just a sip with supplies so low.

More arrivals to the marquee carried similar tales of one defeat after another. Abigail overheard Mr. Braithwaite pause long enough in his duties to declare, “How can an undisciplined group of farmers defeat His Majesty’s finest? I never thought this possible.” He wiped his face with angry hands and returned to his tasks.

Everyone in the tent appeared stunned as this news spread rapidly.

Abigail’s mind was a battlefield of emotions, relieved at the American victory yet terrified about the outcome for William. Was he lost to her forever?

Excerpt from Saratoga Letters

 

On this date in 1777, October 17, the battle that changed history ended when British General John Burgoyne surrendered to American General Horatio Gates. This astonishing event was the first great victory for the Americans in the Revolutionary War and was dubbed the “Turning Point” of the Revolution. Because of this surrender, France joined forces with the Americans and helped the “undisciplined group of farmers” to defeat the best trained army in the world at that time. It was a victory that changed the course of history.

It also changed my family’s history as one of the British soldiers who was forced to surrender that day to became a prisoner of war was my ancestor, Daniel Prince. On his way to POW camp, my 4th great grandfather escaped the line of prisoners and made his way to western Massachusetts, where he met and married a young woman named Mary. As a child, I was terribly embarrassed that my ancestor was a British redcoat. Yet as I grew up, this story took on a glint of romance in my writer’s muse and I have featured the Battle of Saratoga in two of my historical romance novels. They are:

Saratoga Letters

 

SaratogaLCover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and

Road to Deer Run

Road to Deer Run - Cover

 

FINALLY! The Selah Award Winner!

August 5, 2017 by emcoop 3 Comments

I think I must be the worst Author-Blogger! How many months have flown by since I announced my friend, Janet Grunst, and I were both finalists in the category of historical romance for the Selah Award? Too many, that’s for sure!

 

Janet and me at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference awards ceremony.
Janet and me at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference awards ceremony.

In truth, I have been overwhelmed with a research trip, book deadline, and family trip for my son and daughter-in-law’s baby shower. I’ve not been twiddling my thumbs, but I apologize for this late blog post!

 

I owe all my readers an update. The short answer about the Selah winner is … Janet won the Selah award for historical romance!! Now, everyone who is a finalist wishes they received top award. But I tell you, when I heard Janet’s name announced as winner, I was thrilled!! She sat next to me stunned and I literally shook her arm and said, “It’s YOU!! Go up there and get your award!” Her wonderful husband, Ken, was there to see his wife receive this precious acknowledgement of a book well written and I was so pleased for them both. It was an awesome moment and I am SO happy for Janet!

 

Here is her Selah award-winning book cover for “A Heart Set Free,” so if you’ve not had a chance to read it, be sure to pick up a copy. And please write a review at Amazon and Goodreads. Other readers peruse book reviews and it can really help an author get attention for his or her book.

Lg-A Heart Set Free Final Cover

In summary, congrats to my wonderful friend, Janet, who deserves this special accolade for her first novel!

WELL DONE, dear friend!

 

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