Elaine Marie Cooper Author

Historical Fiction That Grabs Your Heart and Feeds Your Soul

God's Handiwork in Our lives

Bethany’s Calendar

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Our lives changed forever eleven years ago today when my daughter’s “calendar” on earth ended. But her life in heaven had just began.

She was only 24 and my family never imagined that our bright, funny and faith-filled daughter would have such a short stay with us. But sometimes cancer interferes with our hopes and dreams. And sometimes, God has other plans.

My family has  been through so much in the ensuing years, yet we continue to be amazed at the life she shared with us, as well as the impact she had on so many others. We will always treasure her in our hearts, and look forward to seeing her again in eternity.

The most amazing thing about this eleventh year has been writing Bethany’s Calendar, the story of her final days on earth as she suffered from brain cancer. The fact that I had the strength to write it at all attests to the power of intercessory prayer as others raised me up in this difficult writing task. Although it was emotionally exhausting, the words and the story flowed.

Now Bethany’s Calendar is on the verge of being released in a few weeks. I am amazed at the smooth transition from writing first draft to now anticipating holding the final copy of the book. I can’t wait to share it with others and PRAY that it helps patients and their families who are in similar circumstances.

Bethanys Calendar Cover

I’ll be honest. Going through final edits this past weekend brought more than one tear. There is no loss like saying goodbye to your child.

Yet I am not bitter, nor do I repeat the often spoken phrase, “No parent should have to bury their child.” While that may be the human perspective, God’s perspective about life is that He is God, and He decides when our work on this earth is complete. Sometimes that is as soon as a child is birthed or it may be in old age. But “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21 NIV

Here are some of the words from “God is God” by Steven Curtis Chapman. This song played on my car radio—seemingly every time I went driving during Bethany’s illness. The verses are a reminder to me that God is the creator, with his purposes for His creation:

 

God is God and I am not

I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting

God is God and I am man

So I’ll never understand it all

For only God is God.

 

Launch for Bethany’s Calendar is December 12, 2014. It would have been her 36th birthday.

 

 

 

 

Movie Review: Alone Yet Not Alone

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It’s a rarity to hear about a movie that is not only historical but has a Christian theme. Add to that “based on a true story,” and I was ready to pack my purse and go. So when “Alone Yet Not Alone” opened in my hometown, my husband and I headed to the matinee.

The movie was set in the wilderness of Pennsylvania in 1755 during the French and Indian War. It involved a family that had escaped troubles in their homeland of Germany to find a better life in the New World. They just didn’t realize the danger nor the terrible price they would pay for freedom. Some family members are killed by native Americans while the two young girls in the family are taken hostage to live among the Indians. The two girls are joined by dozens of other children of white families who have been kidnapped as well.

The story is based on the two young daughters, Barbara and Regina Leininger, and their struggles to survive as they cling to their Christian faith. It is inspiring and, at times, heartbreaking.

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The script is very well written, allowing a viewer to follow along in the sometimes-complicated tale involving several opposing sides, including the British, the French and several different native tribes. I very much liked that the script showed both good guys and bad guys—each national group had its heroes and villains. And while many of the scenes depicted could have been very gruesome, the filmmakers chose their edits wisely. You knew that terrible things occurred but they were not in your face.

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The cinematography was extraordinary. I was totally swept up in the vistas that showed examples of the primitive beauty of early America.

 

The song “Alone Yet Not Alone,” sung by Joni Eareckson Tada, was actually nominated for an Academy award but, through efforts to have it removed on a technicality, it lost its bid to be a nominee. The title song was so effective as an integral part of the story line, which only made the much-publicized exclusion of “Alone Yet Not Alone” from the Oscars in the song category even more upsetting. How often does a winning Oscar song have such an important place in a movie plot? Oscar should bow his metal head in shame.

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Now to the critical part: The acting. Most of the characters were wonderful, with actors and actresses giving great justice to the characters they depicted. The children portraying younger Barbara and Regina, as well as the group of young ones taken hostage, were excellent in their roles. One of my favorite scenes involved twin little boys. I will not explain further, but take note. It is precious.

 

The men portraying the native Americans, especially Ozzie Torres, were outstanding. Jenn Gotzon had a small but memorable role as Lydia.

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Most of the adult actors were wonderful with the exception of the critical role: Barbara Leininger. What were the producers thinking? This was a character that should have shown a woman emotionally, perhaps physically, scarred from ten years in captivity. Instead we have actress Kelly Grayson looking like she had spent ten years in a Hollywood spa. Forgive my bluntness, but I have seen better acting in community productions.

 

One of the weaknesses in Christian filmmaking in the last ten years has been the acting. But several recent releases such as “October Baby,” “Heaven Is For Real” and “God’s Not Dead” have proven that there are quality actors and actresses that can, and will, do justice to Christian films. It behooves Christian filmmakers to pick their actors wisely. They should be striving for excellence in every aspect of their productions.

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I would have given this film, five out of five stars. But I’ll rate it 4.5 for the lead role let-down.

 

 

 

 

 

Rectifying the Situation

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The flight attendant’s voice pierced through the crowded jet cabin as we neared our destination: “Ladies and gentlemen, after we have landed, please remain in your seats until we have rectified…the situation.”

As a frequent flyer to visit my grandkids, those were words I never recalled hearing before.

What exactly was the situation that needed to be “rectified?”

Most of us were in complete ignorance of any problem. But we knew that we needed to go along with the crew’s instructions. All we could do at that moment was stay in our seats, follow the directives and wait for the airline personnel to deal with the “situation.” It took faith and obedience on our part to cooperate with the big plan that, ultimately, could protect our lives.

After we’d landed and sat quietly in our seats with our belts still buckled, we all gasped at the sight of armed police walking down the aisle and removing a passenger. Rumor filtered towards the back where I was sitting—murmurings that this passenger had tried to open the emergency exit inflight.

More than one set of eyes widened with disbelief as we realized that we had been in danger—yet one man sitting nearby had witnessed the event and interceded. He likely saved us all.

It somehow seemed a fitting incident to occur on Easter week.

Most of us walk through our day, oblivious to danger. Many sail through life, unaware that there is a situation that needs to be rectified—namely, our sin.

We can be so caught up in our journey that we fail to notice that the flight is nearing its destination. Had it not been for the one passenger who interceded on our behalf, for our safety and concern, none of us knows what the outcome might have been.

Humanity has our own intercessor in the spiritual world of darkness. His name is Jesus Christ. And on this Holy Week of remembering His death, burial and triumphant resurrection, let us not forget that He has rectified our sin situation. But it is up to us to cooperate with His plan and, by obedience, acknowledge our need for His salvation.

May your Easter be blessed.

 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV

 

 

Romance or Raw Lust?

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As I scrolled down my Facebook feed one morning, I did a double take.

There was a Christian author friend, posing next to a cover model for romance novels. She was dressed in a modest dress. He was shirtless, six-pack rippling, pants on the edge of too low, with his arm around my friend. My author friend had just come from a secular romance writer’s conference and had posted this photo.

It was the same day her Christian devotional posted on her blog to which I subscribe.

Is there something wrong with this picture?

I checked out the conference she had attended. The featured authors ran the gamut from Christian to VERY edgy. When I checked out the books of one of the authors in attendance, I discovered numerous titles with such words as “devil,” “temptation,” “sin” and “virgin.” I’ll give you this much: Even secular writers know the correct terminology. In this PC world where many want to deny the evil one and the existence of sin, at least it was good to know the secular writers know they are real.

This issue of Christian romance authors side-by-side with the pornographic romance writers has bothered me for some time. And many times it is not the authors themselves who put themselves in such company. Their publishers do.

A wonderful Christian author with a beautiful historical novel was recently a finalist in a contest frequented by secular romance writers. This Christian author knew nothing about how her book was even entered.

This same romance organization that sponsors the contest has a publication that prints book reviews. As a newbie historical romance writer a few years ago, I subscribed to this magazine. To my surprise, it arrived in a dark cellophane wrapper. Only after opening the magazine did I realize why: The abundance of sexually suggestive covers displayed were enough to cause even this romance writer to blush.

I looked for the “Inspirational Romance” section for reviews. It was a few short pages, surrounded by page after page of book covers with scantily dressed lovers in various poses. The activity of the paramours was obvious. After reading the reviews in subsequent issues, I soon realized I was not going to be able to read them without the visual assault of one book cover after another tempting my libido at every turn of the page. I started dropping the unopened magazine into the trashcan upon arrival. Needless to say, I no longer subscribe.

There has been a growing trend among women supposedly trying to revitalize their sex lives by reading a recent series of books about “Forty-Nine Plus One Derivations of A Dull Shade of Black.” I refuse to name the title due to internet search engines. 🙂

 

What is shocking is that a recent survey revealed many of the readers of the aforementioned series are Christian women. What is even more troublesome is that there has also been a dramatic increase in women delving into pornography.

 

A recent book, “Pulling Back The Shades” by Dr. Juli Slattery and Dannah Gresh, addresses the concern. In an article in Christianpost.com, Dr. Slattery (who read the trilogy of books) describes not only the kinky nature of the explicit sex in the popular series, but the frequent Satanic symbolism. The latter agenda in these books shocked Dr. Slattery, a Christian psychologist. To read the full article in Christianpost.com, including details about the survey, check it out here.

So here is my question: As Christian authors do we have an obligation to distance ourselves from the organizations that promote lustful images? Or should we hang out with the sinners, hoping our offerings of less-explicit romance novels will influence the buying public to reform their reading habits?

I don’t have clear-cut answers. But I will say one thing: if you ever see me posing with a shirtless man other than my husband, send me a virtual slap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Tribute to Darin Tschopp, my Oxen Expert

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I recently received an unexpected e-mail from my writer-friend, Marie. “Darin passed away.”

Darin? My oxen expert?

“But he was fairly young, wasn’t he?” I couldn’t wrap my mind around the reality. He was not that old but of course, death is not discerning of age when it comes to its victims.

“Darin hadn’t been feeling well and had some chest pain, which they think he mistook for indigestion because they found some acid reflux medicine,” Marie wrote.

Though I never knew Darin in person, he had become my go-to guy when I had a question about the lives and habits of the huge beasts of burden that were used in Colonial America. His cousin-in-law, Marie, had connected us on Facebook. She knew I wrote about Colonial America and she recommended his expertise for everything “oxen.”

And Darin never let me down. He never made any question that I had seem too trivial for him to take the time to answer. I so appreciated his help for writing a scene in “Fields of the Fatherless,” that I put his name in my acknowledgements. I did so proudly. Not everyone can claim an oxen-expert for their contacts. 🙂

Darin in front of the corn field at Plimoth Plantation in 1996
Darin in front of the corn field at Plimoth Plantation in 1996

Even in my brief Facebook exchanges with Darin, I sensed a warm and caring person—someone who loved the animals he cared for in his job at Colonial Williamsburg as well as a gentle spirit who cared about people.

That became even more evident when I saw the memorial tributes posted on his Facebook Page. Here are a few of the posts from friends and co-workers:

 

–       He was such a gentleman

–       Darin was one of “the good guys”

–       A gentle giant with a warm, friendly smile

–       Darin Tschopp will be missed tremendously. So saddened to hear the world has lost such a kind man.

–       He loved God!! And he was a man of God!! He loved history and he loved sharing it with others. It was his life!! There is so much more I could say but the biggest thing would be to say that I will miss you, Darin Tschopp, But the most important thing would be to say is that I will see you in heaven because I know that you loved your Savior.

 

I still cannot fathom that Darin is gone. Whenever I have a question about oxen in my future books, I will remember him. And miss his kind manner. I am so grateful that I was able to send Darin a signed copy of my book before he passed into eternity. Had I put that off, I would have regretted it always.

We are never assured of tomorrow. But death is assured for all. Never put off doing good unto others for another day. Their tomorrow—or yours—might not exist on this earth. As another of Darin’s friends wrote, “Life is precious, dear friends. Don’t waste a moment.”

I never met you face-to-face on earth, brother Darin. But I look forward to meeting you one day in heaven. I’ll look for the kind keeper of the animals.

And I’ll end with one more message of love from a friend:

“Fair winds and following seas, brother. Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. You will be missed.”

 

 

 

 

 

Tea and Scones and Jesus

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Bleary-eyed, I dragged my carry-on luggage down the freezing jet ramp toward the airport terminal.

I hadn’t slept one moment on the red-eye flight and could barely focus on my destination to a connecting flight that would take me home.

I need some caffeine.

The crowded walkways were filled with others who seemed far more energetic than myself.

They must have already had their coffee—or at least got some sleep last night.

Every coffee shop seemed packed with caffeine-cravers except for one. It seemed to have a temporary lull in the line. Hurrying as fast as my weary legs would drag me, I positioned myself in the short row of customers.

Since I was fighting a cold, I decided that tea would be a wise choice. Perfect with the fresh scones displayed in the window, I thought.

The four ladies behind the counter rushed to fill customer orders. They moved in dance-like synchronization, never colliding with their co-workers. But it was obvious they struggled to complete their busy tasks of grabbing muffins and making lattes.

One of the baristas seemed especially frazzled at that moment and my ears perked up when she voiced an audible plea. “Jesus. Help me, sweet Jesus.”

I felt a smile creep up my cheeks. “At least you’re asking for help from the One Who can help you.”

She paused for a moment with a delighted expression and inhaled her pleasure with a smile. Lifting her lovely brown hand high in the air in a “high-five” maneuver, I gently met her palm with my own. We exchanged smiles of sweet fellowship, connecting in a way that believers in Jesus Christ do. In the midst of the busy throng, Jesus had connected our spirits with His.

We both grinned through the business transaction, grateful in the knowledge that wherever we go, He is there. And so are His believers.

It was a moment of joy and encouragement that overshadowed the weariness and the cares of this world—the connection of fellow Christians.

It was a gift to carry in my heart and refresh my soul.

 

“All the believers were one in heart and mind.” (Acts 4:32 NIV)

“Encourage one another and build each other up.” (1Thessalonians 5:11 NIV)