Elaine Marie Cooper Author

Historical Fiction That Grabs Your Heart and Feeds Your Soul

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Thank you to my Friends

November 9, 2020 by emcoop 6 Comments

I’m often reminded of the blessings of friends. This year with my leg in a cast for 3 months, my husband unable to drive due to a previous stroke, and a new book releasing, friends have become an even brighter light in my life. From taking me to doctor appointments, to taking me out for a meal, to helping me promote my book, so many have pitched in and said, “I can help.”

I sometimes remember the quote from “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Clarence the Angel reminds George, the man who has dealt with one struggle after another and wants to give up on life, that “no man is a failure who has friends.” I have never understood those words more than I have this year. The more difficulties I have faced, the more the Lord has provided friends to help meet my needs. Praise God!

I’m the kind of person who loves to be a giver. I am a retired nurse and helping others seems to come naturally. Being on the receiving end is humbling and I’m learning to have a meek spirit and accept other’s kindness. It’s not always easy for me, but God is teaching my “take-charge” personality to be still and submit to the situation. It has allowed my wonderful friends to shine.

As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” By allowing my friends to help me, they are doing good works that shine with the love of the Lord; that allows them the gift of receiving a blessing.

I’m so grateful that God is blessing them, although I admit, I’d still rather be on the giving end. 😉

But in this month of Thanksgiving, I am so very grateful for my many friends who shine with the love of Jesus. According to Clarence, I guess I am not a failure. I know my friends certainly are not.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Scarred Vessels released on October 20, 2020 and is available on Amazon in kindle or paperback.

Here is the Back cover blurb:

In 1778 Rhode Island, the American Revolution rallies the Patriots to fight for freedom. But the slavery of black men and women from Africa, bartered for rum, is a travesty that many in America cannot ignore. The seeds of abolition are planted even as the laws allowing slavery in the north still exist.

Lydia Saunders, the daughter of a slave ship owner, grew up with the horror of slavery. It became more of a nightmare when, at a young age, she is confronted with the truth about her father’s occupation. She is burdened with the guilt of her family’s sin, as she struggles to make a difference in whatever way she can. When she loses her husband in the battle for freedom from England, she makes a difficult decision that will change her life forever.

Sergeant Micah Hughes is too dedicated to serving the fledgling country of America to consider falling in love. When he carries the tragic news to Lydia Saunders about her husband’s death, he is appalled by his attraction to the young widow. Micah wrestles with his feelings for Lydia while he tries to focus on helping the cause of freedom. He trains a group of former slaves to become capable soldiers on the battlefield.

Tensions both on the battlefield and on the home front bring hardship and turmoil that threaten to endanger them all. When Lydia and Micah are faced with saving the life of a black infant in danger, can they survive this turning point in their lives?

Today is Release Day!

October 20, 2020 by Site Admin

It seems like I’ve waited a long time to announce the release of “Scarred Vessels” but it has been worth the wait! 

I am so pleased to see this novel about the black soldiers in the American Revolution come to life. I learned so much in my research for this book. Much of the historical facts surprised and saddened me but I am pleased with the results and I pray this book blesses you!

To order the kindle version, go to https://www.amazon.com/Scarred-Vessels-Elaine-Marie-Cooper-ebook/dp/B08KL1JTK1/ 

To obtain the paperback, click here: https://www.amazon.com/Scarred-Vessels-Elaine-Marie-Cooper/dp/1649170025 

Midwives vs. Physicians

August 29, 2019 by emcoop Leave a Comment

My post at Heroes, Heroines, and History today details some of the transitions that occurred in Colonial America regarding childbirth. What was “normal” in one generation might be anything but the norm in the next.

You can follow the trends from Colonial America to today at https://www.hhhistory.com/2019/08/childbirth-in-colonial-america.html#

Hope you enjoy!

Heroes, Heroines, & History

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

Planning to see a movie?

March 30, 2019 by emcoop Leave a Comment

This movie will be on my mind for a long time. No not “Godzilla.” “Unplanned”

I couldn’t find the appropriate poster at the theater where it was showing. For the sake of this review, I posed by a promo for the monster flick, “Godzilla.” You can draw your own conclusions as to why I chose this particular poster…

Since there has been so much determined effort to prevent advertisement of “Unplanned,” I assume the poster scrolls for this anti-abortion flick were perhaps cast into a bin somewhere. We wouldn’t want to reveal the truth about abortion, the blank walls seemed to scream.

If you truly want to understand the full scope of abortion, I encourage you to go see this movie. It will be impossible to pretend any longer that the process of emptying the womb of “fetal contents that have no feeling” is the truth.

In fact, this whole movie is about lies. The untruths that the main character of Abby Johnson tells herself to justify working in a clinic that provides abortions. The lie that certain clinics are in existence to help women’s healthcare when, in fact, it’s main goal is to abort babies. The misinformation that abortions are relatively easy and cause mild discomfort.

The deception that there is no pain felt by a “clump of cells” in early development is quickly dashed into oblivion as you watch an ultrasound of an abortion: A fully formed baby trying to escape the suction tube that first pulls off one leg, then another limb, until finally the whole head is sucked into the oblivion of a medical waste container. All the while the infant is fighting for its very life.

I will never forget the words spoken by the abortion doctor in the movie as he turns on the suction machine. “Beam me up, Scotty,” he says, as he watches the tiny human disintegrate into the cold, plastic tubing. I’ll never watch another episode of “Star Trek” without feeling pain when I hear that line.

It was this visualization of an abortion via ultrasound image that finally broke through Abby Johnson’s self-deception. These are not fetal cells. These are babies, with heartbeats, and brains, and a central nervous system that registers pain.

“Unplanned” offers a message of hope and forgiveness for those who have had an abortion. There are millions of women around the world who carry the pain of aborting their little ones. They need to know that God loves them. And if they ask for forgiveness, they are indeed forgiven.

Please go see “Unplanned”—and put an end to the lies.

Researching Rhode Island – Part 3

October 16, 2018 by emcoop 2 Comments

 

As my friend and I continued our research trip around Rhode Island, our next stop on the tour was Bristol, the main locale for my novel “Scarred Vessels” (as yet unpublished). Here in Bristol lay the heart of my story.

*     *     *     *     *

My female protagonist, Lydia, is the daughter of the owner of a slave ship. Her life became a nightmare of fear and guilt once she understood the depth of the horror of slavery. My male protagonist (Micah) is a sergeant from the Continental Army who has arrived in Bristol to recruit freed slaves to form a regiment of black soldiers to join the American forces during the Revolution. Ezekiel is a slave owned by Lydia and freed to join the regiment, but then he must leave the woman he loves (Hannah) to join the cause for freedom. Hannah argues with him about his decision:

The woman’s voice grew angry. “And just whose cause is this? I don’t see no one offering to free us colored folk if we win this war. What’s to become of us, even if you be free?” She resumed her heartrending cries.

*     *     *     *    *

Musket ball from the attack of the British army in Bristol, RI, May 1778
Musket ball from the attack of the British army in Bristol, RI, May 1778

Before ever stepping foot in Bristol, I had studied some of its history that left me feeling conflicted. I could appreciate the beautiful wharf and stately homes. But knowing that the source of the wealth in this city was rooted in the slave trade overwhelmed my appreciation for the architecture.

According to author/historian Douglas Harper, “By 1750, Newport and Bristol were the major slave markets in the American colonies.”

Perhaps as you read this post, you are as shocked as I was when I first began my research. It’s ironic because Rhode Island was the first colony to pass an anti-slavery statute in 1652. The law banned lifetime ownership of slaves, allowing a slave-owner relationship for no more than ten years. The ensuing decades however, revealed a far different scenario.

An article printed from the John Carter Brown Library tells these chilling statistics:

By the close of the eighteenth century, Rhode Islanders had mounted at least a thousand voyages from Africa to the Americas. Of the approximately twelve million Africans transported to America by the mid-nineteenth century, six hundred thousand (or 5 %) came to mainland North America, and about one hundred thousand (or 1%) were carried in Rhode Island ships.

Thus, my visit to Bristol teemed with mixed emotions as I viewed the physical beauty of the surroundings yet knew the source of Rhode Island wealth.

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The wharf where the ships would land has been updated but the waters are the same landing point for the slave ships.

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In May of 1778—before the battle in Portsmouth the following August—British troops along with Hessian mercenaries invaded Bristol. I incorporated this attack in my book. During that invasion, St. Michael’s Church was burned to the ground. The updated building is in the same location as the original. In total, the structure has now been replaced three times since the original. The nameplate on the building explains it’s history.

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This is St. Michael’s today.

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My friend Cherrilynn and I met the historian (Reinhard Battcher III) in Bristol and we viewed his library of Bristol history and picked his brain for interesting tidbits. He was as welcoming and helpful as the volunteers in Portsmouth were.

 

As my friend and I wrapped up our busy day of travel and research, I left the beautiful seaside town with satisfaction of a day well spent, yet sadness about this tragic history.

 

As beautiful as Bristol was, it’s man-made scenery paled in comparison to the city of Newport. A brief drive through that busy port town provided a display of mansions that are even more impressive in their architecture than the homes in Bristol. Yet the wealth so evident today was also originally birthed through the blood money of slave trade. As one writer notes about the history of Newport, its “economic success from African slave labor in making rum was best described by 19th century American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson when he stated, ‘The sugar they raised was excellent; nobody tasted blood in it.’”

Harsh words reflecting the excruciating reality of slavery.

Years ago, I read a biography of John Newton who was a slaver before he became a Christian. I’ve not been able to find that book (it was quite old) but there are books about the slave trade available on Amazon, if you’d like to research this history.

For more information on the 1st black regiment of Rhode Island, I recommend Christian McBurney’s, “The Rhode Island Campaign,” and Robert Geake’s “From Slaves to Soldiers.”

Thanks for “driving” through Rhode Island with me as I shared my research trek that brought to life the scenes in my book and the places I had studied for months. I love reading history. But there’s nothing that quite compares with actually seeing the sites where events from our past occurred. They are tangible reminders that the battles and the people were real. And as Edmund Burke was once famously quoted, “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”

 

 

 

 

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