Elaine Marie Cooper Author

Historical Fiction That Grabs Your Heart and Feeds Your Soul

A Heart Set Free

FINALLY! The Selah Award Winner!

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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!

 

Saratoga Letters: Finalist in Selah Awards!

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Yesterday was extra special when it was announced that Saratoga Letters was a finalist in the historical fiction category for the Selah Awards! What made the day even sweeter was my good friend, Janet Grunst, was also announced as a finalist … in the same category! I am truly excited for us both.

 

Lg-A Heart Set Free Final Cover

Janet’s book A Heart Set Free was a labor of love for many years for Janet and finally saw fruition this past year when it was published. Saratoga Letters was published at the culmination of one of the most difficult years I’ve ever experienced personally. I was diagnosed with a serious knee infection last April and was laid up in treatment for months.

I suppose it seems like writers just write their story, submit it to a publisher, do edits, and then watch it get a new cover and magically appear on Amazon.com. But there is so much more behind the story. There are family crises, numerous frustrations on the path to publication, and personal trials that become woven into the big picture. So when both Janet and I were chosen as finalists, it was a sweet reward indeed. Regardless of who wins (and there is a third contender in the category) just being a finalist is a category I treasure. And I thank the Lord for His goodness in the trials.

Selahs_Seal_Finalist_2017

Psalm 27:13-14

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage.

 

 

 

 

Book Launch: A Heart Set Free by Janet S. Grunst

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I am delighted to share the book launch of my fellow author and friend, Janet S. Grunst. Her debut novel, A Heart Set Free, is releasing today! Welcome Janet!

1. God often teaches us something through our writing. What did you learn about life, faith, or yourself in the process of writing?

About life: I have and continue to learn that it is never too late to pursue a dream. It may take many years, but with perseverance and a willingness to learn and not give up in spite of failures, if it is within God’s will, it will happen.

About faith: I believe that God can use my failures, inadequacies, and disappointments to encourage others as they walk through tough times.

About yourself: Over thirty years ago, when I began writing this story, I discovered that I thrive with structure. It is so much easier for me to maintain a habit than to initiate one, whether it is exercise, daily quiet time, or having a devoted time to pursuing one’s craft.

2. Is there a message in A Heart Set Free that you want readers to grasp?

The theme of A Heart Set Free is forgiveness and the power it has to remove the barriers that separate us from God and from each other, and even the need to forgive ourselves.

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My Review:

While seeds of war are germinating in 1770 Virginia, seeds of hopelessness have brought Heather Douglas to a desperate decision: Submitting herself to indentured servitude an ocean’s distance from her home in Scotland.

Her life is no less desperate than Matthew Stewart’s, a widower whose loneliness for his children prompts him to purchase an indentured woman to help rear his family.

But can two scarred individuals find healing in hearts enslaved by lack of forgiveness?

A Heart Set Free  by Janet Grunst is a tender historical romance that will captivate your own heart with charming characters and threads of faith that weave a lovely, enthralling tale.

 

Back cover blurb

In 1770, Heather Douglas is desperate to escape a brewing scandal in her native Scotland. Penniless and hoping for a fresh start far away, she signs a seven-year indenture and boards a British merchant vessel headed to Virginia.

Widowed planter Matthew Stewart needs someone to help raise his two young children. The tall blonde standing on the Alexandria quay doesn’t look like much after her harrowing sea voyage, but there’s a refinement about her that her filthy clothing cannot hide. Could God be leading him to take this unknown indentured servant as his wife? 

When Matthew purchases Heather’s indenture, marries her, and takes her to his farm, she is faced with new and constant challenges. And Matthew wonders if they can ever bridge their differences and make a life together.

It is in the Virginia countryside that Heather begins her greatest journey, one of self-discovery and of maturing faith. Here, she discovers that her emotional and spiritual scars bind her far more than her indenture . . .  and love will finally set her heart free.

Just Janet

Author Bio

Janet is a wife, mother of two sons, and grandmother of eight. . Before pursuing a long-held dream of writing fiction she was employed in the banking industry for ten years and as a freelance writer for two regional publications. After taking a break to raise her children, she worked for an international ministry, Community Bible Study, most recently as the Executive Assistant for the Executive Director. She continues to serve as a leader in her local Community Bible Study class and in her church.

She lives in the historic triangle of Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown) with her husband and West Highland White Terrier. Her love of writing fiction grew out of a desire to share stories that can communicate the truths of the Christian faith, and entertain, as well as bring inspiration, healing, and hope to the reader.

A Heart Set Free can be purchased at: Amazon.com

Visit her online: http://JanetGrunst.com

http://colonialquills.blogspot.com/

Facebook Janet Grunst, Author                                           https://twitter.com/janetgrunst                                                                                                               Represented By Linda S. Glaz

  

Hartline Literary Agency