Elaine Marie Cooper Author

Historical Fiction That Grabs Your Heart and Feeds Your Soul

American Revolution

New Beginnings

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The New Year is always a time for reflection. While others may commit to resolutions or one word to focus on for the new year, I tend to make it more of a time to contemplate many things: My writing, my goals, my relationships, my planner schedule! So much to be considered!

And as I think about starting a New Year, I want to be, more than anything, an obedient servant of the Lord. I want to pray more about each and every decision, trusting that God will show me the way.

While I want to attend every writer’s conference that I can, I pray for wisdom to choose the right ones.

While I want to write every novel idea swimming around in my head, I want to actually pen the ones that the Lord guides me to write.

While I want to do so many things this year, I need His wisdom to do that which pleases Him.

This may sound so simple. Yet in my busy life, which only seems to get busier, I need discernment. And I must pray for that and for wisdom, and for obedience to God’s direction.

To try to pick just one word for 2018 seems nearly impossible. And that’s OK. It may be a trendy post on social media to choose “one word” for the year but life is filled with many things, including my family who I treasure so very much.

One thing I know is that I have great anticipation for 2018. Somehow 2017 left me with many insecurities and yet I know if I entrust even this to God, He will refresh me with being secure in Him.

Promise of Deer Run - Cover

On Monday January 8, I’ll be participating in a nine-author Facebook party with books that contain the theme of “New Beginnings.” My 2nd Deer Run Saga book seems to fit that category, so I’ll be adding that book to the prize package. But for those who read this blog post and leave a comment, I will choose one winner of a signed paperback of Promise of Deer Run. Just a way to say “thanks” to my many supporters as we begin the year of our Lord, 2018! May your New Year be blessed!

To join the Jan. 8 party, go to this link.

 

If you’d like to subscribe to my blog, enter your email address in the appropriate box on the upper right of this page.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR and WELCOME, 2018!

 

Thanksgiving Tips from the Deer Run Saga

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With one hand in a cast from surgery, I am re-running a Thanksgiving post from a few years past. Hope you enjoy!

 

If you are blessed enough to be gathering with family and friends this Thanksgiving, you might be thinking that it’s a mixed blessing. We love our families, but they can sometimes say the wrong thing…or share an embarrassing story….or be grieving and need encouragement. So how can you handle these situations?

Perhaps Thanksgiving stories from the Deer Run Saga can give all of us a few pointers. When it came to family gatherings, the Lowe family could spark plenty of conversation!

 

Handle embarrassing moments with humor:

Children can say the most unexpected things, which can cause deep embarrassment, as well as hilarity. There was just such a moment in Road to Deer Run when six-year-old Sarah blurts out a phrase she has heard her mother say—without understanding it might be inappropriate in front of a male guest.

Road to Deer Run - Cover

It was a statement by her midwife/mother that started the verbal exchange:

 

“Well, I am so relieved that Missus Stearns did not begin her travail before I could partake of this Thanksgiving bounty.” The midwife sat back from the table, obviously satiated. “She should be sending for me any day now.”

 

“The husbands come home from war,” Sarah interjected, “and nine months later they are calling for the midwife. That is what mother always says.” Sarah resumed eating her cake, wiping crumbs off her blue woolen bodice.

Mary’s eyes opened wide and her cheeks turned bright red.

Widow Thomsen glared at her young daughter and said tersely, “That is what we say in the company of females only, Miss Sarah.”

“I am sorry, Mr. Lowe.” The girl paused in her eating and stared at her lap. “I did not realize that men did not know this was the way of it.”

Everyone stifled a laugh and Daniel nearly choked on his piece of cake, so amused was he by this exchange.

“That is quite all right, little miss. I am grateful to be informed of the ‘way of it.’” He stole a glance over toward Mary, who looked even more lovely with the scarlet in her cheeks. “Your cake is delightful.”

It was a brilliant strategy on Daniel’s part by not allowing Sarah to be humiliated and by changing the topic to diminish Mary’s embarrassment.

 

Allow those who are grieving to share their sadness:

Promise of Deer Run - Cover

In Promise of Deer Run, veteran James Thomsen, home from the Revolutionary War for several years now, is still plagued by the years away from Deer Run. He missed so many moments with his family while defending his country—moments in time lost forever. It was the sharing of a hilarious family memory that occurred while he was away at war that abruptly brought a stab of regret to James’ heart.

 

Her older brother abruptly stopped laughing and gazed with fondness at his little sister. “I did miss a great deal of your childhood, did I not? So many years at war… “ He stared into the distance with a sober expression.

 

Hannah took his hand. “We all missed you so, James. We knew why you needed to be gone. And we are so proud of you.” She leaned over and kissed her husband.

He smiled but the joy did not reach his sad eyes. “Thank you, Hannah, but those years with all of you are gone forever. That is what I regret the most.” He took a sip of wine from his tankard and sighed.

Everyone was quiet for several moments. It was Widow Eaton who broke the silence.

“Let us not dwell on the sad past but on our joyous and bountiful future.” She held up her tankard of wine. The others raised theirs as well.

“Hear, Hear!” The chorus rang out from all.

A hearty, “hear, hear” to Hannah for acknowledging her husband’s pain, for the group for not trying to diminish his loss, and for the widow who encouraged the group to have hope for a peaceful future and not dwell in the past.

 

Don’t spoil family conversation by speaking about politics:

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In Legacy of Deer Run, Thanksgiving dinner is filled with fine food and delightful conversation—until Susannah’s brother, Stephen, brings up politics.

“So what do you think of the election next month, Father?”

Mr. Dobbins scowled. “I think our country is in for another precarious attack upon our freedoms. With that extremist Jefferson in the running, no telling where our country is headed.”

Stephen nodded. “The newspapers are filled with attacks on President Adams—accusing him of being a monarchist, senile, vain and having an ‘ungovernable temper.’ ‘Tis getting fractious and ugly. And that beastly Burr running with Jefferson.” Stephen shook his head and took another sip of wine.

“Well, when the Electoral College meets December3, let us pray they remember Jefferson’s zealous support of the French, despite their attacking our naval vessels. I think Jefferson was in France far too long. His arrogance smacks of sedition.”

The room became very quiet.

Susannah grew very pale and she rested both hands on the table, gripping the tablecloth. Eyes narrowing, her voice trembled when she spoke.

“Do you think we will have another war, Father?”

 

What started out as the perfect Thanksgiving meal quickly morphed into a setting ripe for indigestion—and fear. The political conversation was halted by the men at the table, but it was too late to assuage Susannah’s anxiety. Words once spoken cannot be retrieved.

So when you gather with your family and friends this holiday, try to be sensitive to others who may be grieving, be careful to avoid distressing political talk, and by all means, keep a sense of humor if and when embarrassing moments occur. And if your family is anything like the Lowe’s, something unexpected can always happen!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staying Warm in Colonial America

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As I lay in bed in 2017 with the thermostat set in the low 70’s, I ponder the plight of our Colonial American forebears. They were just as in need of heat, yet spent much of their day working hard to keep themselves and their families from freezing to death. It was a daunting task in the best of circumstances.

Their main source of heat was the hearth. It could be huge by today’s standards, often measuring several feet in length. Yet the fire within served as oven, stove, and heat for the entire house. And while it may have seemed the warmth would be cozy, tales of frozen ink in inkwells just a few feet away from the furnace of fire stirs our imagination to see just how cold our ancestor’s homes were.

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Huge iron racks held hooks or chains of various length where pots could be held over the fire. An iron swinging crane allowed cooks to access the pots without getting so close to the embers. Women’s gowns were general made of wool which resisted catching fire if they stepped too close to the flames.

 

A tin reflector oven with a turning spit inside helped meats cook more quickly.

 

 

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A bee hive oven to the side of the main hearth was used to bake bread. Often the bottom of the oven was lined with oak leaves upon which the bread would be placed with a long-handled peel.

“Why don’t you and Sarah go aleafing while there’s still enough light of day? We want to have a good supply for the bread-making this winter.”

Excerpt from Road to Deer Run

 BedWarmer

The warm coals from the hearth were also used to bring warmth to other areas of the house as well. Bed chambers were notoriously freezing, so coals from the fireplace were placed into a warming pan and moved quickly back and forth between the sheets before slumber. If the warming pan was moved too slowly, the bed sheets could scorch.

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Coals from the hearth were also put into foot warmers which could be set near a person’s feet at table or put into a sleigh so that rider’s feet would not freeze during a winter’s travels.

 

Fires in the hearth were kept going all night long. Should the coals burn out, a youngster in the home would be sent to fetch hot coals from a neighbor’s house. But most families had some form of flint and steel with which to start a spark that would become a blaze of warmth.

 

He leaned into the hearth over the kindling and wood. Taking the cloth, he held it next to his flint and struck it on the curved steel bar. Within a moment, a wisp of smoke told him the linen had sparked. He quickly set it inside the nest of jute and laid it on the leaves. A flame erupted and soon blazed into the warmth they longed for.

Excerpt from Saratoga Letters

 

 To purchase Road to Deer Run, click here

To purchase Saratoga Letters, click here

 

Ten Years and One Day Later …

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Ten years and one day ago is a date I will not soon forget. It was the day I received an assignment that changed my life.

I realized this week that my family and I would be commemorating the 14th anniversary of my daughter Bethany’s home-going to heaven—always such a difficult anniversary to bear. Try as I might to be strong, the tears seem to ebb and flow like a turbulent tide during a hurricane.

Then I realized, the date of October 20, 2017, was significant for another reason: It was ten years to the day that I “heard” the call to write my first novel.

I wrote about this event in the memoir of my daughter’s battle with brain cancer, Bethany’s Calendar:

 

The story of my daughter's journey with cancer.
The story of my daughter’s journey with cancer.

On the fourth anniversary of Bethany’s death, I lay in bed without any intentions of getting up. I wanted to cover my head and hide from the world. I hated these dates of remembrance.

But God had other plans for me that day. With an inaudible voice speaking to my heart, I “heard” a very strange assignment. I was to write a novel about my ancestors during the American Revolution. The message was so clear to me yet so strange that I was embarrassed to tell Steve.

After all, although I had previously been a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines, I was now a fulltime nurse. Besides, the only time I had tried to write after Bethany’s death, I had melted into a pool of tears. I never wanted to write again.

And now I was being directed to write a historical novel. Okay, so I love history and family genealogy. But this made no sense.

Since our ways are not God’s ways, I decided to go to the used bookstore and start looking for books about American history. And the rest became part of my history as one novel turned into two, then two turned into three.

 

I wrote Bethany’s Calendar in 2014. Since then I’ve written three more historical novels and I am researching my next one.

Did I say that our ways are not God’s ways? See Isaiah 55:8-9. I cannot fathom His ways nor his purposes in all the plans he has for me. Yet I know that, if I am obedient to His Word and His sometimes bewildering beckonings, then I will find His purpose for my life. However strange His requests may sometimes seem.

Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit prompting you to do something unexpected? I’d love to hear your story.

The Surrender at Saratoga that Changed the World

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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

 

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and

Road to Deer Run

Road to Deer Run - Cover

 

240th Anniversary of the Battle of Saratoga

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September 19, 1777: Saratoga, New York State

 

A dead soldier lay on top of him, but William was too weak to push him off.

Was the corpse an insurgent or his mate? The king’s soldier couldn’t discern regimental colors in the thick, black smoke.

And blood was blood—the smell sickened no matter the allegiance of its owner. The sticky fluid oozed from William’s own arm and leg too. Perhaps his chest. Was his life ebbing closer to eternity? He tried to inhale, but the weight of the body squeezed the air from his lungs.

Dizziness overtook him.

Is this the end?

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And so begins Saratoga Letters, the story of both William and Abigail, followed by Ian and Abby. This two-part historical romance covers two separate stories, interconnected through the generations. It is a tale of war and the commemoration of that war two hundred years after the event.

 

Today marks the 240th Anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga that became known as the turning point of the American Revolution. It was the first great victory for the American Continental Army and drew the allegiance of France in fighting with the Americans against the British. It was a massive victory of mostly farmers armed with muskets fighting against the best trained army in the world at that time. Few believed it could be done, yet history proved the doubters wrong.

 

For more information about the Battles of Saratoga, I recommend Richard Ketchum’s book entitled Saratoga.

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For two historical romance novels set in this war, you can read Saratoga Letters (click here to purchase) or Road to Deer Run (click here to purchase). Also available in kindle.

 

So what drew my interest in this particular battle? It was a young British redcoat named Daniel who fought in the 21st Regiment of Foot in that battle. He was taken prisoner after the defeat, escaped the line of prisoners, and ended up in Massachusetts where Daniel met and married a young woman named Mary. Daniel Prince was my 4th great grandfather.

Elaine&Rock