Welcome Elaine! We are so happy to have you here this week as a follow up to the review of your lovely novel (posted here Oct 28), and that you have agreed to share a bit about yourself.
(Elaine) Thank you so much for having me!
Q: First of all, coffee or tea? In your story you show how tea was a sign of British loyalties, and how true Patriots only drank coffee.
A. In deference to Betsy Russell and the Patriots of 1775, I’ll have some coffee, please. Do you have any fresh milk? ;-)
Q: What causes are you passionate about, and do they find their way into your writing?
A. I am passionate about many things, mostly about injustice to the down trodden and poor. In my third book, “The Legacy of Deer Run,” I depicted the prejudices of the upper class townspeople to the “hill people” who were hard workers but quite poor. That attitude is so contrary to God’s teaching as described in James 2: 2-6. In Proverbs 29:7, it says “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” There are so many verses about the poor in Scripture that, were I to write them all down, it would take up this entire blog post and more!
Q: When did you first know you were a writer?
A. I’ve written stories and poems since I was a child but I suppose I understood that I might be a “writer” when a newspaper editor saw some of my work and she offered me an opportunity to do freelancing. I still find it difficult to grasp the concept of being called a writer. Every time someone introduces me as an author, I have this uncomfortable feeling that I should be looking around the room for the “real” author!
Q: If you could sit down and interview any person, fictitious or real from any time, who would that be and what is the first question you would ask?
A. I’ve always been intrigued by Mother Theresa and her work. I think I would love to sit down with her and ask, “How did you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is what God called you to do?” Imagine the love in her heart to reach out to those who many would prefer to ignore!
Q: Who have been your mentors, and how did they help you most?
My biggest mentor has been my husband, Steve. When I first met (and then married) newspaper reporter, Steve, I was intrigued by his job but never in a million years imagined that I would become a published author. When I, many years later, felt the compelling urge to write my first novel, Steve was instrumental in helping me hone my skills. I’ve always admired his work and hope that my writing is even half as good as his.
I’ve also learned so much about the craft from author/editor Lisa J. Lickel. She knows her history and she knows word “stuff!” LOL! And she taught me so much about writing book reviews, a skill that is tougher than many might think.
Q: What do you hope your readers will take away from your books? And can you hint at any works to come?
I want my readers to first of all be drawn into the characters in my story, to feel their fears, joys and hopes. But I also want my readers to come away spiritually awakened in some way so that they feel closer to God. Since I write historicals, I definitely want my readers to be swept up in another era so they can, hopefully, understand life long ago.
Works to come? I am taking a one-book-break from historical fiction to write about my journey with my daughter through her battle with brain cancer. She passed away ten years ago this month when she was only 24-years-old. What I hope to accomplish in Bethany’s Calendar is to show God’s grace and mercy in the midst of my life’s greatest trial. But I also hope that my journey with my daughter will help other families going through similar circumstances know how they can be an advocate for their loved one. And how they can survive, with God’s strength.
Q: Do you have a question you would like our blog readers to answer?
Hello blog readers! I would like to know if you like a historical novel that has lots of romance, or if you prefer historical fiction with just a small taste of “love in the air.”J
A copy of Fields of the Fatherless will be drawn for one lucky winner via random.org on Friday. You can gain extra entries by subscribing to this blog, Elaine's blog, and sharing on fb, twitter, or google+ at top right ADD THIS bar. Tell me in the comments where you shared, and don't forget to leave your email addy with your answer to Elaine's question.
(Kathy) Thank you for being with us this week. I wish you every blessing as you write for His glory!
(Elaine) Thank you so much, Kathleen!
ABOUT FIELDS OF THE FATHERLESS:
Sometimes the greatest stories of bravery and sacrifice are hidden from the history books. Sometimes those stories need to be told.
In the early months of 1775, war is brewing in the American colonies. Although frightened, eighteen-year-old Betsy Russell of Menotomy Village, Massachusetts, wants to be prepared in case of attack by the British troops.
Her father, prosperous farmer Jason, is the fourth generation of Russells on this land—yet their very rights as British Colonials are being stripped away one by one. Will the King of England take the Russells’ land as well?
Tensions are growing here in the countryside west of Boston and the outbreak of battle seems almost a certainty. Jason desperately wants to protect his family—his wife, children and grandchildren—and their future. Betsy makes every attempt to be prepared for the worst.
But not even the American militia could have predicted what was about to occur—right on the Russells’ doorstep. If Betsy loses everything she holds dear, are the rights of all the Colonists endangered? (Based on a true story.)
Novelist Elaine Marie Cooper is the author of The Road to Deer Run, The Promise of Deer Run and The Legacy of Deer Run. Her passions are her family, her faith in Christ and the history of the American Revolution, a frequent subject of her historical fiction. She grew up in Massachusetts, the setting for many of her novels. Fields of the Fatherless releases October 2013.
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Ruth Logan Herne loves Charlie Brown Christmas trees, rooting for the underdog and people who go the distance while others see the path as too long or broken! She loves God, chocolate, writing, dogs and is blessed by a sprawling family, oodles of grandkids and a sweet old farmhouse in constant need of work. She's sure that clean rooms are over-rated, snakes and possums should mind their own business and buy their own farm and puppies and kittens and babies are about the cutest things on Earth. A "pull-up-your-big-girl-panties-and-move-on" kind of gal, she is blessed to be married to her high school sweetheart (although it wasn't as if THEY WERE KNOCKING DOWN THE DOOR to challenge him for her!!!), work with young families who allow her to exploit their sweet children on blogs, and rock babies on a regular basis. An author for Love Inspired Books and Summerside Press, she lives in upstate New York. 
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