Award-winning Iowa author, Elaine Marie Cooper’s passion for Colonial American history—in particular the Revolutionary War—springs from her deep Massachusetts roots. Growing up, she took every opportunity to visit the historic sites surrounding Boston. The benefits of those early excursions permeate her historical fiction works today.
Her dad was her first writing-cheerleader. “He encouraged me to create a story about my hamster who escaped his cage and got lost in our attic. I am forever grateful to Dad for his belief in me that I could write.”
When she was sixteen, her dad’s job transferred them to Northern California. Elaine was miserable. Her thick Boston accent hindered her communication with others. It seemed she’d moved to a foreign country. Learning how to say a hard “R” sound helped others understand her better and within a few years her life had changed greatly. She’d committed her life to Christ and had met and married her husband. “I learned that even in difficult circumstances, God has a plan for our lives.”
While working fulltime as a nurse, she wrote her first book, Road to Deer Run, and as a new and inexperienced author, decided to self-publish. “I encourage new authors to never choose that route for their first book. Attending writer’s conferences, honing their craft in classes, and connecting with writers and editors in the industry is a great way for writers to improve their writing and meet up with acquisition editors and agents.”
Now retired from active nursing, Elaine works in a medically-related computer job and still finds time to write. “I think writing is so deeply embedded in my heart, I can’t imagine life without creating fictional stories. Though hard work, it’s incredibly satisfying.”
She recently finished a novel about slavery in Rhode Island around the time of the American Revolution. “It was one of the most difficult stories to research because it tore at my heart to realize how abundant slavery was in the northern colonies.”
She’s finished her ninth book, with eight of those contracted for publication. War’s Respite and Love’s Kindling both released this month on Kindle, and she has contracts for two more books in the series.
Elaine’s books can be purchased on her Amazon Author page, and you can connect with her via Facebook at Elaine Marie Cooper, Author or subscribe to her website at www.elainemariecooper.com.
“Yer courage is not in the feelin’ of it but in the doin’ of it, despite yer fear.” — Love’s Kindling
