A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of reading Bethany’s calendar. With honesty and transparency, Elaine Cooper lets us into her heart and her home, taking us through the difficult days of her daughter’s journey with cancer.
Elaine graciously encourages others through the sharing of their story. Each step along the way Elaine shares lessons she learned that can help other caregivers and those close to them during the difficult days of disease, pain and death. And always she points us to God.
Bethany’s calendar is a courageous reminder that even in the darkness, there is light. Here is a look at the book and the author.
Meet the Author
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Elaine Marie Cooper has released her first non-fiction book, Bethany’s Calendar. It is a personal memoir of her daughter who died of a brain tumor and how the Lord was their strength during the darkest journey of their lives.As a novelist, Elaine Marie Cooper has written the award-winning Fields of the Fatherless and the Deer Run Saga. 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.
About Bethany’s Calendar
In January of 2002, Elaine’s world flipped upside down. What started out as a beautiful New Year for the mom of three, turned into a living nightmare when her 23-year-old daughter, Bethany was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor.
In the months to come, Elaine not only used her nurse’s training, she learned to recognize the hand of God on her daughter’s life. Bethany’s Calendar tells the story of Elaine and Bethany’s journey and the many ways God helped their family to survive. It is a story of fear and faith, commitment and compassion, told with gut-wrenching honesty while sharing unwavering faith in God.
Q & A with Elaine
What books have influenced your life the most? The Bible led me to my Savior, Jesus Christ and helped me understand my need for salvation. As far as fiction goes, I read a book by Taylor Caldwell when I was a teenager entitled “Pillar of Iron.” What impressed me about that novel was the depth and length of research the author carried into the creating of that story. The inspirational fiction books by Karen Kingsbury (especially her Redemption series) made me aware of the impact that Christian fiction can have on weaving real life scenarios with hope through Jesus Christ. I know her creativity impacted my view of Christian fiction more than any other author has done since.
What book are you currently reading? I just finished a wonderful historical novel set in WWII in a Wyoming Japanese internment camp. The book is called Under the Silk Hibiscus by Alice Wisler, and it swept me away to an unfamiliar time and place. I learned so much about the treatment of Americans of Japanese descent during that war and it was heartbreaking yet filled with faith and hope.
Tell us about getting your mind in a creative mode. How do you begin your writing process? I think my creativity gets sparked by research—and you never know where inspiration will spark! My latest manuscript that I just completed, entitled Saratoga Letters, was partly inspired by a lost motel key in Saratoga Springs, New York! Combine that with a mention by a historian at the Saratoga National Park Service that there had been a huge re-enactment and commemoration in 1977 of the war that had occurred in 1777, and my writer’s mind went into overdrive! LOL I ended up with a two-part novel, separated by 200 years, yet connected through ancestors and descendants. It was the most challenging book, research-wise, that I’ve ever done.
Do you have a separate space set up in your home or a favorite place to write/be creative? I used to work at a desk that was in the main area of the house. However, I decided I really needed a separate office space to not only concentrate more when I write, but to also get up from my desk and leave my work behind occasionally. Everyone needs a break and having my desk in an easily accessible location made it difficult to concentrate on my family and other obligations.
What is your current release about? Bethany’s Calendar is a departure from my usual genre of historical fiction. It is a nonfictional memoir of my daughter’s battle with brain cancer, one of the greatest trials our family has ever experienced. I honestly did not want to write about this journey of pain but the Lord made it clear to me that He wanted me to do just that. Bethany’s Calendar is a book geared toward caregivers, patients and friends and family members who wish to be helpful during a crisis. There is no experience that can prepare you when a terminal illness afflicts a loved one. I pray that our story will help others on their own difficult journey.
What was the hardest thing about writing this book? Reliving the moments of shock, desperation and pain that we went through, from Bethany’s diagnosis all the way to her eventual passing. I knew the writing would be difficult so I asked friends and family to pray for me as I wrote. I definitely felt the prayers, as the words flowed easily from my thoughts into my fingers and onto my laptop. It was perhaps the easiest manuscript I’ve ever written by the fact that I wrote it so fast, as though it was a river of memory escaping from a dam that had held in the pain for too long.
Which part of your book was the most enjoyable to write? The day I spent reading all of Bethany’s journals to glean excerpts for beginning each chapter was a mazing. I had never before sat down and read through all of her thoughts that she had penned through the years. I was SO blessed by her insights about life and her faith in Jesus Christ. Words can’t adequately express my gratitude at seeing how the Lord had worked in her heart. What a joy.
Do you plan on writing other non-fiction books? I don’t have any current plans for that—but you never know what plans the Lord may have. I just pray that my writer’s heart will listen to His voice.
Stop by and visit Elaine on her website
or one of her social media spot!
