Books by Elaine Littau:
Nan's Journey- Book 1
by
Elaine Littau
We must leave. This is not our home anymore.
Desperate to save her life and that of her five-year-old brother, Nan packs and flees an abusive home, embarking on a journey that will test her faith, determination, and spirit. Set in the 1800's, Nan's Journey, follows Nan and her brother Elmer as they seek safety and find refuge and hope in the arms of a family of strangers--including Fred Young, a disgruntled preacher-turned-mountain man, who reaches out to help, only to find a hope and love renewed in his own heart. In her first novel, author Elaine Littau weaves memorable characters into the vivid background of the wild, unsettled heart of America, presenting readers with the timeless struggle of overcoming adversity, and seeking hope above all through Nan's Journey.
I want to tell you about how I felt about writing "Nan's Journey". I was a young mother raising my three sons. I loved reading after they all went to bed and while my husband watched football on television. After reading stacks and stacks of books, I could almost put together a book in my head. One day, I was cleaning up the kitchen while my boys were at school and I recalled a scene from "Gunsmoke", the televison series that my mom and dad and I watched every week when I was a kid.
There was a young girl who was brought to the doctor. She had been beaten by one of her parents. As a young child, I had never seen anything like that, so I guess that is why, even years past, it came to mind.
I sat at the table with a yellow legal pad and began to write the first scene of "Nan's Journey". After an hour or so, I put it away and only worked on it in spurts through the next seven or so years. I wanted to finish what I started so at long last it was done. It was released Jan 2007.
Elk's Resolve-B00k 2
by
Elaine Littau
His heritage was all white man. Driven to escape his past and the demons who haunt him, Elk discovers a love he long thought dead. Set against the rugged beauty o f the Colorado Rockies of the 1800s, Elk's Resolve follows the travails and triumphs of Elk, the White Indian. Guided by the hand of God, he finds his true self and defeats the voices who demand his destruction. In Elk's Resolve, Book II of the Nan's Heritage Series, author Elaine Littau depicts characters who struggle with hatred, depression, loss and fear. Full of passion, heartbreak, romance, rivalry, and hope, Elk's Resolve will fascinate you from the first page.
"Elk's Resolve" was a continuation of Nan's story. At first, I didn't know whether to begin it with her oldest children's childhood, but then it seemed to make more sense to start with them as young adults. My husband, Terry, was very involved with ideas and suggestions for this book. I had to tone some of them down a bit, but after it was finished, I was very happy with the story.
I wrote it while the first book was in editing. I decided that I needed to write while my confidence was up. It was a great experience.
Luke's Legacy-Book 3
by
Elaine Littau
Pursuit of adventure caused Luke and Bonnie to join the wagon train west. Thirst for love drove Ruby away from her loving home and caused her to grow up faster than her thirteen years could fathom. Catastrophe caught Luke in its clutches and made him choose the legacy he would leave behind. In Luke’s Legacy, Book III of the Nan’s Heritage Series, author Elaine Littau depicts characters that must live with the decisions they make. Full of passion, heartbreak, deception, romance, and resolve, Luke’s Legacy promises to hold you captive from the first pages. .
I really connected with some of the new characters that were introduced in "Elk's Resolve" and didn't want to leave their story unfinished. Purdy is a favorite of mine because she says what she thinks and has a pure heart.
The struggle between Ruby and Nan was something that is timeless. I think I cried more in the writing of scenes in this book than any other. "Luke's Legacy" is my favorite of the first four...but then, when I think of the others, they all hold my heart.
The Eyes of a Stranger- Book 4
Rejection was an emotion Gertie Brenan knew well. At the age of eighteen, she finds herself at the threshold of life and comes to realize that because of the rejection of her fiancé, many options are open to her. In her childhood rejection held her captive. Now, it gives her freedom that few women of her time were afforded.
Set in the beauty of Denver, Colorado in the 1860s, The Eyes of a Stranger follows vivid characters who are fraught with conflict, sorrow, and the tenacity to build a life in the frontier of the Western United States.
Gertie was introduced in "Luke's Legacy". I never intended to tell her story in detail, but after finishing the edits for Luke, I just had to explore her reasons for being on that train. I had to know what happened to her.
Her story could have gone in so many ways, but I am very happy with how everything came out.
Timothy's Home - Book 5
Was released on Oct 2011.
Timothy's Home is the story of a young boy who is sent to Trinidad, Colorado in a big old trunk that had been abandoned at the train station for twenty years. He interacts with Nan and Fred's family and begins a new life in Colorado only to be jerked out of his new home by terrible circumstances. He longs to have a home and family. This is the story of Timothy's struggle to find a home.
For those of you who have read "Nan's Journey", this story tells what happened to the trunk that was sent to Boston. You won't have to have read any of the other books to understand this book. It stands on it's own.
The research on this one was very fun. I even built a model of a 20 mule team. (I owed one to my older brother, but that is another story.)
I think you will love this story as much as I do.
Rescued...A Series Of Hope
This is the new series that will begin Feb 2012. We are not saying 'goodbye' to the Young family. We are branching out from the first series. This series will follow the girls who were rescued in the Nan's Heritage Series.
Each book will tell of at least one of the girls and what their life was like before, during, and after their capture.
You will be introduced to new characters that will move you. Each book will continue to have a primary life message that is timeless. It fit in the 1800s and it fits today. Be sure to let me know what you think of these series written from my heart.
Book I of Rescued...A Series of Hope,
Some Happy Day
Some Happy Day will be released in February 2012.
Nobel Reeves was startled to see a toddler stumbling in the tall prairie grasses. Her family was nowhere in sight. He had do care for the tyke, but how, when he had a price on his head?
