I started writing at age nine and have never stopped. From 1992 to 2013 I taught at the United Nations International School in New York City. During this time, I wrote social studies curriculum on the American Revolution.
I became somewhat obsessed with the topic, particularly the people who came together during this time period to change the course of history.
One of them was Thomas Paine, author of the pamphlet Common Sense, who inspired the people of the 13 colonies to fight for independence from Britain.
For me, no other person has demonstrated the Power of the Pen as much as he did. Thomas Paine and others were the inspiration for my historical novel, Hart's Tavern, based on the actual tavern in Patchogue, Long Island.
For many years I worked as a staff journalist for the Suffolk County News and published freelance articles for several other publications. From 2005 to 2012, I was Editor in Chief of the Fire Island Tide where I managed a staff of 20 writers and edited their work to produce an 80-page bi-weekly magazine.
I wrote an editorial, feature stories, and conducted an interview for each issue with individuals such as New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Fire Island National Seashore Superintendent Chris Soller. During my tenure, the paper won several Folio and Press club awards for editorial, best feature, trend of the year, and humor.
Right now, I am a columnist covering Ocean Beach, Fire Island as I work on my next book.
Published Works:
Psoline
In May 1911 Frances Furbisher leaves her home in London to live with her cousin, Psoline, at Elvira Manor, one of the great Long Island estates of the Gilded Age. She hopes to escape her depression and shame after a humiliating, failed engagement, but her problems only multiply when she falls in love with the estate's arborist, Jack, whom she believes is married. Furthermore, Psoline and Jack are in the midst of a feud. Frances soon learns that Psoline is reckless and manipulative and will do anything it takes to get what she wants, including changing the course of Frances' life.
Can Frances cope with raising a child that is not her own? Does Jack love her, or does he love another? What secrets does Elvira Manor hold? Frances must find answers to these questions as she learns that no one can control their destiny, and that falling in love is a trajectory that cannot be stopped. Things are happening today, perhaps at this very moment, that will determine our future, but we do not see them.
Published 2021 by Solstice Publishing.
The Unicorn Trap
Written under the pen name, E.C. Crimson, Elaine Kiesling Whitehouse's latest historical fiction book, The Unicorn Trap, was launched on November 13, 2018. This book takes place during the Middle Ages.
Beautiful, impetuous Tansy St, Clair has just made the biggest mistake of her life. Pressured and tricked into taking part in a wicked scheme, she is filled with remorse. She seeks the advice of the only woman she trusts, and the two devise a daring plan. Tansy now must face grave danger as she navigates long, winding staircases and a labyrinth-like dungeon beneath Radcliffe Castle to try save the man she has betrayed.
Tansy is training to become a lady in waiting under the tutelage of Lady Agravain, Lord Radcliffe's mother. Her position of favor as the alchemist's daughter and her extraordinary beauty are cause for jealousy among three other young ladies in training who will stop at nothing to thwart Tansy. Furthermore, one of Radcliffe's knights is seeking a wife. The three jealous ladies have their sights on him, but he only has eyes for Tansy.
Is it too late for Tansy to undo the harm she has done? Will she be forced to marry someone she despises, or will she be able to find true love? Find out in this breathless tale of love and betrayal, bravery and tragedy.
Published 2018 by Solstice Publishing.
Hart's Tavern
Enchanting Novel Delivers New Insights…
"Hart's Tavern brings to life the remarkable stories of four very different women whose lives fatefully cross during one of the most turbulent times in American history."
During her years of study of the American Revolution, author Elaine Kiesling Whitehouse discovered fascinating and often untold stories of the roles played by American women during the seven-year British occupation of Long Island, New York. These stories became her inspiration for creating Hart's Tavern.
In this novel, the lives of four young women from unique circumstances collide in the confines of a small tavern in rural Long Island. Hannah Hart is the daughter of the inn's proprietor. She wonders about her future as war looms, and suspects that her father and brother are involved in a spy ring.
Evie is the family's young slave who is in love with a Patriot spy and longs to be free. Violet White is a beautiful and conflicted British schoolmistress, and Wyanjoy is an intuitive Native American struggling to survive as her tribe dwindles.
Using the backdrop of Long Island's famous Culper spy ring and the atrocities of the British occupying forces, Whitehouse reveals the resilience, bravery, and moral clarity in the difficult actions and decisions made by these four strong women.
Hart's Tavern, the American Revolution, and the Culper spy ring are all very real, and so are the stories of the women who helped to create what became the United States. Their story is an inspiration and should serve as a lesson for us all.
I started writing at age nine and have never stopped. From 1992 to 2013 I taught at the United Nations International School in New York City. During this time, I wrote social studies curriculum on the American Revolution.
In May 1911 Frances Furbisher leaves her home in London to live with her cousin, Psoline, at Elvira Manor, one of the great Long Island estates of the Gilded Age. She hopes to escape her depression and shame after a humiliating, failed engagement, but her problems only multiply when she falls in love with the estate's arborist, Jack, whom she believes is married. Furthermore, Psoline and Jack are in the midst of a feud. Frances soon learns that Psoline is reckless and manipulative and will do anything it takes to get what she wants, including changing the course of Frances' life.
Written under the pen name, E.C. Crimson, Elaine Kiesling Whitehouse's latest historical fiction book, The Unicorn Trap, was launched on November 13, 2018. This book takes place during the Middle Ages.
Enchanting Novel Delivers New Insights…
