I was born on October 22, 1993 in Salt lake City, UT but I spent the majority of my early years outside Jackson, MS. My mother and her family are from central Virginia and both she and my father love history and have taken me on many day trips to historical sites. I am also the descendent of George Brinton McClellan, Civil War general for the Union, prior to Ulysses S. Grant. I think these parts of my heritage may have played a significant role in my later love for the American Civil War era.
I first developed an interest in writing when I was in elementary school ( in the 2 nd grade!) I have always had a vivid imagination and have been very dramatic by nature (my family and friends lovingly call me the “Drama Queen”). I often become engrossed and passionate (some would even say obsessive) about things of interest to me. Some of my earlier passions include wanting to live in the jungles of Africa, dinosaurs, ancient Egypt, Native American cultures, wolves, and horses, among others.
I took a real interest in the Civil War era as I studied it for an independent project and class presentation I was doing in our school’s G/T program when I was in the 5 th grade. I found that as I became further involved in this project, the Civil War became very real to me. I actually developed one specific Civil War character in my head and loved imagining scenes involving him. Our study of the Civil War continued in the 6 th grade, when I was 12 years old, and my love for this era grew even more as I did another project for history class involving significant research for yet another class presentation. I found that my passion for the subject always drove me to far exceed teacher expectations and project requirements. Therefore, I decided to incorporate and write down some of the things I had learned in my study with the vivid scenes I had imagined with my character. As the very beginnings of this first story surfaced, I found that the vivid descriptions of the battle scenes and surroundings just flowed, and the story grew from there. My mom read the work and was very impressed. She thought it was good enough to be published (Of course she did. She’s my mom!) However, she suggested that I tone down some of the descriptions of the bloody battles and graphic descriptions of death, dismemberment, etc., and she did a preliminary edit of the work. It’s still pretty graphic in some places, but it was more so before.
When I searched online and I found a real editor, Chuck Vermillion, he also thought the work worthy of publication but felt that the work was too long to be published as a short story, but too short to be a stand-alone volume. So, he suggested that I write several additional stories with some common theme and publish them as an anthology. He and his wife Yvonne Vermillion have been immensely helpful in figuring out how to make this publication happen. While he had the first story in line for editing, I decided the subject matter for my other two stories (Native Americans and pioneers) and set to work again.
I started work on Answer the Call (what is now the third story in my book) but I then learned of a 3-day trek in Martin’s Cove in Wyoming, where the Willie and Martin handcart companies were trapped in harsh winter weather in 1856. I decided to participate in the trek to get that first-hand, personal experience to use in my writing before finishing the piece. Meanwhile, I wrote Traitor to My Blood since I also had a fascination and real respect for the Native American cultures. In June, 2006 I returned from the Wyoming trek very moved and better prepared to continue my writing. Some of the things I learned and felt through that experience were too personal and touching to write about or put into words, I was so deeply effected. I was then a little wiser and more seasoned by the realities of that experience when I completed the 3 rd story at the age of 13. I call my book Courage to Stand, and of course, the common theme in these 3 stories is young female heroines who triumph over adversity. I strongly identify with each heroine. I wrote a little of my own personality into these characters, yet each has taken on a life of her own. I hope you, too, find meaning in them, as I have.
My current passions include Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, and Broadway Musicals in general, and I look forward to participating in drama class in high school. I also love animals, have an acute interest in animal rights, and am a vegetarian. I am an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and live with my family in the beautiful Inland Northwest. I have a younger sister, Erika (11years old), and an ADORABLE little brother, Jacob (3).
Current literary works in progress include a fan-fiction sequel to Phantom of the Opera, an epic fantasy as a planned trilogy, several adventure stories, and other works in various stages of completion. I hope to travel extensively to enrich my writing, and I am excited to see where this new life’s journey (my writing) ultimately takes me. I thank you for your interest in my work and may the messages I share through my writing speak to you as they do to me.
Elisa Brinton
Videos filmed by Miss Dankel, Elisa Brinton's Starburst teacher in 4th and 5th grade
during an independent study project with her which led to her book.
