Cape Girardeau woman releases first book of historical romance trilogy

Elizabeth Armstrong developed a passion for writing when she was in second grade from listening to her grandmother's stories. Now she is a published author working on a planned trilogy of historical romance novels.

Armstrong's new book, "Guardian of Her Heart," is the first book in the series.

The plot, set in the early 1800s, follows a young woman named Rosabelle Elizabeth Anderson, who flees from her home in Boston after her fiancee attempts to murder her. A secret clause in her father's will requires her to be married by the age of 19 in order to secure her inheritance. She, her "obnoxious" best friend and her maid go to live with her father's business partner, Earl Gabriel Westfield, in London, where her new guardian attempts to secure a betrothal for Anderson.

"Basically, he's English nobility," Armstrong said. "He's a business partner with this young woman's parents, and they die in an accident. He ends up basically having to take her in. She becomes his ward now that she's orphaned, and he's aware of this clause in the will when she's not.

"He doesn't want to get married, but he's convinced he can find a husband for her. So he moves her to England with her obnoxious best friend, and they just ruin every prospect he tries to set up in really humorous ways."

Elizabeth Armstrong

Armstrong, who is from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, but now resides in Cape Girardeau, was inspired to write the story while spending time with her late husband, Michael, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

"This sounds kind of sad, but my husband became really ill and he ended up in the heart-transplant program at Barnes," Armstrong said. "We spent a lot of time in the hospital and I was super energetic. So he's like, 'We've got to find something for you to do.' I always loved that period in terms of novels and things, and he's like, 'Well, why don't you try writing a book?' And he said, 'Then you can read me the chapters; it'll help me feel better and give you something to do so you're not terrorizing the nurses.' It just kind of stemmed from there.

"Then, the nurses would come in, and his doctor, and they found out what I was doing, so then they wanted to read the chapters as they got done," Armstrong said. "Heck, you've got to finish a book after that because of performance pressures."

Michael was diagnosed with heart failure and was on the list to receive a transplant, but he died before he was able to receive it.

"It was on and off, he had a massive heart attack about five years ago," Armstrong said. "And then, every year, we would go through periods. I worked for Drury Hotels at their call center, and they were so supportive. It was cute because the girls in the call center would read the chapters, too."

Armstrong said "Guardian of Her Heart" is recommended for fans of historical romance and authors Diana Palmer and Lisa Kleypas. The book is published by Page Publishing and is available online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play and Barnes and Noble.

The second book in the trilogy is already written, and Armstrong said she plans to have it out next year.