Good morning, Whisperer's! We're winding down the month of July, GASP! So soon? Anyway, we're pressing on, and I'm delighted to bring you an innterview with author Linda Shenton Matchett, and a peek into both her life, and an her exiting book release. Won't you join us?
Hi, Linda, welcome to Whispers in
Purple. It’s great to have you here. Let’s chat a while.
PEG: How do you start your day?
LINDA:
I’m an early riser, but not necessary coherent right away, so I head to the
shower to wake up. Then I wander to my office for my devotional and prayer
time. After that, I do a quick check of email and social media. I only allow
myself fifteen minutes for that, otherwise I’d never get anything done. Then I
start writing whatever is on my schedule for that day (my work in progress,
blog posts, or any freelance assignments I’ve got in the hopper).
PEG: What five words best describe you?
LINDA: Christian,
Humorous, Driven, Organized, History Junkie (That’s two words. Should I
hyphenate it to make it count?!)
Peg: How long have you been writing?
LINDA:
I’ve been writing since I was eight years old. My parents gave me my first
tablet and a set of pens for my birthday that year. The pens ran out of ink long
ago, but I still have the tablet full of stories and ideas. I quit writing for
a while during college and my years working in Corporate America. In 2002, I
rediscovered my love for writing when my husband and I moved to New Hampshire.
PEG: What authors have inspired or mentored you?
LINDA:
I have been incredibly blessed to be mentored by several excellent authors. Eva
Marie Everson was my mentor for two years during my Christian Writer’s Guild classes.
Then I participated in a three day writer’s retreat with Hallie Ephron, Susan
Hubbard, and Roberta Islieb, where I got one-on-one coaching as well as
specific feedback/critique on the manuscript I was working on at the time. I
see them each year at the Crimebake Conference, and they check in to see how
things are going. Always the teacher, Hallie never fails to respond if I email
her with a question. The author who first inspired me was Betty Smith who wrote
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I read the
book as a young teen, and it impacted me immensely. That was when I knew I
wanted to publish stories to make a difference in other people’s life.
PEG: What is your favorite food?
LINDA: Dessert!
PEG: What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
LINDA:
Hmmm. Good question. Many folks would probably say it was leaving my
well-paying corporate job to move to New Hampshire to purchase and operate a
Bed and Breakfast. Some days, I might agree with them!
PEG: Describe your writing process.
LINDA:
I am definitely a plotter, but my stories are character driven. I tend to write
about women in unusual jobs primarily during WWII: war correspondent,
photojournalist, Land Army girl, USO volunteer, to name a few. I decide who
they are and create their entire history, then I determine the “what if” about
them. Once I’ve done that, I outline the story start to finish and flesh out
the other characters as they appear in the outline. When the outline is
complete, I make a list of the items that need to be researched. After the
research is complete, I start writing the story. My process sounds regimented,
but my characters have been known to wander off the path. When they do, I
follow where they take me.
PEG: Okay, let’s talk about your book:
·
·
Publisher:
Amazon (indie published)
·
Release
date: March 30, 2016
·
Genre:
Historical Romance
·
Buy Links:
www.amazon.com/dp/B01DMB3ZX2
PEG: Tell us a little bit about it and how you came to write it.
LINDA: Love’s Harvest is a fictionalization of the book of Ruth
set between 1923 and 1946. Many years ago, I read Francine River’s Redeeming Love, a fictionalization of
the book of Hosea set during the old West. It is an amazing story I read every
couple of years. Since originally reading it, I’ve wanted to use the same
concept and toyed with idea of doing a fictionalization about Priscilla and Aquila,
but the story never solidified. Last year, I was studying the book of Ruth when
members of my group blog suggested we write a collection of novellas. I
immediately knew Ruth was my story, and the WWII era would be the perfect time
period in which to set it. After that, the other plot pieces came together
quickly.
PEG: Give us the back cover blurb.
LINDA: Noreen
Hirsch loses everything including her husband and two sons. Then her adopted
country goes to war with her homeland. Has God abandoned her?
Rosa Hirsch barely adjusts to being a bride before she is
widowed. She gives up her citizenship to accompany her mother-in-law to her
home country. Can Rosa find acceptance among strangers who hate her belligerent
nation?
Basil Quincey is rich beyond his wildest dreams, but
loneliness stalks him. Can he find a woman who loves him and not his money?
Three people. One God who can raise hope from the ashes of
despair.
PEG: Where can folks find you on the Internet?
· Website: www.LindaShentonMatchett.com
· Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZcKFOPJxA
· Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/LindaShentonMatchettAuthor
· Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett
· Google+: lindasmatchett@gmail.com
· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15140007.Linda_Shenton_Matchett
· Other: www.linkedin.com/in/authorlindamatchett
Thank you, Linda for
being my guest and sharing a bit about yourself. God’s blessings on you and
your writing journey.
Thanks for having me today, Peggy. It's a pleasure to be here!
ReplyDeleteThe pleasure is all mine, Linda. I appreciated your taking the time to visit. Blessings
ReplyDelete