Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Up Close and Personal w/author Linda Shenton Matchett



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?

Freelance writer for over ten years, Linda Shenton Matchett has had a wide and varied career that includes stints as a Human Resources professional, youth center director, B&B owner, and dining services manager. She loves history of all kinds, and serves as a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII. A member of Sisters in Crime and ACFW, Linda writes historical and mystery fiction. She was a semi-finalist in ACFW’s 2013 and 2015 Genesis contests. She makes her home in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region with her husband Wes and fur-baby, Ben.

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:
·      
Title:  Love’s Harvest
·       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.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me today, Peggy. It's a pleasure to be here!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The pleasure is all mine, Linda. I appreciated your taking the time to visit. Blessings

    ReplyDelete