Interview with Linda Shenton Matchett

Where did you grow up and attend school? Are there any other authors in your family? 

My dad worked for IBM, so we moved several times during my childhood, but I primarily grew up in Maryland and New Jersey. I’m the only author, but we are a very creative family – mostly music and art.

How did you get started writing? How old were you? What made you want to start? What did you enjoy reading as a child? 

I’ve been writing since I was about seven or eight years old. My parents must have seen some sort of interest because they gave me a writing tablet and package of pens and encouraged me to use them. (I still have the notebook!) My parents are both readers, so we were introduced to books at a young age, and I typically read above my grade level. When I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn I knew I wanted to be an author to affect people like that book affected me.

How and when did you and your husband meet? Was it love at first sight? What does he think about your being an author? 

I met my husband, Wes, when I was a junior in high school. My family had just moved (again!), and he was in the youth group at church. It was definitely not love at first sight for me – I was still mad at my father for relocating us, and I had left a boyfriend in NJ so I wasn’t looking to date anyone. Wes is my biggest fan and encourages me every day about my writing.

How old are your children? Do they read your books? Have any of them got the writing bug, as well?

We don’t have any children. Just a Boston Terrier, and he’s more interested in sleeping on the couch than reading!

How do you research the communities and people you write about? Do you find yourself having do a lot of research? 

I love the research aspect of writing (sometimes too much), and I do quite a bit of research before ever setting pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard). My books are set in England, so I had to do a lot of research to make sure things were in the right place, etc. I’ve contacted museums, interviewed people, read first person accounts of events, and of course web searches for information. I’m proud to say that when my editor read my first book she asked when I had visited London, and at that point I had not been there yet.

Which is your favorite book? Do you have a character in your books you identify with the most?

My favorite book is Love’s Harvest which is based on Ruth (one of my favorite books of the Bible). I modernized it and set it during WWII. I identified with Noreen, the Naomi character. Life has been difficult for her, which causes her to question God, but in the end she realizes he has been in control and has her best interests at heart.

 Blurb for Love Found in Sherwood Forest

Award-winning Broadway actress Leighanne Webster has it all until an on-stage panic attack brings her career crashing to the ground. Returning to England to help produce the annual Robin Hood Festival play could e the diversion Leighanne needs. But with ex-fiance Jamison Blake as the play's director, focusing on her new job won't be easy.

Breaking his engagement with Leighanne so she could pursue her dream of being a Broadway star was the hardest thing Jamison Blake ever did. When she returns to Nottingham, his heart insists he made a mistake. Can he convince her to give their relationship another try, or will he have to let her go again? This time for good.

Linda Shenton Matchett
www.lindashentonmatchett.com
www.stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com

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Love's Harvest: Now available in paperback and eBook on www.amazon.com/dp/B01DMB3ZX2

Love Found in Sherwood Forest: Now available in paperback and eBook on www.amazon.com/dp/B01ION3QAA

Linda Shenton Matchett is a journalist, blogger of all things historical, and author of Love’s Harvest, a fictionalization of the biblical book of Ruth set during WWII. Her second book Love Found in Sherwood Forest is due out in November, 2016.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry, Linda has lived in historical places most of her life-from Edison, New Jersey (named for the famed inventor of the lightbulb) and Washington, DC to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (reputed to be the oldest summer resort in America).

A freelance writer for over ten years, her articles and devotionals have appeared in numerous print and online publications. A varied career has included stints as a crisis counselor, human resources professional, bed and breakfast owner, and youth center director. She is currently the Front of House, Snackbar, and Catering Manager for Brewster Academy, a boarding high school.

In her off hours, she can be found volunteering as a docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and as a Trustee for the Wolfeboro Public Library. She is active in her church where she serves as treasurer, usher, choir member, and Bible study leader.

Linda is also a motivational speaker. Available topics include Life on the (WWII) Home Front, Wartime Baking, Women in the (WWII) Workforce, The Writer’s Life, God in the Workplace, The Proverbs 31 Gal: The Woman We Love to Hate, and Ruth: Lessons from a Foreigner.

Her blog, History, Mystery, & Faith, contains posts on little known facts about WWII, information about writers from the Golden Age of mystery writers (1930s and 1940s), author interviews, and adventures in research. Visit her at www.LindaShentonMatchett.com.