Author Interview with Linda Shenton Matchett and a Giveaway!

July 25^th marks Linda Shenton Matchett’s book birthday for her WWII mystery, Under Fire. In celebration, she’s giving away an ebook copy to one lucky winner (chosen at random from those who comment. Grab a glass of your favorite summertime beverage and get a peek behind the scenes.

You have published several historical romances, but this is your first mystery. Can you tell us how that came about?

Interestingly, I wrote Under Fire before any of the other books I’ve published. I took Jerry Jenkins’s Christian Writer’s Guild Journeyman program, and the story came out of my class assignments. As a new writer, I struggled with knowing how to come up with scenes to move the plot along. Then I attended Crimebake (a mystery writer’s conference) and realized if I wrote a mystery, the scenes would be about solving the crime. As my first manuscript, it took a lot of writing, rewriting, editing, and polishing. It took quite a few years and submissions to find a publisher.

Research is an important part of writing. How did you research Under Fire?

I love to conduct research. I can get lost in it for hours! The main character, Ruth, is a war correspondent, so I read LOTS of autobiographies and memoirs by WWII journalists and photojournalists, lots of the articles they wrote, too. I found YouTube interviews of Americans and British citizens who lived during WWII. That gave me a real sense of the era in both countries, but especially what it was like to be in London during the Blitz. I also watched documentaries that were produced during the war.

How is Ruth, like you? Different?

War Correspondent Martha Gellhorn

Ruth and I are both very curious (some people might say nosy!) and tenacious. That’s what makes Ruth a good reporter. She’ll dig until she’s got the whole story. Those traits also help her solve the mystery surrounding her sister’s disappearance. In some ways, Ruth is much braver than I am. I wouldn’t do some of the creeping around she does!

How do come up with story ideas?

I’ve gotten ideas from newspaper and magazine articles, movies, TV shows, snippets of conversation, museum exhibits, and incidents I’ve experienced that make me wonder “what if…?” Under Fire came from a combination of brainstorming for class, an incident that happened in a town a short distance from where I live, and a TV show.

How do you pick the locations for your stories?

Research is sometimes the driving force for where my stories are set, although I intentionally wanted to set Under Fire in England. Even before I had a chance to visit, I was fascinated with England’s history, especially during WWII, so many of my stories are set there.

In addition to being a writer, you work a full-time job. How do you balance the two careers?

I am fortunate that I live only a half mile from my employer, so I don’t have a long commute. (In fact, I usually walk to work.) But it can be challenging to juggle all the components of being an author with working. I’m an early riser, so I write or revise my current manuscript in the mornings before going to work. Sundays before church I write and schedule my blog posts. Saturdays are for research, marketing, and social media planning. Some days, life goes according to plan, and I get a lot done. Then there are the other days…!

What are you working on now?

I just submitted book one in my Women of Courage series to an agent for consideration, and I’m in the revision stage of two manuscripts, one of which I’ll be independently publishing in the fall. It’s not titled yet, but I better come up with something soon, because the cover is almost done! The other is book two of the Ruth Brown mystery series. Once I finish the revisions on both these manuscripts, I’ll start writing book two in the Women of Courage series. It is tentatively a five book series.

Connect with Linda:

Website/Blog: http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorlindamatchett

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lindasmatchett

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/authorlindamatchett

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Shenton-Matchett/e/B01DNB54S0

Newsletter Signup: https://bit.ly/2DDLmI2

Bio: Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. A member of ACFW, Sisters in Crime, and RWA, Linda is a member-at-large for the New England Chapter of SinC and serves on the Crimebake Writer’s Conference committee. She is a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library.

Book Blurb: Set in 1942, Under Fire tells the story of Ruth Brown whose missing sister Jane is declared dead. Convinced her sister is still alive, Ruth follows clues from their small New Hampshire town to war-torn London trying to find her.

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0743MS95H