Linda Shenton Matchett interview & spotlight of Love's Rescue, inspired by Rahab...

We're happy to have Linda Shenton Matchett with us today talking about her book Love's Rescue, which was inspired by the Biblical story of Rahab. To learn more about Linda and her book, read on!

Back cover blurb: Love’s Rescue

A prostitute, a spy, and the liberation of Paris.

Sold by her parents to settle a debt, Rolande Bisset is forced into prostitution. Years later, shunned by her family and most of society, it’s the only way she knows how to subsist. When the Germans overrun Paris, she decides she’s had enough of evil men controlling her life and uses her wiles to obtain information for the Allied forces. Branded a collaborator, her life hangs in the balance. Then an American spy stumbles onto her doorstep. Is redemption within her grasp?

Simon Harlow is one of an elite corps of American soldiers. Regularly chosen for dangerous covert missions, he is tasked with infiltrating Paris to ascertain the Axis’s defenses. Nearly caught by German forces moments after arriving, he owes his life to the beautiful prostitute who claims she’s been waiting for the Allies to arrive. Her lifestyle goes against everything he believes in, but will she steal his heart during his quest to liberate her city?

Inspired by the biblical story of Rahab, Love’s Rescue is a tale of faith and hope during one of history’s darkest periods.

Please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

·       I married my high school sweetheart.

·       Our family moved multiple times while I was growing up, and I attended three high schools.

·       My husband and I ran a bed and breakfast for twelve years, and it’s nothing like the Bob Newhart Show.

·       I graduated from Carson-Newman College with a BA in Psychology, and my first job was in an abused women’s shelter.

·       I’d rather eat dessert than dinner.

Why did you choose to write this book?

Love’s Rescue is book two in a series I hadn’t intended to write. I published the first book, Love’s Harvest, in 2016 as a standalone novella. The story is a modern retelling of the book of Ruth set between WWI and WWII. Over the years, I’ve received numerous comments that Love’s Harvest helped readers relate to the Bible in ways they hadn’t been able to do, so I decided to create a series of retellings that focuses on women of the Bible who are often overlooked. Love’s Rescue is Rahab’s story set during the last weeks of the German occupation of Paris.

What one thing about writing do you wish non-writers would understand? 

The amount of time and work it takes for a writer to produce a book. Being an author is not as glamorous as one would think!

What is the toughest test you've faced as a writer?

I recently received a message from a reader through Facebook saying hateful things about me personally in addition to criticizing my book. It can be difficult as a writer to receive negative comments about our work, but this note attacked me. It set me back on my heels, and made me seriously consider not writing any longer. After encouragement from other writers and a lot of prayer, I realized I am writing for an audience of One, and as difficult as it is, I need to pray for this person and move on.

What do you hope readers to take away from your novel?

That God can, and does, use anyone to further His kingdom; often those most unexpected. He can use you!

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

That I have been married for nearly thirty-six years!

Please give us the first page of the book.

Paris, August 1944

Rolande Bisset ducked her head and pulled the brim of her starched cotton sunhat lower over her face, not so much to block the sun’s glare, but to avoid the merchants’ ogling and shoppers’ sneers. She hurried past the darkened shops, most no longer operating since the Germans arrived four years ago. Would she ever smell freshly-baked croissants or peruse a succulent collection of vegetables again?

A scorching breeze sent her hat’s veil dancing. Perspiration trickled between her shoulder blades and threatened to ruin her cobalt-blue silk suit. Her pumps had seen better days, but thanks to leather rationing, a new pair was not in the offing. The Occupiers needed the material for their boots.

Intent upon reaching her destination, Rolande failed to see a rotund woman approaching. They collided, and the woman’s elaborate chapeau slid from her upswept hair and poked Rolande in the face before landing on the pavement.

“I beg your pardon, madam.” Rolande bent to retrieve the confection of flowers, birds, and ribbons.

The woman narrowed her eyes. “Watch where you’re going, collaborateur.” She snatched the millinery masterpiece from Rolande’s grasp and drew her skirts close. Looking down her nose, she plunked the hat on her head and marched down the sidewalk.

No longer hungry, she continued down the avenue past Aux Cerises Café where the outdoor tables were filled with German soldiers. One of the men whistled and smirked, his Aryan features marred by a long scar that ran from his eye to his jaw. Her stomach clenched, and nausea threatened.

Pigs. Men were all pigs.

She continued along the avenue until she came to the tiny market her older brother owned. He never acknowledged her presence in the shop, but neither did he forbid her to enter. His wife typically looked at her with a mixture of pity and contempt.

What do you do for fun when not writing?

I love the outdoors. In the summer I do a lot of kayaking and in the winter I snowshoe.

What are you working on now? 

I’m just finishing up Love’s Belief, Book 3 in the series. The story is inspired by Shiprah and Puah, the two midwives who saved Jewish babies in opposition to Pharoah’s decree to kill them. The book is set in Germany during 1943. I’m also outlining book 4 which is yet untitled.

Where else can readers find you online?   

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

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

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

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

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

BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-shenton-matchett

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SuT9hl

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/love-s-rescue-1

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loves-rescue-linda-shenton-matchett/1130382950?ean=9780998526546

Apple Books: https://itunes.apple.com/book/id1451530079

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. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library. Linda and her husband live in central New Hampshire.