"Love's Harvest" by Linda Shenton Matchett Book Tour and Give Away

 

Purchase your copy here.

About the Book

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.


My Review: "Please, don't try convincing me to leave you.  If you're going. I will go too. If you stayed, I would stay. You are my family, and even your God has become mine." If this statement sounds somewhat familiar, then you will really want to read Linda Shelton Matchett's "Love's Harvest". "Love's Harvest" by Linda Shenton Matchett is a retake of the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi.  The setting for this story takes place in Russia and Germany and England.

While reading "Love's Harvest" I was continually reminded of Ruth and Naomi's love and loyalty to  each other, except in this story it was Rosa and Noreen.  And the story wasn't in a barley field but in a garden and centered around Hitler.

Mr. Basil Quincy is "Boaz". But in this story Basil wasn't such a nice guy in his younger days and Noreen is worried about Rosa.

I love the title, it fits perfectly for the ending of this novella.

This is my first time reading anything by Linda Shenton Matchett but I am hoping she writes more retakes of Biblical characters.

This story is a love story and full of forgiveness and loyalty and forgiveness.

I was given a print copy by the author and Celebrate Lit for my honest review as part of a book tour.

I have given "Love's Harvest" by Linda Shenton Matchett five stars.


About the Author

 A 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 World War II 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.

Guest Post from Linda Shenton Matchett

I’ve been scribbling since I was a child. One of my favorite memories is about the weekly “newspaper” I published when I was about seven or eight years old. Written on three-ring-binder paper, it included a weather report (complete with “graphics”), an editorial, letters to the editor, and lots of articles-most of which make no sense when I read them now! The newspaper didn’t last long, but I continued to write stories until I graduated from high school. Then it was on to college and my “real life.”

Fast forward nearly twenty-five years. My husband and I were fleeing the rat-race known as Washington, DC for a small village in New Hampshire to purchase a bed and breakfast, and I decided to journal about the experience. My first entry was made while we pulled out of the driveway. As I filled my diary, I remembered the joy that writing gave me. After we got settled in NH, I decided to try my hand at writing for publication. I found some freelance opportunities, and my articles were published in various magazines.

But fiction was still calling my name.

 It took about a year, but I finished a historical novel about a young woman who leaves her home to become a Harvey Girl. I thought it was brilliant (it was not) and hurried it off to a Christian publisher. It was rejected. And rejected. And rejected. Fortunately one of the rejection letters offered some practical advice. The editor said the manuscript showed promise, but I had a lot to learn as a writer. She suggested I attend writing conferences and join a critique group.

I found a group of other Christian writers, then searched for a conference. The Crimebake Mystery Conference is sponsored by Sisters in Crime New England and Mystery Writers of America and located about two hours from my home. I wasn’t writing mystery stories at that point, but figured a lot of the information must be transferrable. Besides, the conference was driving distance and very affordable. What could I lose?

 As an unpublished author, I felt like an imposter at first. But I was quickly enveloped by authors (published and unpublished), editors, and agents, and made to feel at ease. The workshops were jam-packed with information, and I filled page after page in my notebook.

Hungry to learn more, I signed up for Jerry Jenkin’s Christian Writers Guild course and was paired with Eva Marie Everson. An excellent mentor, she helped me improve my writing by leaps and bounds. I also continued to attend the annual Crimebake conferences. In 2010, I was selected to attend a three day writers retreat with authors Hallie Ephron, Roberta Islieb, and Susan Hubbard. I received one-on-one critique and instruction from each of them. It was an unforgettable experience.

 By 2014, I finally completed the manuscript, Under Fire, I had started as my Christian Writers Guild assignment. What an accomplishment! I worked with freelance editor Janice Elsheimer to polish the book, and she made me realize it was time to bite the bullet and submit the manuscript to a publisher or agent. Since I was headed to the ACFW conference that year, I signed up for two agent pitches. Gulp! I was going to do this in person!

I was a nervous wreck, but both agents were gracious and calming. One didn’t care for what she read. The other agent loved everything that the first agent disliked. She requested a full manuscript. Ultimately it was not a fit for her, but I had made it over the hurdle of preparing my one sheet and making a pitch. Meanwhile, I wrote two sequels to complete the trilogy. Under Fire is currently under consideration at a traditional publisher.

 Last year, members of my group blog (StitchesThruTime.Blogspot.com) decided to put together a collection of novellas. Over the years, I have toyed with the idea of writing a fictionalized account of a Bible story. I did a significant amount of research about Priscilla and Aquila, but never felt led to put pen to paper. So, the story idea simmered on the back burner. I realized the novella project was the perfect opportunity to pursue that idea. But instead of Priscilla’s story, I decided to write about Ruth and her relationship to Naomi.

Writers are told to write what we know, but I believe we should also write what we don’t know so we can learn. I had a very special relationship with my mother-in-law until she passed away from cancer in 1999. I wanted to capture that in a story. I also wanted to explore what it would be like to leave everyone and everything you know to go to a foreign land. I grew up moving a lot, and I considered it an adventure. My husband grew up moving a lot, but considered it a nightmare. I wanted to explore that aspect of Ruth’s story. I thought that World War II was the perfect era to combine these themes. The result is Love’s Harvest. It features German-born Rosa and Englishwoman Noreen.

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not calamity, to give you a future and a hope.” The story of Ruth is a perfect example of this. She and Naomi experienced terrible tragedies, yet in the end both women were blessed, and God was glorified. Sometimes it is hard to see “the forest for the trees” when something awful is happening to us or our loved ones. My hope is that readers will be able to relate to Rosa and Noreen, and learn how God takes care of us even when we don’t realize it.

Blog Stops

August 2: Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses

August 3: Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner 

August 4: A Reader’s Brain 

August 5: Blossoms and Blessings

August 6: A Baker’s Perspective

August 7: A Greater Yes

August 7: Cassandra M’s Place

August 8: Bibliophile Reviews 

August 9: Sharon R Paavola

August 10: Texas Book-aholic

August 11: Pause for Tales

August 12: Vic’s Media Room

August 13: Karen’s Krayons

August 14: Donna’s BookShelf

                                                     August 15: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away a handwoven basket with a box of English Breakfast tea and a copy of her book Love’s Harvest. Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/a094