About the Book

Book: Dial V for Valentine

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 14, 2022

Valentine’s Day is perfect for a wedding. If only the bride will agree.

Being part of the military is not just a job for Fergus Rafferty, it’s a calling. He’s worked his way up the ranks and doing what he loves best: flying Apache helicopters. The only thing that will make his life complete is marrying Celeste. After he transfers to a unit scheduled to deploy in three months, he’s thrilled at the idea of marrying before he leaves so they can start their new life. Except Celeste wants to wait until he returns. Can he convince her to wed before he leaves?

Celeste Hardwicke has just opened her law practice when she finally accepts Fergus’s marriage proposal. Not to worry. She has plenty of time to set a date, then plan the wedding. Until she doesn’t. But a quickie wedding isn’t what she has in mind. Besides, why get married when the groom will ship out after the ceremony? When she stumbles on her great-grandmother’s diary from World War II, she discovers the two of them share the same predicament.

At an impasse, Celeste and Fergus agree to call into WDES’s program No Errin’ for Love. Will DJ Erin Orberg’s advice solve their dilemma or create a bigger divide? One they’ll both regret.

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About the Author

Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a former trustee for her local public library. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state and immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

More from Linda

My mom was born on February 14^th, so when I was growing up, Valentine’s Day wasn’t about romance and falling in love. Instead, it was a celebration of my mother. When I was asked to participate in the multi-author project, You are on the Air, I was hesitant to accept because of having little connection to the holiday and the books in the series are contemporary romance. I primarily write historical romance. But I loved the concept: the stories revolve around couples who call into a Christian radio station for relationship advice. I spent about two weeks mulling over (and discarding) ideas, then I realized the plot was right in front of me.

I had just finished putting together an exhibit with the curator at the museum where I volunteer. One of the display items was a wedding gown made from a parachute. Included with the dress was a photograph of the couple, and their names and wedding date, but nothing else. The lack of information got my mind going, and I wondered about their story. Why did they wait until the end of the war to marry? Why not wed before the groom shipped out? Did they regret waiting? I realized that members of today’s armed forces might deal with the same situation and decided to combine the two plot lines. (See? I can’t leave my historical roots behind!)

In Dial V for Valentine, Celeste and Fergus struggle with the sacrifice that comes with true love. Not the you-can-have-the-last-cookie kind of love, but a love that puts another’s needs and wants above one’s own. What they learn is that we can only love successfully when we understand that love comes from God. We are capable of loving (mates, significant others, friends and the unlovely) because “He first loved us.” Love is an emotion, but it is also an act of obedience.

Interview with the Author

Which character did you connect to best in this book?

I related to Celeste in her situation. During college, I was very intent on getting my degree so I could begin my career. I got engaged in December of my junior year, but by March of my senior year was having second thoughts about getting married. Each time I discussed my concerns with my parents, they pushed back and insisted that I go through with the wedding. The more I talked about it, the more they balked. Like Celeste, I felt battered from all sides and that that situation was out of my control.

What inspired this book?

I volunteer as a docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and had the honor of working with the curator to create an exhibit called “Shaped by Conflict” that highlighted objects from WWII that were crafted from combat items such as trench art (e.g., an ash tray constructed from a machine gun shell) and a parachute transformed into a wedding dress. During my research for the exhibit, I learned about women who chose to wed during the war because they wanted to be married in case their husband didn’t return from the war. Other women waited to marry afterwards for the same reason.

I was asked to be part of the You are on the Air which is a contemporary series. Because I write historical novels, I was hesitant to say yes. The coordinator suggested I tie in a historical plot line, and the idea of a wedding dress being handed down came to mind. That prompted the thought of being engaged to a military man and what if he was suddenly called up. The plotline solidified into two women, generations apart, who have to decide when/if to marry their military men.

Which author influenced the you most?

It is hard to select just one, so if you’ll indulge me, I’ll pick two!  During my early writing years, Elizabeth Camden influenced the idea of selecting protagonists in unusual jobs for their era. Also, the way she weaves historical information into the story, educating the reader without making it dry or textbookish. More recently, Heather Blanton’s ability to create complex characters and share the message of salvation in her stories has impacted my work.

What are you reading right now?

I recently purchased Michelle Griep’s Bow Street Runners trilogy which is fantastic. I’ve finished book 1 Brentwood’s Ward and have just started The Innkeeper’s Daughter. I’m also researching Britain’s Channel Islands during WWII, so am reading Islands in Danger by Alan and Mary Wood.

Describe your view as you’re sitting in your writing chair.

My office windows face our backyard which is heavily treed which almost gives me a feeling of being outside. As the seasons change, so does my view. In spring and summer, the forest is a canopy of varied shades of green. In the fall, it is alive with reds, oranges, and golds, and in winter skeletal trees and the stone wall are snow-covered. Deer often wander through, and there is a lot of bird life. Twice, I’ve seen a barred owl in the oak tree just outside the window.