About the Book

Book: Francine’s Foibles

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: September 12, 2023

She’s given up hope. He never had any. Will they find it together?

World War II is finally over, and America is extra grateful as the country approaches this year’s Thanksgiving. But for Francine life hasn’t changed. Despite working at Fort Meade processing the paperwork for the thousands of men who have returned home, she’s still lonely and very single. Is she destined for spinsterhood?

Grateful that his parents anglicized the family surname after emigrating to the United States after the Great War, first-generation German-American Ray Fisher has done all he can to hide his heritage. He managed to make it through this second “war to end all wars,” but what American woman would want to marry into a German family? Must he leave the country to find wedded bliss?

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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

Francine O’Malley is a secondary character in Estelle’s Endeavor, and I decided she deserved her own book. The idea for Francine’s Foibles sprang from the stories my mom told me about her time working at Fort Meade processing discharge paperwork for returning servicemen. Because my grandparents lived in a small town near the base, I’d driven past countless times, but it was fun to research what it was like during World War 2 and the years immediately following. The Laurel Historical Society was a wonderful resource with lots of information and photos from “back in the day.”

Initially opened in 1917 and called Camp Annapolis Junction, the base is located in Maryland about twenty miles southwest of Baltimore and twenty miles east of Laurel. The name quickly changed to Camp Meade but in 1928 was redesignated Fort Leonard Wood. According to www.home.army.mil, Pennsylvania congressmen were so angered at the removal of the name of their native son they held up appropriations until the army agreed to name the new permanent installation Fort George G. Meade, in honor of the Union general.

During World War 2, the base was used as a recruit training post and more than 3.5 million men past through its gates. A small portion of the facility was also used as a POW camp for Japanese, German, and Italian prisoners.

Mom was still single during her time at Fort Meade, and I loved imagining her as a wide-eyed young woman doing her part for the war effort and greeting handsome soldiers as they set foot back on American soil.

This one’s for you, Mom!

Linda Shenton Matchett

Interview with the Author

1)Which character did you connect to best in this book?

Francine is the female main character, and I can relate to her because like me, she’s not good at asking for help and tries to do everything herself. A bit of a control freak. Like me she often runs ahead of God, thinking she knows best. But she is fiercely loyal and will do anything for her friends. Also, one of my traits.

2)What inspired this book?

My mom inspired this story. I remember her telling stories about her time working at Fort Meade processing discharge paperwork for returning servicemen. Her face always lit up when she talked about her experiences. I could tell it meant a lot to her to welcome them home. I wanted to tell her story. She and my dad were already engaged by then, so the romance thread isn’t hers.

3)What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

4)What are you reading right now?

For fun I’m reading I Can’t Stop Tomorrow by Sara Powter, and I have several research books going right now including Great British Homes: The Anglophiles Guide to Britain’s Stately Homes, With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge, and several books on the 1939 World’s Fair.

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

My desk faces two windows that overlook our wooded back yard. A stone wall runs the length of the property about twenty feet back, and a section filled with ferns is turning golden brown now that it’s fall. The trees are only just beginning to turn, and a few are tipped in orange. To the left is railing of our deck on which squirrels and chipmunks often walk as if a tightrope. At certain times of the year, I can see the moon through the trees.