Can you believe June is almost gone? We’ll be celebrating Independence Day before we know it!!
Today’s featured author is Linda Shenton Matchett and her novel The Widow and the War Correspondent, a WWII romance featuring – you guessed it – a widow and a war correspondent!
Read on to find out how you can win an ebook copy of this delightful novel!
And now, on with an interview with main character Cora Strealer from The Widow and the War Correspondent!
Character Interview
Welcome, “Cora!” I’m delighted to talk to someone from one of my favorite periods of history!
What is one thing about you that makes you an interesting character?
I’m a woman in a man’s world, or at least that’s what most people think. Out of the 2,000 accredited war correspondents, only 127 of us are women. The military doesn’t want us here, so it’s a challenge to do our jobs. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes we have to bend the rules to get our story.
I can only imagine! I’m sure it’s a lonely occupation!
Speaking of being lonely, I’m looking for a scoop, here. Are you looking for romance?
Absolutely, not. I was widowed three years ago after my husband was killed at Pearl Harbor. But my editor has paired me with his top journalist, Van Toppel, who happens to be an intriguing combination of handsome and infuriating.
Interesting!
Since you obviously don’t want to talk about romance right now (or do you?), what’s your favorite vacation spot in the U.S.? Vacation?
There’s a war on, don’t you know? But if I could go somewhere it would be into the mountains. Any mountain would do.
Ah, the mountains! I’m a beach girl, myself, but I love the mountains, as well!
What is a food that you simply refuse to eat?
Brussel sprouts!
Oh, I understand! Until I discovered roasting them with sweet potatoes (which I also used to refuse to eat!), I couldn’t stand ’em!!
Let’s just skip to dessert, shall we? Pie or cake?
Definitely cake, but with rationing, it’s tough to obtain enough sugar to make a decent-sized cake.
True. I guess it makes it a special treat when you CAN have some!
What kind of music do you like to listen to?
I love big band music. Anything by the Dorsey brothers, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, or Guy Lombardo. Their music sends my feet to tapping.
LOVE big band music! I’ve got “String of Pearls” and “Pennsylvania 6-500” going in my head, now!!
Thanks for joining us today, Cora! Can’t wait to see where your adventure leads!
About The Widow and the War Correspondent
Are a new life and new love possible in a country devastated by war?
Barely married before she’s widowed after Pearl Harbor three years ago, journalist Cora Strealer travels to England where she’s assigned to work with United Press’s top reporter who thinks the last place for a woman is on the front lines. Can she change his opinion before D-Day? Or will she have to choose her job over her heart?
A sought-after journalist, Van Toppel deserves his pick of assignments, which is why he can’t determine the bureau chief’s motive for saddling him with a cub reporter. Unfortunately, the beautiful rookie is no puff piece. Can he get her off his beat without making headlines…or losing his heart?
Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/m2ZXZG
About Linda!
Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of WWII, Linda is also a trustee for her local public library. She is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry. Linda has lived in historic places all her life and is now located in central New Hampshire where her favorite activities include exploring historic sites and immersing herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.
Connect with Linda
Website/Blog: http://www.lindashentonmatchett.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaShentonMatchettAuthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lindasmatchett
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/author_linda_matchett
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Shenton-Matchett/e/B01DNB54S0
BookBub: http://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-shenton-matchett
Many thanks to Linda for joining us today, and to “Cora” for being interviewed! Wasn’t it fun?
To be entered in the drawing for an ebook copy of The Widow and the War Correspondent, simply comment below to be included!
If you were living during WWII, what rationed goods would be the hardest to live without? Did your grandparents have any interesting stories about rationing?
With the recent pandemic, we’ve all learned a tiny bit about that – mainly about our social time being rationed! Toilet paper notwithstanding, I STILL can’t find Bounty napkins!
Talk about first-world problems, right?
Happy Wednesday, and take care!
Preorder your ebook copy HERE!
Thanks for hosting me! So glad to be here.
I’m so happy to have you on my blog today! And I’d like to meet Cora! She sounds awesome!
“Cora” sounds like an interesting character 🙂
My grandma wrote her biography, which is very hard to read – a life full of hardships… Bread rationing was mentioned…I can’t even imagine how they survived without food.
How special to have your grandmother’s memories. Food shortages were a real problem.
Interviewing a character in costume, no less. Cool!
My early memories start late in WWII. What I remember about rationing is nasty so-called meat. Slices of salty, salty fried Spam, one per person. A whole Spam, straight from the can, baked like a mini-ham with a couple of slices of canned pineapple and served whole, to be carved thinly at the dinner table like a Sunday roast. This was a special occasion dish, for a birthday celebration perhaps. Hot dogs stuffed with who knew what “meat substitute” and tasting of cheap spices. A small can of Vienna sausages served two or three and was a real treat. I didn’t know that things weren’t always like this.
It wasn’t until after the war that I learned what real, unprocessed, straight-from-the-animal meat tasted like. Ah, the mouth-watering pork roasts and ribs, steaks and hamburgers and pot roast, whole chickens and fried chicken legs we enjoyed then, once rationing was over.
Most folks I know from that era won’t touch Spam with a ten foot pole. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your memories.