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

Author Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about what readers can expect from your books?
Readers can expect a happily-ever-after story that encourages, edifies, and educates them. Many of my books are about second chances, forgiveness, and redemption which most people can relate to and need to hear about. My stories are historically accurate and always include information about real people, places, and events of the time-period in an effort to teach readers something they might not know.

What is the greatest advice you have ever been given about writing?
During my early career, I received lots of rejections, most of which were short “thanks but no thanks.” However, I was blessed to receive one from acquisitions editor Becky Germany who is with Barbour. She took time to write me a two-page letter telling me what worked and didn’t work with my submission. The main point that stuck with me was her advice to learn the craft of writing. I think most authors feel like we have to be a brilliant writer from the get-go. That we become a writer fully formed, but that’s not the case. We have talent and abilities, but like any skill we have to study and practice it to get better. Not just grammar and punctuation but story arcs, etc. The second greatest piece of advice I received is that there is no one right way to be a write. We each have to find the process that works for us, whether that’s writing from the seat of our pants or outlining every moment of the story.

Can you share 5 random facts about this book?

I learned a tremendous amount about Seabees to write my male protagonist, Ray Fisher. They came into existence during WWII and are the Construction Battalion of the Navy (hence CB or Seabees) Initially used to build bases in Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland, the Seabees were among the first to go ashore at Normandy as members of naval combat demolition units on June 6, 1944. Ray served in a unit that was at Normandy.
In addition to being a recruiting post, Fort Meade was used a small POW camp during WWII, which Francine experiences.
Many American citizens with German heritage changed the spelling or shortened their names during WWI and WWII. Ray’s parents Anglicized their name from Fischer to Fisher prior to WWI.
What is now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was little understood during WWI and WWII. The British called it “Lack of Moral Fiber” and Americans called it cowardice. An elderly friend of Francine’s, Mr. Feeney, suffers from PTSD from the Spanish-American War and WWI.
Francine’s Foibles takes place in the fall of 1945. The war is over, but rationing will continue for another two years until June 1947.

What was the inspiration behind it?
My mom worked at Fort Meade in the mid-1950s typing discharge paperwork for returning servicemen. I wanted to tell her story.

Can you share something interesting or surprising you learned while researching for the book?
More than 3.5 million men came through Fort Meade between 1942 and 1946. That is a vastly larger number than I ever imagined.