Interview with Isobel Turvine: Main Character Monday

Interview with Isobel Turvine: Main Character Monday

Welcome to Main Character Monday and my interview with Isobel Turvine. Isobel comes to us from A Lesson in Love by Linda Shenton Matchett. A Lesson in Love is a Christian WWII romance that released in July, and it is available in paperback and eBook formats.

Welcome Isobel to Main Character Monday. To start this interview, please tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a city girl, London born and raised. I was a schoolteacher, but so many children were evacuated during the Blitz my school shut down, and I lost my job. My friend, Margery, talked me into joining the WLA, That’s Women’s Land Army, and now I’m all the way out in Yorkshire driving a tractor and planting potatoes. Some days I feel like a pig on roller skates, but at least we’re not getting bombed.

That is an interesting comparison, but I am thankful you aren’t dealing with bombings. Tell me something about you that readers may find surprising?

I didn’t know how to drive when I took the job with the WLA.

The things we learn when we must. What is your favorite book in the New Testament and why?

Luke. I love the personal bits of information he includes about the people who met Jesus. It makes them seem more real and more like me.

Isn’t God good to give us those examples for encouragement and challenge? God called Gideon to lead his army. Gideon didn’t believe he could, but he trusted and did as God asked. Have you ever felt like you weren’t equipped to do what God asked you to do?

Every day! {Laughs sheepishly} What did I do about it?  I applied for the WLA job anyway. Margery said they needed all the help they could get. And she’s right. There are millions to be fed. When I arrived and discovered a boys’ school was using the house, well, castle actually—such a monstrous place—I knew I was where I was supposed to be. Not that Headmaster Emerson has appreciated my input, but that’s a conversation for another day.

I hope you can win him over quickly. Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Is there one of these you find easier to accomplish? Is one harder?

I love kindness. Kindness is underrated, but it is powerful and so edifying for people who receive kindness. {blushing} I must admit it’s a struggle to walk humbly. But I’m working on it. Some days are better than others. Ask Margery.

I agree. A little kindness goes a long way. If you could leave readers with one message, what would it be?

God knows what’s best for us and has plans for us. We need to get out of his way. Often easier said than done.

I imagine in war times, like the ones you’re facing that is even harder. Let’s leave behind the more serious questions for a moment. I want to ask you some just for fun questions and some quick answer questions before we end for the day. If you could have one exotic pet, what would it be?

Hmmm, good question. It might be fun to have a parrot or macaw. I’ve heard they can be taught to speak. I’d have someone to talk all the time!

If you could travel through time, would you?

No, I’m not that adventurous. Who knows what sort of chaos and trouble I’d end up in. No, thank you. As challenging as it is with the war on, I’ll stay right here.

Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

No electricity or no plumbing? No electricity

One last question. It’s always a favorite of mine. How would you, Isobel, describe Linda Shenton Matchett using only three words?

 Funny, stubborn, and curious.

Those are great words. One definitely needs the last two if they want to write stories like A Lesson in Love. Thank you, Isobel, for joining us today. Your life sounds full of adventure, though not necessarily the type of adventure most want in life.

Readers, if you’ve enjoyed this interview with Isobel Turvine, please keep reading. First, I want to tell you a bit about the author, and then, I’ll share more about the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves. 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. 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.

You can connect with Linda here:

Website/Blog: http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com

Newsletter sign up: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/h8ol2l7ole

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaShentonMatchettAuthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lindamatchett

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-shenton-matchett

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author_linda_matchett

MORE ABOUT A LESSON IN LOVE

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Her friend talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, blonde leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/3YHgUb0

Thank you for joining for my interview with Isobel Turvine. If you enjoyed it, please let us know. If you have questions for Isobel or Linda, drop them in the comments.