about me

     Since Andrea Matthews is my pseudonym, I guess I should introduce myself.  My real name is Inez Foster - does the last name sound familiar?  Actually, it was in doing some genealogical research that I was introduced to the history of the Border Reivers.  

     I chose the name Andrea Matthews simply because it somehow sounded more like a historical romance author than my own name. In the real world, I'm a historian and librarian, who loves to read and write and dig around in my roots, genealogically speaking.

                                         Join My Journey

     Unbelievable as it may seem, this journey started almost thirty years ago.  Somewhere around 1992, I actually finished the first version of Thunder on the Moor and copyrighted it.  At that point, It consisted of about 300 pages and made up one book.

     I preceded to send out query letters to agents, receiving an encouraging one from time to time, but no successes?  So I put it away for awhile, taking it out again every once in a while, then returning it to its box until I had more time. After all, I had growing boys and a full-time job to take care of.

     Then about four years ago, with the kids grown and out on their own, I decided to get serious.  I found a writers' group and swapped crits, until gradually my 300 hundred page book grew into a series. The characters grew and developed, the storyline deepened, until finally, at the beginning of 2019, I decided I was ready to take the next step.

     And the rest as they say is history. To date I've published the first three books in my Thunder on the Moor series and the first two in my  second series, The Cross of Ciaran. I'm also working on a historical mystery, which I hope to publish in the summer of 2022 under the name I M Foster.

     I'm a member of the the Long Island Romance Writers, and the Historical Novel Society.

                                         Stay tuned for periodic updates. 

                                        Acknowledgments

     First of all, I want to thank my family, who have always encouraged me to pursue my love of writing, even though my sons say I only write about men in kilts. Hmmm . . . not strictly true since the Border Reivers didn't wear kilts, but I get what they mean. 

     Next, I'd like to thank my friends, Dee, Mary, Terry, and Colette, who read and reread my endless revisions and gave honest critiques of the chapters as they read them.  

     I also want to thank my friends on Scrib, who stuck with my revisions, chapter after chapter, pointing out the areas that needed work.  I've learned so much from them.  I'd especially like to thank Liz for her guidance in how to go about getting published and for putting me in touch with Jenny, my editor and cover designer. Jenny has the patience of a saint and a fantastic talent.

     My thanks also goes out to Renee and her friends from Ireland, as well as Peter from Scrib, who helped me with some of the more difficult Irish phrases. Go raibh maith agat to you all.

    And of course, I'd like to thank Danny for his help in setting up this website. Without his guidance, I wouldn't have even known where to start.

     Most important of all, I'd like to thank my parents, without whom none of this would be possible.  They always encouraged me and taught me to follow my dreams.