Matt Shea is a developing author having published nine books. He is greatly inspired by the writings of Andy Griffith and focuses on the common folk that small towns are made of.

He credits the success of his first book, "The Groundskeeper And Other Short Stories" to his family. The values that were instilled throughout his childhood gave him the strong sense of justice that is conveyed through his writings. The Shea family is only an average American family from an average neighborhood. Their secret was that they were close knit and accepted others.

Matt's mother, Vyerl set an example of being self sacrificing; having never placed herself first. She always cared about the feelings of others, no matter who they were. She even sponsored many foster children despite having a family of eight. During the holidays, the Roman Catholic mom would also have a Hanukkah bush for their Jewish friends. There were years when the family would make Christmas gifts and personally deliver them to seniors in rest homes.

The very table that Matt writes all of his stories on came from a childhood neighbor, Netta Wilson. Through time, Netta had to be relocated to assistant living due to deteriorating health. Vyerl never forgot that she and Netta traveled to see the Vatican together. Care packages, visits, and transporting Netta to spend Sundays at their home became a ritual until her last day. When she passed away, Matt was bequeathed an antique table from Netta. A priceless heirloom that he regards as sacred.