Today on the Brave Blog, we have an interview with the talented Liz Tolsma. She writes historical dual time fiction. Welcome, Liz! Let’s jump in.
Sarah: How would you define bravery? What is it? Where does it come from?
Liz: A character in one of my books– I can’t remember which one – gave the best definition of bravery I’ve heard. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear but a complete trust in God no matter what the outcome.”
Sarah: I love that. Do you consider yourself brave? Why or why not?
Liz: I don’t consider myself courageous or brave. I’m kind of a chicken, though I’m getting better. I have many, many fears, especially anything that involves heights. I can’t drive in the mountains or over really high bridges, and I hate being in tall buildings.
Sarah: I’m sure you’re not alone in that. Why do you write in the genre you do? Did you always want to write in that genre?
Liz: It stems from wanting to write a family story about my great-aunt who was in the Netherlands during WWII. She was very brave and took in a wounded resistance worker and hid him in her house until the war ended. When I first heard the story, I couldn’t believe that I was related to someone who was that brave.
Sarah: Wow! What a story! What is your brainstorming process like? Where do your ideas come from?
Liz: My ideas can come from anywhere. With one book, the tagline just hit me one day, and I wrote the book from there. Like I said, a couple of books, including my most recent one, are based on family stories. Several book ideas have come from reading articles. The idea for the one I’m working on now came from a reader, who shared her family’s story with me. I never know when an idea might strike.
Sarah: That’s exciting. When do you write, and where?
Liz: I like to write in the morning when I’m freshest. My office is in the basement, so I have no windows. No great view, but then again, nothing to distract me. I’m excited because I’ve been down here for several years, at it’s still a work in progress, but my bookshelves are finally going in! At last, my books will have a place to live.
Sarah: Yay for bookshelves! Do you celebrate when you finish a book? How so?
Liz: Yes, I do celebrate. With chocolate, of course! Is there another way to celebrate? Sometimes, I’ll treat myself to an upgraded pedicure or a massage.
Sarah: I am with you on the chocolate. What are 3 things about you that we can’t find out from your bio?
Liz: Hmm, you want me to give away all my secrets! I talk to myself, all the time. It’s a bad habit, but it helps me, especially when I have a lot to do. I hate bananas. Really detest them. They’re slimy and smell bad and yuck! And for the third thing, I snore. Apparently rather loudly. But I’m trying to get to the bottom of the cause so my husband and I can share a room again.
Sarah: I’m sure you come up with some good ideas when you’re talking to yourself. I know I do! Which book of yours was the hardest to write? Why?
Liz: The one that I just released, What I Left for You. There was a huge amount of research that went into it, including personal family genealogy. I wrote about a little-known culture, so the sources I had were few. My trip to Poland was essential for writing this book. I couldn’t have done it without that.
Sarah: I love how you’ve written from your family’s history. If you could travel anywhere for a week, where would you go? Who would you take with you?
Liz: My daughter and I have been dreaming of taking a European Christmas market cruise. We would have so much fun eating and shopping together. She’s been on several of my research trips, and she’s the best travel partner. Right now, it’s December, and I’m dreaming of a week on a warm beach somewhere. Anywhere. My daughter won’t be able to do that, so I might go with my friend who is celebrating a milestone birthday. If I can scrape together the funds.
Sarah: It sounds like you have an amazing relationship with your daughter. What subject have you done the most research on for your writing?
Liz: The subject of my family’s genealogy and the Lemko minority I’m descended from. I had to dig to learn some basic words in their language, find out what their everyday lives were like, what the places they lived were like, and so on. But it was also my most fulfilling research because I got to learn about my family background along the way.
Sarah: That is truly fascinating. Now for my favorite question: How has the Lord shown Himself faithful in your life?
Liz: He shows himself faithful everyday, but one big one stands out recently. I’ve started attending a new church and a new Bible study. I had only been going for a few weeks and was just getting to know the ladies. My family and I were driving to Virginia to see my daughter graduate from Marine officer training when we got a call that my Mom had fallen and had a brain bleed and wouldn’t recover. I hastily booked a flight home for early the next morning. As I went through security, I thought I saw someone in the line who looked familiar. Then I passed her on my way to the gate and realized it was a woman from my new church. At the gate, she recognized me and came to chat. When she heard why I was traveling, she held my hand and let me cry. When we landed, she waited for me at the end of the jet bridge and stayed with me all the way until my friend arrived to pick me up. There were only 47 people on that flight. Those were God odds that she would be on the same one. She was such a blessing to me.
Sarah: Remarkable. I love that so much. Okay, last question: What are you working on now?
Liz: My newest manuscript is another dual time WWII novel, and it’s inspired by the family story of someone who read What I Would Tell You. She emailed me, very excited about the book because she said I told her story. Wow. She went on to share how she learned she was Jewish and the journey she’s been on to find out who her great-grandmother’s father was. So this one is set in Germany and is the story of a woman who has a child by a Jewish man who disappears. She must protect her daughter by any means possible, even though she puts her life on the line daily.
Sarah: That sounds wonderful. I’m excited to read that one! Thank you, Liz, for allowing us a peek into your life and writing. May the Lord richly bless all your endeavors.
About the Author: Passionate might best describe Liz Tolsma. She loves writing, research, and editing. Her passion shone through in her first novel which was a double award finalist. On any given day, you might find her pulling weeds in her perennial garden, walking her hyperactive dog, or curled up with a good book. Nothing means more to her than her family. She’s married her high-school sweetheart twenty-eight years ago. Get her talking about international adoption, and you might never get her to stop. She and her husband adopted three children, including a son who is a U.S. Marine, and two daughters.
