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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Liz Tolsma’s New WWII Novel Really Does offer a Picture of Hope

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

A Portrait of Hope by Liz Tolsma offers a look into the lesser-remembered aspects of the Holocaust and what a story! via @chautonahavig

I was so excited to FINALLY get to chat with Liz Tolsma on the podcast this week.  Her book, A Picture of Hope, released in October and features an American journalist set on getting children out of occupied France before the Nazi regime decides they’re expendable.

Liz’s passion for special needs children shines through our conversation, and her commitment to WWII fiction as a way to prepare our hearts for hard times really encouraged me.

Liz Tolsma

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Liz Tolsma’s New WWII Novel Really Does offer a Picture of Hope

We had a lovely chat about the value of people with disabilities and special needs–about their value in society and to the Lord. Liz shared how she’d come up with part of the story idea years ago and, when she learned of this new series, Heroines of WWII, how it transformed first to a story about a woman journalist, and then how she chose to include a child with Down Syndrome and how it affected her.

Liz has seven or eight WWII novels, and we chatted about a few of them, including my favorite, Snow on the Tulips from the Women of Courage series.

Slashed Canvas (Ever After Mysteries Book 8) by [Liz Tolsma]We also took a moment to chat about her upcoming release, also taking place in France, Slashed Canvas. Part of the Ever After Mysteries, Slashed Canvas combines a Russian grand duchess and MacDonald’s fairy tale, The Lost Princess.  This book releases February 1, and you don’t want to miss it.

One thing we didn’t chat about that we should have… DUH.  Liz has her own podcast all about HISTORICAL fiction.  WOOHOO!  So, Be sure to check out Christian Historical Fiction Talk. 

A Picture of Hope by Liz TolsmaA Picture of Hope by Liz Tolsma

A Photojournalist Risks Her Life to Save a Very Special Child 

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.

Journalist Nellie Wilkerson has spent the bulk of the war in London, photographing mothers standing in milk lines—and she’s bored. She jumps at the chance to go to France, where the Allied forces recently landed. There she enlists Jean-Paul Breslau of the French underground to take her to the frontlines. On the journey, they stumble upon a great tragedy, leaving a girl with special needs being orphaned.

Can Nellie and Jean-Paul see the child to a safe haven while being pursued by the Nazis, who are pressed by the advancing Allies and determined to destroy all they can before they flee?

Liz wanted to ensure you didn’t forget about…

the other authors who have released WWII novels set in France recently and the promotion they have going!

Three authors, each with a WWII novel set in France… what more could you want.  Join Melanie Dobson, Sarah Sundin, and Liz Tolsma as they celebrate France in WWII with their newest releases!

Each author has great blog posts this week. You can find those here:

  • Liz Tolsma
  • Melanie Dobson
  • Sarah Sundin

You’ll want to visit the WEBSITE for all the information about it (and the Rafflecopter!).

January 29, 2022 you will want to meet on Liz Tolsma’s Page for the Facebook chat to close out the promotion!

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Previous Post: « I’m Excited for this Amazing WWII Novel Set in the City of Lights
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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 534: A Chat with Joanna Davidson Politano
byChautona Havig

Lovers of Joanna Davidson Politano won’t want to miss this episode! Listen in while we talk about the first book in a new SERIES and eeep! It’s split time!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Cornwall? Lost memory? Hasty marriage? A portrait that shouldn’t exist in a house on a cliff?

Sign me up!

The Life She Forgot by Joanna Davidson Politano

He promised to help her reclaim the memories she lost—no matter what they found.

Until she remembered another man.

Cornwall, 1913

For three years, Merryn has lived without a past—no family, no history, no home that’s truly hers.

When the threat of being locked away for her own “protection” looms, she takes a desperate chance on AJ Winthrop—a warmhearted, whimsical stranger who offers a hasty marriage of convenience and a promise: he will take her back to Cornwall and help her uncover the truth about who she once was.

But along the wild Cornish coast, the memories that begin to surface are not the ones she expects.

Another man.

Another wedding.

A life that may already be hers.

When a hidden painting reveals Merryn’s own face staring back from another life, the fragile life she’s begun to build with AJ begins to unravel. Because the truth waiting in her past could destroy the love she’s only just found.

Cornwall, 1947

Haunted by the war and estranged from the wife he still loves, William Crawford is determined to save their family home for her—even if it means selling the mysterious portrait of Merryn Dunn tucked away in his cottage. But the secrets hidden within the painting threaten to overturn everything he believes…or lead him toward a redemption he never expected.

Decades apart, two lives are bound by a single portrait—and the truth it refuses to keep hidden. This sweeping dual-timeline historical mystery weaves together lost memories, buried truths, and a love story that refuses to fade.

Perfect for fans of Mimi Matthews, Susanna Kearsley, and Kate Morton.

Learn more on Joanna’s WEBSITE and don’t forget to check out her Reader Group on Facebook.

Also… GoodReads and BookBub are good places to follow authors.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

  • Apple
  • Castbox
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Amazon
  • YouTube
  • and more!
Episode 534: A Chat with Joanna Davidson Politano
Episode 534: A Chat with Joanna Davidson Politano
April 20, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 533: A Chat with Chawna Schroeder
April 18, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 532: A Chat with Lynn H. Blackburn
April 13, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 531: A Chat with Heidi Gray McGill
April 11, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 530: A Chat with Erica Colahan
April 6, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 529: A Chat with Debut Author, Deena Adams
April 4, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 528: A Chat with Debut Novelist, Chuck Shelton
March 30, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 527: A Chat with Amanda Cabot
March 28, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 526: A Chat with Laurie Christine
March 23, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 525: A Chat with Heather Greer
March 21, 2026
Chautona Havig
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