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Liz Tolsma (that’s me!) is the guest this week. My niece Becca makes her annual stop on the podcast to interview me about my latest release, What I Left for You. We discuss who the Lemko people in Poland were, why they are important to both of us, and where hope shines through in the dark circumstances of this story. Patrons get to hear about my sweet little dog.
What I Left for You by Liz Tolsma
A Family’s Ties Were Broken in Poland of 1939
1939 Helena Kostyszak is an oddity—an educated female ethnic minority lecturing at a university in Krakow at the outbreak of WWII. When the Germans close the university and force Jews into the ghetto, she spirits out a friend’s infant daughter and flees to her small village in the southern hills. Helena does everything in her power to protect her family, but it may not be enough. It will take all of her strength and God’s intervention for both of them to survive the war and the ethnic cleansing to come.
2023 Recently unengaged social worker McKenna Muir is dealt an awful blow when a two-year-old she’s been working with is murdered. It’s all too much to take, so her friend suggests she dive into her family’s past like she’s always wanted. Putting distance between herself and her problems might help her heal, so she and her friend head on Sabbatical to Poland. But what McKenna discovers about her family shocks everyone, including one long-lost family member.
Praise for What I Left for You:
“Steeped in impeccable research, riddled in suspense, and written with great love, I felt I lived within the pages of Liz Tolsma’s What I Left for You. A brilliant and moving story.” -Author Cathy Gohlke
This is such a compelling book! You won’t be able to put it down. Grab some tissues, your fave comfort animal and drink, and settle in to learn about a minority persecuted in WWII that you probably had never heard of before. Discover the strength of the mother-child bond, and the immense love for one’s homeland. As we consider the lengths that Jerzy, Helena, and others go for love, ask yourself, how far would I go for another? Would I try to make it on my own power, or would I needs look upwards?”
“Liz Tolsma never disappoints. I love how Liz draws you into the heart and soul of the characters. What I Left for You does the same as it traces the Lemko people who lived in Poland and their plight during and after the war. I had no knowledge of these people and how they were rejected over and over again by other countries. So tragic. This dual-time novel does an excellent job of connecting the past to the people in the present. Knowing the author has personal ties to the story, I know how thorough her research is, and I appreciate the realism with which she portrayed the story.” -Author Marilyn Turk
Get your copy of What I Left for You
Get book one: What I Would Tell You (stand alone)
Get book two: What I Promise You (stand alone)
Passionate might best describe Liz Tolsma. She loves writing and researching historical fiction, and editing for other authors. Her passion shines through in her writing, many of her novels being award finalists or award winners. 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 to her high-school sweetheart, and they live in the Wisconsin countryside. They are now blessed with three grown children, including a son, daughter, and daughter-in-law who are all US Marines and a daughter with special needs who brightens their days.