{"id":27990,"date":"2021-11-03T23:22:08","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T04:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=27990"},"modified":"2021-11-03T23:22:42","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T04:22:42","slug":"a-picture-of-hope-by-liz-tolsma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=27990","title":{"rendered":"A Picture of Hope by Liz Tolsma"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/A-Picture-of-Hope.jpg” title_text=”A Picture of Hope” _builder_version=”4.12.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”My Review – Celebrate Lit” _builder_version=”4.12.1″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Picture of Hope<\/em> is such a well-written novel that a reader may well feel as if she is with heroine Nellie Wilkerson as she experiences first-hand the horrors of World War 2. From the city streets of London to Normandy Beach to a burned out church in a small town in France, Nellie Wilkerson, a photo journalist witnesses atrocities most people do not even care to imagine.<\/p>\n

Although Nellie feels that her calling is to document the war so that the people back home in the U.S. will know the truth about the brutality of Hitler\u2019s Nazi Party, she is always ready to help wherever she is needed at the time. When she and Jean-Paul Breslau of the French Underground work together to protect and find a place for an orphaned special needs child, she discovers that following God\u2019s plans for one\u2019s life can sometimes mean laying down their life so that another may live.<\/p>\n

A Picture of Hope<\/em> is brilliant yet at times it is difficult to read about men\u2019s cruelty to others. I enjoyed Nellie\u2019s interactions with the nuns as well as Jean-Paul. I loved the brutal honesty of one of the nuns whose wisdom encouraged Nellie along the way. Nellie herself was impulsive and often came close to endangering not only herself but the others in her group of travelers. Yet always, the author stressed the hope that we find in the Lord, even when life seems darkest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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ABOUT THE BOOK:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

Book:\u00a0<\/strong>A Picture of Hope<\/p>\n

Author:\u00a0<\/strong>Liz Tolsma<\/p>\n

Genre: <\/b>Christian Historical Fiction<\/p>\n

Release date:<\/strong>\u00a0October, 2021<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to get your copy!<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

A Photojournalist Risks Her Life to Save Children<\/strong><\/p>\n

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this new series celebrates the unsung heroes\u2014the heroines of WWII.<\/em><\/p>\n

Journalist Nellie Wilkerson has spent the bulk of the war in London, photographing pilots taking off and landing\u2014and she\u2019s bored. She jumps at the chance to go to France, where the Allied forces recently landed. She enlists Jean-Paul Breslau of the French underground to take her to the frontlines. On the journey, they come upon an orphanage where nuns shelter children with disabilities. Can they help save them before the Nazis come to liquidate it?<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”ABOUT THE AUTHOR” _builder_version=”4.12.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Liz Tolsma<\/strong> is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. Please visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.<\/p>\n

MORE FROM LIZ:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why Another WWII Novel Set in France<\/h3>\n

You may well read the back cover of my latest release, A Picture of Hope, <\/em>and wonder why on earth we need another WWII novel set in France. After all, Kristy Cambron just had one. Melanie Dobson and Sarah Sundin will be coming out with theirs in 2022. So why did I feel the need to write my novel with the same setting?<\/p>\n

First of all, I\u2019m a Francophile. I love all things French. It started when I took French in high school. Everyone else was learning Spanish, but I wasn\u2019t into being part of the crowd. There were only a few of us in the class, and it was great fun. We had a wonderful teacher. Being able to pull out some of that French, refine it a bit, and use it in the book was a blast. But I also love French food (who doesn\u2019t?) and everything else.<\/p>\n

Secondly, I hadn\u2019t written about France before. When I wrote this proposal at least five or six years ago, I didn\u2019t know France would be so hot. God did, and the book came about in His perfect timing. I\u2019d explored the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Philippines. Such a shame that I was leaving out France, so I set about to write a novel located in that country.<\/p>\n

Thirdly, there was so much good material to pull from. The French resistance, while small, did good work and sacrificed a great deal to get Jews out of the country and into Switzerland or Spain. The books that Kristy, Melanie, Sarah, and I write are all so different. Only the setting is the same. And when I found out that the famous mime Marcel Marceau was part of the resistance, I couldn\u2019t help but giving him a cameo. Be on the lookout!<\/p>\n

Along the way, I discovered some truly heartrending incidents that took place in France. They also compelled me to write this book. I long for the world to remember what happened so that we will never forget. And so that the atrocities committed there will never be repeated.<\/p>\n

Fourthly, this was originally the third book in a series. Don\u2019t worry \u2013 it\u2019s a stand-alone. Maybe someday I\u2019ll get to publish the other two. The women in the series are all American journalists in Europe. One is a reporter, the other is a broadcaster, and so I decided to make Nellie, the heroine in A Picture of Hope, <\/em>a photojournalist. And where better to take pictures than on Omaha Beach soon after D-day. How she gets there is based on a very interesting true story, so be sure to read to the end for that one.<\/p>\n

There are so many stories about WWII to be told and so many countries that participated in the conflict in one way or the other. The ground is so rich that we aren\u2019t plowing the same parcel. You\u2019ll find all of these books to be very different from each other, each with its own message, its own voice, and its own plot.<\/p>\n

The focus in my book is on children with Down syndrome. I have a background in special education, and my husband and I adopted a child from the Philippines with an intellectual disability, so I\u2019ve always had a heart for people with special needs. My daughter brings us so much joy that I wanted to share a glimpse into what these remarkable people are truly capable of.<\/p>\n

So that is why I wrote a WWII novel set in France. Make yourself a cup of caf\u00e9 au lait, butter up a croissant, and enjoy A Picture of Hope<\/em>!<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”BLOG STOPS” _builder_version=”4.12.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

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BLOG STOPS<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”BLOGGER LINKS #1″ _builder_version=”4.12.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

A Baker\u2019s Perspective<\/a>, October 28<\/p>\n

Life of Literature<\/a>, October 28<\/p>\n

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader<\/a>, October 28<\/p>\n

Genesis 5020<\/a>, October 28<\/p>\n

Debbie\u2019s Dusty Deliberations<\/a>, October 29<\/p>\n

The Book Chic Blog<\/a>, October 29<\/p>\n

Blogging With Carol<\/a>, October 29<\/p>\n

Texas Book-aholic<\/a>, October 30<\/p>\n

Sodbuster Living<\/a>, October 30<\/p>\n

Spoken from the Heart<\/a>, October 30<\/p>\n

Elly Gilbert<\/a>, October 30<\/p>\n

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy<\/a>, October 31<\/p>\n

Inklings and notions<\/a>, October 31<\/p>\n

Labor Not in Vain<\/a>, October 31<\/p>\n

CarpeDiem<\/a>, October 31<\/p>\n

Splashes of Joy<\/a>, November 1<\/p>\n

Reviewingbooksplusmore<\/a>, November 1<\/p>\n

Life, love, writing<\/a>, November 1<\/p>\n

For Him and My Family<\/a>, November 1<\/p>\n

deb\u2019s Book Review<\/a>, November 2<\/p>\n

A Good Book and Cup of Tea<\/a>, November 2<\/p>\n

Babbling Becky L\u2019s Book Impressions<\/a>, November 3<\/p>\n

Betti Mace<\/a>, November 3<\/p>\n

Worthy2Read<\/a>, November 3<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”BLOGGER LINKS #2″ _builder_version=”4.12.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Abba\u2019s Prayer Warrior Princess<\/a>, November 3<\/p>\n

Daysong Reflections<\/a>, November 4<\/p>\n

Locks, Hooks and Books<\/a>, November 4<\/p>\n

Vicky Sluiter<\/a>, November 4<\/p>\n

Southern Gal Loves to Read<\/a>, November 4<\/p>\n

Older & Smarter?<\/a>, November 5<\/p>\n

By the Book<\/a>, November 5<\/p>\n

Ashley\u2019s Clean Book Reviews<\/a>, November 5<\/p>\n

Connie\u2019s History Classroom<\/a>, November 6<\/p>\n

For the Love of Literature<\/a>, November 6<\/p>\n

Bigreadersite<\/a>, November 6<\/p>\n

Happily Managing a Household of Boys<\/a>, November 6<\/p>\n

Rebecca Tews<\/a>, November 7<\/p>\n

A Modern Day Fairy Tale<\/a>, November 7<\/p>\n

Mypreciousbitsandmusings<\/a>, November 7<\/p>\n

She Lives To Read<\/a>, November 8<\/p>\n

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama<\/a>, November 8<\/p>\n

Where Faith and Books Meet<\/a>, November 8<\/p>\n

Pause for Tales<\/a>, November 9<\/p>\n

Christian Bookaholic<\/a>, November 9<\/p>\n

Through the Fire Blogs<\/a>, November 9<\/p>\n

To Everything There Is A Season\u00a0<\/a>, November 9<\/p>\n

Little Homeschool on the Prairie<\/a>, November 10<\/p>\n

The Meanderings of a Bookworm<\/a>, November 10<\/p>\n

Mary Hake<\/a>, November 10<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”GIVEAWAY” _builder_version=”4.12.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

GIVEAWAY:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>To celebrate her tour, Liz is giving away\u00a0the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and copy of A Picture of Hope!!<\/p>\n

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/promosimple.com\/ps\/12b83\/a-picture-of-hope-celebration-tour-giveaway<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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MY REVIEW: A Picture of Hope is such a well-written novel that a reader may well feel as if she is with heroine Nellie Wilkerson as she experiences first-hand the horrors of World War 2. From the city streets of London to Normandy Beach to a burned out church in a small town in France, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,34,41,71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-historical","category-romance","category-wwii"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27990"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28001,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27990\/revisions\/28001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}