Liz Tolsma – Character Interview – Part 2 of 2

Shannon here: Historical romance author, Liz Tolsma shares insight into wartime romance. Comment on any post dated August 16 – 17 to get your name in the drawing for her latest release, Snow on the Tulips. Deadline: August 24th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Liz:

Interview with Cornelia de Vries and Gerrit Laninga:

•  How did the two of you meet?

Cornelia: My brother brought him home as a stray.
Gerrit: He saved my life, actually. They both did. They took me in when no one else would at great risk to their lives.

•  Gerrit, what do you like best about Cornelia?

I love her quiet, sweet disposition. And her amazing courage and faith.

•  Cornelia, what do you like best about Gerrit?

He has quite the sense of humor. And I like how he challenges me to step out in faith and do things I never thought I would do.

•  What was your best date?

Cornelia: Dating? We don’t do that. In war, you don’t date. Romance doesn’t happen the way it does during peace. We were thrown together through circumstance and God’s sovereign plan. We will see what will happen from here.

• What sorts of things do you have in common?

Gerrit: Not too much. Our faith in God, our love of our country and family. And Cornelia has turned me into a cat person.
Cornelia: You mean you weren’t a cat person before? You were such a natural with mine.
Gerrit: Pepper is a nice cat.
Cornelia: We also like to take picnics in the barn when the weather is cold.

• You mentioned love of country, Gerrit. What about your country do you love?

Gerrit: I love the canals and the flat terrain that lets you see forever. The cows in the fields and the whisper of the windmill sails.
Cornelia: When the Nazis leave and the Queen returns, it will be the most wonderful day.

•  What is the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about each other?

Cornelia: That he has such a compassionate heart. His sister is disabled, but he loves her so much, speaks about her with such tenderness.
Gerrit: This woman is much tougher on the inside than she looks. She would make a good Resistance worker yet.
Cornelia: That will never happen.

•  What are your plans for after you are liberated?

Cornelia: It’s hard to imagine the day that our land will be free from the Germans. I think we’ll just enjoy each day and be thankful that we don’t have to worry about what we say or what we do.
Gerrit: My father owns a furniture store, so I suppose that I will go back and work for him. Like Cornelia, I don’t allow myself to think ahead too far. We need to survive today.

•  If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Gerrit: Home. I haven’t been there in almost two years. As a man wanted by the Germans for my Resistance work, they Gestapo is watching my parents’ house, so it’s too dangerous for them and for me to return home. I miss my family.
Cornelia: Like Gerrit, home holds the most appeal to me. Just to wander the streets of this place and shop again for food and clothes, that would be wonderful.

•  Are wartime romances different than those that blossom in times of peace?

Gerrit: Very much so. Added in with trying to get to know each other, there is the constant threat from the occupiers. And who knows which one of us will see tomorrow. Yes, that’s true anytime, but it becomes much more real when you’re at war.
Cornelia: I agree. When Gerrit goes out, I wonder if he will come home. When I leave, I wonder if I will make it home. Everyday life is dangerous. Any moment…
Gerrit: But we have to trust in God, that He will accomplish His perfect plan.
Come back August 19th for James L. Rubart!