14 Days of Sweet Stories: "A Match Made in Heaven" by Liz Tolsma

Interview with Liz Tolsma, author of A Match Made in Heaven:

Alexis: Why did you choose to set your story in the 19th century? Would this be a historical romance? 

Liz: With Barbour romance collections, they prefer that stories be set in the second half of the 19th century. Every now and again, like in the collection I have coming out in July, they will accept other time periods. But mostly, it’s 19th century. And yes, they always have to be romances. 

Alexis: Tell us about your hero Len Montgomery. What does he look like? Sound like? Act like? Describe his heart and life goals. 

Liz: He has deep-set eyes, a square-shaped face, and light brown hair that tends to stick up every which way despite his best attempts to slick it back. He’s tall and muscular. He has a deep voice. He’s sweet, and even a little insecure. He’s a pastor with a deep love for the members of his congregation and wants to do right by them. He wants to be a good pastor. 

Alexis: Is there a special reason why you made Len a pastor? If so, please explain. 

Liz: Yes. He needs to be a pastor because someone writes him asking if there is a young lady in his congregation of impeccable character who might be interested in being his bride. 

Alexis: What is the inciting incident that starts your main characters on their journey? 

Liz: As I stated above, he gets this letter asking for a potential match. The letter gets out to the newspapers around the country, and letters pour in, asking for Pastor Montgomery to make matches for them. Len can’t keep up with all the mail, so the lovely postmistress offers to help him. 

Alexis: How did you dream up a character like Mr. Kimble? He seems very interesting. Why would he have a problem finding a woman to marry him without asking Len for help? 

Liz: Mr. Kimble is based on a real person who wrote to a pastor (and I believe he probably wrote to many, many pastors), asking if he might have a woman in his congregation might be willing to marry him. It could be because he was a rancher, and that’s a difficult life. It might be that he had children, which complicated matters. Things like this still happen today. I know of several couples who have been “set up” by their pastors. Young men writing churches within their denomination, asking if there are any single women in their congregation who share their beliefs who might be interested in a courtship. As far as I know, these have been very successful marriages. 

Alexis: Now for my readers who may not know, what is a “postmistress”? 

Liz: A postmistress is a woman who runs a post office. She’s the one in charge. In a small town in those days, she might be the only postal employee. It was not an uncommon position for a woman. 

Alexis: Let’s talk about your heroine Cora Thomas (the postmistress). What are her strengths and flaws, dreams and duties? What makes her feel alive? Why? 

Liz: She is very caring and giving. She always brings flowers to those who are sick or sad. She can be a little overbearing, and some don’t like or understand why she always quotes Shakespeare. Her dream is to be a postmistress in a bigger town. Being able to help others, to bring them joy, is what makes her feel alive. She does it because it also brings her joy. And whatever you do to the least of these my brothers, you do to me. A rough paraphrase of Matthew 25:40.

Alexis: Why did Len’s mentor from seminary warn him to not become romantically involved with any of the young women in his congregation that he leads? 

Liz: I’m a PK (pastor’s kid), so I know the behind-the-scenes workings of a pastor’s life. I can only imagine if a pastor became involved with someone from his congregation, the tongues would wag. And if the relationship ended, it could cause great difficulty for that pastor, and perhaps even division in the church. While I’ve never heard of a pastor warned against this, and in fact have known pastors who have married members of their congregation, I could imagine a well-meaning older pastor giving a younger man this type of advice. 

Alexis: How does Len’s desire to not become “entangled” affect his relationship with and growing attraction to Cora? 

Liz: He is struggling to take this advice despite his growing feelings. He respects his mentor, and wants to follow what he says, but begins to wonder if it really was the best advice. 

Alexis: What role does faith in God play in this story and how did your position as a woman of faith affect your storytelling? 

Liz: The theme of the book is trusting God to work things out. Faith is woven throughout the story. Both of the main characters are Christians all the way throughout, but they grow in their faith over the course of the story. Just as faith is part of my every day life, so it is for my characters. 

Alexis: Why did you title this story, “A Match Made in Heaven”? 

Liz: Of course, there is the saying that a couple is a match made in heaven. Because Len is a pastor, and because the theme is trusting God to work things out, I thought it was a fun title that played to what the book was about. 

Alexis: If you were Cora’s mentor, what would you advise her concerning her feelings for Len and his position as a single pastor of a church? 

Liz: I would advise her to be prudent and act cautiously so as to not get the gossips going. I would tell her to take her time to get to know him and to not flaunt the relationship, especially in the beginning. 

Alexis: What about writing this story brought the most joy to your heart? 

Liz: I had so much fun with the Shakespeare quotes. Even though I studied him in college, there were sayings that I didn’t realize were his. I had just finished writing an intense WWII book when this opportunity came along, so it was nice to write something lighthearted. 

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most from this book? 

Liz: That you might have a plan in mind, but God might have a different one. And His plan is always best. 

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Liz! Do you have any final comments? 

Liz: Thank you so much for having me. These were great questions that I enjoyed answering!

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Author bio: 

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels and prairie romance novellas. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their two daughters. 

She enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. Please visit her blog, The Story behind the Story, at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

She is also a regular contributor to the Pencildancer blog and the Midwest Almanac blog.

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Blurb for Liz's story, "A Match Made in Heaven": Pastor Len Montgomery receives an unusual letter from an Omaha farmer that turns him into the matchmaker he never wanted to be. 

But the match he most wants to make, the one with the town’s sweet, charming, and Shakespeare-quoting postmistress, may be out of his reach.

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Read Liz's story when you buy the book, "The Matchmaker Brides Collection":
Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Christianbook.com

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