Book: When the Sky Burned (A Day to Remember Book 6)
Author: Liz Tolsma
Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction
Release date: March 1, 2025
A Tornado of Fire and Embezzlement Sweep through a Community
Enjoy a series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.
Promising painter Mariah Randolph longs to have her canvases displayed in the world’s best museums, and Hollis Stanford, the heir of a railroad tycoon, is her ticket to success. The railroad’s bookkeeper, Jay Franklin, discovers discrepancies and is convinced that Hollis is stealing from the company. But any proof of his dirty dealings go up in smoke when fire utterly destroys the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, October 8, 1871.
The fire leaves Mariah blind, but Jay befriends her and even helps her to start painting again. But a trip to Chicago to return Hollis’s daughter to him could put both Mariah and Jay in more danger than even the fire that devastated the town and their lives.
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When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma is a Chrsitian Historical Romance book. It is Book 6 in a new 6 part series of historic American disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered. The Series is written by Various Authors. I have read the series from Book 1 and I am always excited for the newest book in the series.
The storyline is set in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, October 8, 1871. The 2 main characters are Mariah Randolph and Jay Franklin, A 3rd character that plays a prominent role in this book is Hollis Stanford. Mariah is an artist and her fiance, Hollis Stanford is a Railroad Tycoon, has promised to help her get her paintings noticed and in a few galleries. Jay Franklin has been hired as the BookKeeper for the RailRoad business. He immediately notices possible theft of the accounts associated with the Railroad Business. Jay is determined to look into this, but then a fire destroys the entire town of Peshtigo, WI on October 8, 1971, and any evidence of theft has been destroyed. October 8, 1871 was also the date of the Great Chicago Fire, that burned down most of Chicago. The fire also destroys the lives of many, some dying and others with major injuries. Mariah lost her eyesight because of the fire. Jay steps up and encourages Mariah to still paint and helps her to learn to paint as a Blind Person. Mariah and Jay's life were changed dramatically because of this fire, but I LOVE that they both let this deter them from their goals in life. Mariah and Jay head to Chicago and their friendship flourishes during the time of Travel. I truly LOVED this book. I always knew the History of the Chicago Fire, as I was born and raised and still live in Chicago. I knew nothing of the Peshtigo, WI fires. Liz Tolsma really bought History to life in this book and I really LOVE this book, both the History and Romance parts of it. I was encouraged by the Faith of the characters in this book. The story is one of Faith, Romance and History. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Romance Fiction. AMAZING BOOK!
I am sad that is series has come to an END! I truly believe this is the BEST Historical Fiction series I have ever READ!
Liz Tolsma 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. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.
More from Liz
I stared at my computer screen in front of me. For years, I had been searching for my great-grandmother, Anna. I got no good information. Census records in the US weren’t helpful. Some listed her birthplace as Czechoslovakia, while others had it as Austria. I had heard before that she might have been born in Czechoslovakia before, but never Austria. There were no records that I had come across that listed the city or town where she was born.
Until that one day. While searching for my great-grandmother, I ran across a passport application recorded in Warsaw, Poland, for an Anna with the same last name, though spelled differently. Her birthday was listed as 1903, which matched the birth year I knew for my great-grandmother’s niece. As I read through the application, my heart was pounding. This Anna was born in the United States but went to Dubne, Poland, with her family in 1906. It was now 1923, and she wanted to return to the US, and she would be living with…
I started to cry when I saw who her sponsor was. My great-grandfather. The name and address were correct. There could be no doubt about it. It had taken me years, but I finally made the jump to Europe and discovered that my great-grandmother was not born in Czechoslovakia but in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is now Poland.
Of course, good little researcher that I am, I had to find out all I could about Dubne, the town they were from. That’s when I first came across the term Lemko. What on earth was that?
Lemkos are a Slavic people that settled in the Carpathian Mountains of Southern Poland, Northern Slovakia, and Western Ukraine. They are also known as Lemko Rusyns, Rusyns (especially those born in Slovakia, like my great-grandfather), and Carptho-Rusyns. The mountains kept the world at bay, and they developed their own language, customs, and form of Christianity. For the most part, they were very poor, many of them eking out a living from the rocky ground.
They lived in “black houses,” called that because the poorest people couldn’t afford to have a chimney built. The smoke from the cooking and heating fires stayed inside the house and covered the walls with black tar. If you look at the cemetery records from Dubne, you would be old if you lived into your fifties. Conditions were brutal.
The most the average Lemko could afford was one sheep or one pig. Since this was their most prized possession, they couldn’t take the chance of a wild animal or a neighbor taking it away, so it lived in the house with them.
With all of them. Up to eleven people would live in a two-room house. When I mentioned that in What I Left for You, my editor questioned if I had made a mistake. No, I didn’t. I have no idea how they fit all those people in there, but they did. As I was tracking one branch of our family tree, I kept coming up with people living in house 43. Over and over and over. They stuffed that house full. Grandparents, parents, and children all lived together. They may not have had much, but that forged the Lemkos into strong and resilient people.
I’m proud to be Lemko-Rusyn, and I’m thrilled to share this story with you. I infused Helena, the historical heroine, with as much of the Lemko spunk and spirit as I could. Last October, my daughter and I had the privilege to travel to Poland and Slovakia and see the Lemko homeland for ourselves. It helped me to write a better, richer story because I now understand where they came from and who they were. Enjoy Helena’s story and her journey during WWII and beyond. I hope you come to understand and appreciate the Lemko people as much as I have.
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 27
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 27
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 28
Pens Pages & Pulses, March 28
Books You Can Feel Good About, March 29
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 29
Simple Harvest Reads, March 30 (Guest Review from Marilyn)
Texas Book-aholic, March 30
Betti Mace, March 31
Lily’s Corner, March 31
Life on Chickadee Lane, April 1
Devoted Steps, April 1
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 2
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 3
Blogging with Carol, April 4
Connie’s History Classroom, April 4
Tell Tale Book Reviews, April 5
For Him and My Family, April 5
Stories By Gina, April 6 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, April 6
Bizwings Book Blog, April 7
Cover Lover Book Review, April 7
Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, April 8
Jodie Wolfe, April 8
Holly’s Book Corner, April 9
Pause for Tales, April 9
To celebrate her tour, Liz is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon e-Gift Card and a print copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54187
Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma (A Day to Remember Book 6)
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