Hello again, friends! Last time I introduced you to Becca Kinzer’s charming debut novel, Dear Henry, Love Edith, which made me an instant fan. Now, as promised, we’re back for a peek behind the curtain and some Quick Qs.

Behind the scenes with author & book

1. Novel in a nutshell: what’s Dear Henry, Love Edith about, in two sentences or less.

It’s about what happens when two young strangers share a house for the summer, working opposite shifts, and begin exchanging notes back and forth under the same wrong impression their housemate is elderly—and not the attractive person they keep bumping into around town.

2. One thing I love about this book is that you gave it what I call a “global accent.” Tell us more about that, and what this place means to you.

I always knew Edith wanted to travel somewhere out of the country, but in early drafts of the story I could never quite figure out where. Then somewhere along the way a rural village in South Africa started taking shape in my mind and grabbed hold of my heart. From that point on, I knew the location had to be there—even if it still wasn’t clear to me why. But God’s timing is everything, isn’t it? Just as I was working through my second heavy season of COVID as a nurse and feeling especially discouraged, I was working on the research for this South Africa setting. And that’s when I discovered the Jabulani Rural Health Foundation. It not only became the inspiration for the organization Edith volunteers for in my story, it became a great source of encouragement to me as a nurse right when I needed it most.

3. Honestly, I was blown away by Dear Henry, Love Edith. I’m not usually a huge fan of romance as genre, but this was so much more than a rom-com—light without being frivolous, wholesome without being staid. Writer to writer, how on earth did you manage this?

Well, if we’re being honest, I wasn’t sure that I had. So thank you! But seriously, the tough thing about writing rom-coms is finding that balance of lightheartedness and meaningfulness. But now that I think about it, that’s pretty much the same balance I search for in my day-to-day life. So maybe that’s how I managed it. (That, and I had a really great editor.)

4. To me, celebrating beauty in the midst of brokenness means living a life that reflects a beautiful God, even when life is painful. How does this theme play out in Dear Henry, Love Edith?

Oh, I love that question. Because, yes. This world is certainly full of brokenness and pain. Disappointments and failures. But that doesn’t have to automatically lead to a life of bitterness and despair. Hopefully this story helps readers remember that despite whatever pain we’ve experienced, God is still writing new chapters for our lives. Chapters full of hope and adventure if we keep our eyes fixed above.

5. What can your readers look forward to next, in 20 words or less?

Another rom-com. This one about two complete opposites riding five hundred miles on a tandem bicycle to win a contest.

Quick Qs

FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE
The porch room (when the weather allows)

EARLY BIRD OR NIGHT OWL?
Early bird wannabe

COFFEE OR TEA?
COFFEE

MOUNTAINS OR SEASIDE?
Mountains

FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A FRIDAY NIGHT
Staying home, reading, and hanging out with my family. (I know—pretty wild, huh?)

ONE THING YOU LOVE ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE
All the Abraham Lincoln history

SECRET SUPERPOWER
I do great character accents when I’m reading Harry Potter to my kids. At least I think so. Nobody else appears to be impressed. (But that’s why it’s a secret superpower, right?)

MOST MEMORABLE PLACE YOU’VE TRAVELED
Sequoia National Park

DREAM DESTINATION
Scotland

FICTION OR NONFICTION (ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND)
Fiction

CURRENTLY READING (FICTION AND NON-)
J’nell Ciesielski’s The Brilliance of Stars and Dane Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly

ONE GOOD BOOK REC
Katie Powner’s Where the Blue Sky Begins

ONE MEMORABLE MOVIE
The Happiest Millionaire (one of my all-time favorites)

AGE YOU CAME TO FAITH IN JESUS
8 years old

ONE MEANINGFUL VERSE FROM SCRIPTURE
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” James 1:2.

About the author

Becca Kinzer lives in Springfield, Illinois where she works as a critical care nurse. When she’s not taking care of sick patients or reminding her husband and two kids that frozen chicken nuggets is a gourmet meal, she enjoys making up lighthearted stories with serious laughs. She is a 2018 ACFW First Impressions Contest winner, a 2019 Genesis Contest winner, 2021 Cascade Award winner, and all-around champion coffee drinker. Dear Henry, Love Edith is her debut novel.

Connect with Becca at beccakinzer.com. 

About the book

He thinks she’s an elderly widow. She’s convinced he’s a grumpy old man. Neither could be further from the truth.

After a short and difficult marriage, recently widowed Edith Sherman has learned her lesson. Forget love. Forget marriage. She plans to fill her thirties with adventure. As she awaits the final paperwork for a humanitarian trip to South Africa, she accepts a short-term nursing position in a small Midwestern town. The last thing she needs is a handsome local catching her eye. How inconvenient is that?

Henry Hobbes isn’t exactly thrilled to have Edith, who he assumes is an elderly widow, dumped on him as a houseguest for the summer. But he’d do almost anything for his niece, who is practically like a sister to him given how close they are in age. Especially since Edith will be working nights and Henry works most days. When he and Edith keep missing each other in person, they begin exchanging notes―short messages at first, then longer letters, sharing increasingly personal parts of their lives.

By the time Henry realizes his mistake―that Edith is actually the brown-eyed beauty he keeps bumping into around town―their hearts are so intertwined he hopes they never unravel. But with her departure date rapidly approaching, and Henry’s roots firmly planted at home, Edith must ultimately decide if the adventure of her dreams is the one right in front of her.

Reminiscent of the beloved classic You’ve Got Mail comes a delightful new romantic comedy about mistaken identities, second chances, and finding love in unexpected places.

Buy the book here. 

Happy reading!
🌺Katherine

With thanks to Tyndale Publishers providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.