Today I'd like to welcome Lillian Duncan. She guest blogged for me just recently while I've been recovering from some major surgery. I thought it would be fun to have her back again today to learn a little more about her.
Let's start with how you developed a love of story.
From the moment I learned to read, I loved reading
stories. The stories I read took me to worlds I couldn’t imagine. Where ever I
went, you could be sure I had a book with me. When I went to relatives, I had a
book. When I went fishing, I had a book. When I was supposed to be listening to
the teacher in class, I had a book!
And yes, I got caught more than once!
I remember
pouring over my Scholastic Reader each month to pick a book to buy. It was pure
delight—and pure agony! We were poor so I’m not sure how my mom came up with
the money to get me a book each month, but she did.
Looking back, it’s easy to see that books were an
escape for me. But they were more than an escape. Without me knowing it, each
of those books helped me become an author!
I can relate to your love of books. :) What does your typical day look like?
I don’t have many “typical days’
right now. Since being diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors 3 years ago, I
never know what my day’s going to be like. Some days, I get up and write for
several hours. Other days are filled with doctor appointments and treatments.
And some days, I just don’t feel all that well but…
God has been so good to me in spite
of my health issues. Even though I don’t write as much as I’d like to, books
get finished and published. God is amazing!
Oh my! You will be in my thoughts and prayers. What a testimony though to still be able to write. How does your faith and spirituality
work in with your writing?
It’s different in every book. Sometimes
my characters are strong Christians. Other times they are not a Christian at
the beginning of the story but become one during it. In the case of Maven, her
faith grows stronger with each of the Deadly Communications books.
That sounds interesting. Where did you
get the inspiration for your latest book?
I was a school speech pathologist, also known
as an SLP, for more than thirty years. I’ve also been writing for twenty.
During the time, I never figured out a way to merge the two together until
about a few years ago, three things happened within a week of each other.
First I was talking with someone whose daughter
had been in a serious car accident that resulted in brain damage and was having
difficulty with her expressive language skills.
Second, my brother asked me why I’d never
featured a speech therapist in any of my books. My honest answer was I’d never
figured out how to work a speech therapist into a suspense story. I loved being
a speech pathologist but I’ll be the first to admit, it can be a bit boring
listening to a student practice S or R again for the 600th time!
Anyway... later in the week I wasn’t doing
anything in particular. All of a sudden, a ten-second movie blip played in my
head. A young woman ran through the woods. As she emerged from the trees, she
ran onto a highway where the headlights of a truck blinded her.
In that instant, the plot of Deadly
Communications was born and from that Maven, my crime-fighting speech therapist
was created. DEADLY INTENT is book 2 in the series and she finds herself in
even more trouble than in the first book!
Wow! What fun and a great way to work in your experience. What do you plan to work
on next?
Book 3 of the series, DEADLY SILENCE, is finished and waiting for a
release date. In this book, Maven works with a late-deafened adult which is a
topic close to my heart since I’ve become completely deaf in one ear and lost
hearing in the other as a result of my brain tumors.
You certainly have been through a lot these past years. What
is your favorite Bible verse and why?
Romans 8: 28… It’s a
promise that God will work out all things for the good of those who love Him.
Since being diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors in 2012, I’ve repeated this
verse over more times than I can remember. I believe this verse with my whole
heart and soul! In spite of my health issues, I have a wonderful life that I’m
so grateful to God for.
What a great promise. When
do you fit writing into your day?
Since I’m retired, I
don’t have to worry about having a 9-5 job so I get to write or not write as
the mood hits me. I’m also blessed with a wonderful husband who does lot of the
housework and all of the cooking so I can spend more time writing!
What a blessing! :) What
does your writing space look like?
It’s a mess--just like me!
LOL. You sound like you are far from being a mess. :)
To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net. Tiaras & Tennis Shoes is her personal blog at www.lillian-duncan.com. She's on Facebook and Twitter as well.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Lillian. I pray God's blessings on you and your writing.
Tune in next week to learn about Paula Mowery. Also, it's a new month so we have a new giveaway. Any comments left this month will be entered into the drawing for the following:
Hope you have a great day! :)
We have a rock, too. God is our rock during times of
struggle and stress and storm. My grandpa used to sing - and I use the term
loosely here - a few measures of a song based on Psalm 40. Apropos of nothing,
suddenly, and with great gusto he would break out into something like, "He
lifted me out of the slimy pit and set my feet on the rock to stay".
Grandpa was a Greek immigrant who started out 
