Love of Story Welcomes Lillian Duncan

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! :)

 

LESSON 4: WORTHWHILE AIN’T NECESSARILY EASY (OR QUICK)! - Guest Blogger Lillian Duncan

Habakkuk 2: 3 (KJV)

For the vision is yet for an appointed time…though it tarry, wait for it.

I recently released a short non-fiction book entitled GOD, LIFE & HULA HOOPS:

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

SPIRITUAL LISTENING LESSONS. It's meant to be light-hearted but with a serious message. This devotion is from Spiritual Listening Lesson 4. 

It took me fifteen years to get my first traditional contract. That’s right! Fifteen years! Fifteen years of writing. Fifteen years of rejections. Fifteen years of coming close but still not getting that contract.

To say I was frustrated was a bit of an understatement. I was firmly convinced God wanted me to be a writer so I didn’t understand why it wasn’t happening. If God wanted me to do it, wouldn’t he make it easy for me?

Absolutely not! 

God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. And look at all she and Joseph went through—shunned; humiliated; chased out of her homeland; and watching her son die on the cross.

Worthwhile ain’t necessarily easy or quick!

And then there’s Moses God gave him the assignment of leading the Israelites out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. It took Moses more than forty years, and in the end he didn’t get to go into the Promised Land even though the new generation of Israelites did.

Worthwhile ain’t necessarily easy or quick!

Just because God wants us to do something doesn’t it’s going to be easy. Just as parents know (or should know) if you make everything too easy for a child, they won’t grow up—they won’t mature. God knows that as well. After all, He is the perfect parent!

It wasn’t quick or easy, but all those years of perseverance were worth it! Four years and ten contracts later, writing still brings me so much joy. But what would have happened if I’d quit in year ten? Year thirteen? Year fourteen and a half?

When I’m asked what advice I would give to unpublished writers, I always include DON’T QUIT!

Life is like that. As I write this, it’s been more than three years since I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors—and believe me, it hasn’t been easy or quick. There’s been countless times in the past 3 ½ years when I wanted to throw in the towel. Give up. Quit.

 Instead, I’ve learned to keep my eyes on Jesus, knowing that he will see me through once again. 

It doesn’t matter what goals or dreams you have, you’ve got to stick to it. If you quit, you won’t get there. Doesn’t matter if it’s to learn to play a piano, lose weight, be a writer, or even to hula hoop.

If you quit, it won’t happen.

Worthwhile ain’t necessarily easy or quick!

BIO:

Lillian Duncan: stories of faith mingled with murder &mayhem!

Lillian is a multi-published writer with several Amazon bestsellers, including The Christmas Stalking and Betrayed. Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced suspense with a touch or two of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us.

 

Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net. Tiaras & Tennis Shoes is her personal blog at www.lillian-duncan.com. 

GOD, LIFE & HULA HOOPS BLURB:

God uses the oddest things to teach us what he wants us to learn—what we need to learn in order to have a better life. I’m sure there are weirder examples, but God used the hula hoop to teach me new things, give me more wisdom, and clarify some old ideas for me.

In 2012, I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors. It’s not been an easy journey, nor is it over. But God has held my hand every step of the way. 2 Corinthians 1:4 tells us to comfort others just as we have been comforted by God.

In God, Life & Hula Hoops, I share some of the spiritual lessons that have helped me during this difficult time in hopes that you will be comforted as well.

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Thanks Lillian for guest blogging while I recover from surgery.