Tuesday, January 23, 2018

PUZZLE HOUSE - Lillian Duncan - One Free Ebook

Bio: Lillian Duncan…Stories of faith mingled… with murder & mayhem.
Lillian is a multi-published author who lives in the middle of Ohio Amish country with her husband and a menagerie of pets. After more than 30 years working as a speech pathologist for children, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.
Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced suspense with a touch of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us.

Welcome back, Lillian. How did you come up with the idea for this story?
Most of my books are suspense and mystery but Puzzle House is a complete departure for me. In fact, I call Puzzle House the story I never wanted to write! Having said that it’s also very near and dear to my heart.

In 2012, I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors and a genetic condition called Neurofibromatosis Type 2—NF2 for short. Coincidentally, the main character, Rachel Summers, has the exact same condition.

I’m not going to go into all the gory details but I’ve changed because of my health struggles—physically but even more important spiritually. Puzzle House is the result of those changes.

If you were planning a party with Christian authors of contemporary fiction, what six people would you invite and why?
I’d invite Terri Blackstock, Brandilynn Collins, Frank Peretti, Deb Macomber, and Lena Nelson Dooley, of course. Oooh wait, I forgot Gayle Roper, James Scott Bell, Ted Dekker and James L. Rubart and… oh well, I guess I can’t invite all of them. My dining room’s not big enough—and it’s rather big!

That would be an interesting party. Thanks for inviting me. Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing at this time in your career?
Since I’m retired I should have plenty of time to write. Unfortunately because of the brain tumors, I seem to only be able to work 2-3 hours at the most—usually closer to two rather than three. That time includes blogging, social media, editing and polishing stories to submit as well as working on a new story. And don’t forget marketing!

I never have enough energy to get everything done I’d like to get done. But I’m learning to be patient with myself. When my brain and my body tells me they’ve had enough, it’s time to stop!

Tell us about the featured book.
Puzzle House is a contemporary Christian novel. The main character has brain tumors as a result of a rare genetic condition, but the lessons she learns can be applied to all sorts of struggles that we all have on a daily basis.

I know it sounds like it could be a depressing book but it’s not! The subtitle is a novel of healing and hope and that’s what I want people to take away from the book—hope.

PUZZLE HOUSE BLURB:

Life isn’t a box of candy—it’s a puzzle!

Rachel Summers is all about Rachel Summers…until the day she crashes headlong into a semi-truck. As her life hangs in the balance, she has a visitor who asks a very simple question.
Does she want to be healed or to be a healer?

She makes her choice, but the journey doesn’t go quite the way she expected.

And so Rachel now runs Puzzle House. Every guest is different and yet the same. They all come to the Puzzle House for one reason and one reason only—to be healed, usually from a life-threatening illness. Sometimes they receive their miracle, and sometimes they discover there’s more than one kind of healing.

Nia is a fifteen-year-old African-American girl who is dying. The doctors have told her there is nothing else to be done. No more treatments. No more hope. No more life. And she’s angry about that. Very angry. Against her wishes, Nia’s aunt brings her to The Puzzle House.

Together, Nia and Rachel will take a journey that will change both their lives.

Please give us the first page of the book.
“I hate you.” Nia’s gaze shot little darts of anger at the woman standing by the car door.
The woman met her gaze with a smile. Which infuriated Nia even more. “I said I hate you and I do.”

“You don’t hate me. You’re just angry. ”Her voice remained calm, almost emotionless.

“Don’t you care about me, Auntie?”

“I’m not going to dignify that question with an answer.” She leaned down. “Are you ready?”

“I said don’t you care about me? Why are you making me do this?”

“Because I do love you so very much.” One of her hands moved under Nia, the other moved to her back.

Nia knocked her hands away. “I can do it myself. If I wanted to. I’m not going in there. You can’t make me.”

“I would think you had better ways to use the little bit of energy you have than arguing with me about this. We agreed.”
“No, we didn’t.” Her lip trembled. No crying. Crying wouldn’t change anything. She flopped back against the car seat, exhausted. “I never wanted to come and you know it.”

Her aunt knelt down beside her, eyes filled with tears. “Please. This will be a good thing, Nia. I promise.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?
To learn more about Lillian, you may visit her at www.lillianduncan.net or www.lillian-duncan.com. She also has a devotional blog at www.PowerUpWithGod.com.

Thank you, Lillian, for sharing this very personal novel with us. Both my readers and I are eager to read it.

Readers, here is a link to the book.
Puzzle House

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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7 comments:

Linda Kish said...

The answers we get are not always the ones we want. This sounds like a wonderful book. I would love it if I was the lucky winner.

Linda in CA

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Raechel said...

Sounds good! Thank you for the interview and giveaway!
Raechel in MN

Kay Garrett said...

"Puzzle House" sounds very intriguingly interesting as well as emotional packed. How can you go wrong with "stories of faith mingled… with murder & mayhem"? You can't! I'd very much love to read the book.

Thanks for the information about the book and introducing me to a new to me author as well as the great opportunity to win this book!
Kay from Mountain View, AR
2clowns at arkansas dot net

Unknown said...

Wow. Sounds good and emotional. A little different from your regular writing? Loved the interview.

VanG said...

Wow! This sounds like a wonderful book, and I would love to win a copy of it. I have a young cousin battling NF2 and that makes this book even more intriguing. Thanks for the giveaway. 😊
VanG in NC

Connie Porter Saunders said...

This sounds both intriguing and inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com

Natalya Lakhno said...

The cover of the book is very creative!
Thank you for the interview.

Natalya from Citrus Heights, CA