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.
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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.
ReplyDeleteLinda in CA
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Sounds good! Thank you for the interview and giveaway!
ReplyDeleteRaechel in MN
"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.
ReplyDeleteThanks 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
Wow. Sounds good and emotional. A little different from your regular writing? Loved the interview.
ReplyDeleteWow! 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. 😊
ReplyDeleteVanG in NC
This sounds both intriguing and inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
The cover of the book is very creative!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the interview.
Natalya from Citrus Heights, CA