Author Interview with Lillian Duncan

LillianDuncan loves all things mysterious and suspenseful so she writes the type of books she loves to read—action-filled suspense and mystery with a touch of romance. She’s been a Speech Pathologist in the public schools for over thirty years, but is now retired and focusing on her writing career these days. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

Blurb: Improving communication skills is never easy. In this case, it could be murder!

Maven Morris is a speech-language pathologist on medical leave–or as she likes to put it: out to pasture. When she’s offered a lucrative position by one of the community’s most powerful men to help his traumatic-brain-injured daughter improve her communication skills, Maven discovers deadly secrets behind the iron gates of the mansion.

Now, she must find the courage to seek justice no matter who gets hurt–even if it’s her.

Lillian, welcome and congratulations on your new novella, DeadlyCommunications. This novella features a speech pathologist. Since you were an SLP for more than 30 years, tell us how your work experience is thread into the story.

The main character, Maven Morris, is a speech pathologist who was asked to take a medical leave due to developing Bell’s palsy—a condition that paralyzes or partially paralyzes the nerves in the face. As a result of not having anything to do, she takes on a private client.

The suspense plot comes from Maven working with a client who can’t communicate due to brain trauma as a result of an accident. I tried to make the therapy scenes as realistic as possible while keeping them as interesting as possible.

That sounds interesting! What advice can you give to aspiring novelists to produce a sound novel that’ll sell?

Oh, I could talk all day about this subject—but I won’t! First, I would tell them to learn all they can about the craft of writing. Second, keep practicing and DON’T QUIT. My third piece of advice is that even though there are so many options for writers these day, don’t be in too big of a hurry to publish. Just because you can publish doesn’t mean you should—until you’re ready.

So true, thanks for that advice. For fun, if you could take a plane to ONE place, where would you go? If you could bring one person with you, who would it be? And if you could eat only one kind of food during your trip, what would that be?

I would fly to Alaska by way of Hawaii. Those are the two states I have left to complete all 50 states.

My husband, of course!

Pasta! Pasta! And more pasta!

Carbs . . . so evil! Who/What spurs you to write? 

I believe God instilled a love of books in me. I can remember that as soon as I learned to read, I always carried a book with me, no matter where I went. Because of that love, it was a natural progression to writing.

Where do your story and character ideas come from?

My ideas for my stories and characters come from all sorts of places. Sometimes they come from a TV show or news story. But most of the time, the ideas come from a mysterious place with no name. I call it God, some people call it their muse.

Either way, I can be sitting somewhere and an idea simply pops into my head. And that’s usually the start.

How do your faith and spiritual life play into the picture and affect your storytelling?

Many people might not think that murder & mayhem have a place in Christian fiction, but I disagree. My characters are in crisis throughout my stories. What better way to show God’s love, mercy, and power than during the worst days of their lives.

So true. Lillian, thank you for your time today, it was fun! And congratulations again on your newest novella, Deadly Communications.

I’m thrilled to announce that I received a contract for the second in my mystery novella series—NOWHERE TO BELONG. In this story, Maven fosters a child with communication difficulties. Without giving the plot away, I’ll just say that, as usual, Maven ends up in trouble.

Congratulations again! You can find Lillian on Facebook, her daily blog, or her devotional blog. 

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Blog author bio: After writing for a number of years, Heidi Main finally found her home in the contemporary Christian romance genre. Her cozy novels reflect the quaint and slower time from her childhood in a small town. Following a career in the computer field, she operated a Jazzercise franchise before she began writing. Currently, she is a part-time freelance copywriter for a local design firm, a member of ACFW and RWA, and is the lead moderator for The Writers View 2. Central North Carolina is home for her family, including their Jack Russell Terrier Sophie, and their backyard of well-fed birds and squirrels.Learn more about Heidi on her website and her blog. Connect with Heidi on Facebook and Twitter.