Good morning Lillian and thank you for joining us today at Fiction with Faith. First, lets start off by telling the readers where you are from.
I’m from a small town in Ohio. We’re located about half-way between Columbus and Cleveland. When I say small I mean small. There’s one traffic light. I love living in a town where I know the names of the people I see on a regular basis, like the store owner, the librarians, and the pharmacist. And in fact it’s one of the themes in Pursued.
How long have you been writing and did you ever feel like giving up?
I started writing 16 years ago when I was 40. Yikes, that makes me so…never mind. And absolutely, I wanted to give up many, many times. And in fact, I did give up many times but I always started up again.
I don’t know any writer who hasn’t felt that way. The uncertainty of becoming a published writer can be frustrating and overwhelming at times to say the least. But if being a writer is your dream, you have to keep writing and waiting…and waiting…and…..
Writing and waiting some more. I don’t think there ‘s a writer out there that doesn’t get weary of the waiting process. But obviously patience has its benefits as your latest novel, Pursued is about to be released. Tell us more about this exciting story.
PURSUED is a story near and dear to my heart. I wanted to write a story that showed some of the differences between “big-city” and “small-town” living, but in the end those differences are only superficial. The important thing is a person’s character not where they live or what they do for a job.
How did you come up with your title-Pursued?
The original title was Just An Old Country Boy but that didn’t sound very suspenseful so I changed it to Pursued. In the story, Reggie is being pursued by an unknown killer, by the hero, and by God, so it made sense to me as a title.
Is there a message in your novel?
One of the messages I want people to get is to be open to learning from, developing relationships, and loving people who are different from ourselves. God made us different for a reason. And one of the reasons is it makes life a lot more interesting and fun!
I am, of course, a bookworm and my husband is an outdoorsy sort of man who likes to fish and garden and do other things that gets his hands dirty. In many ways, we are very opposite of each other, but together we have a wonderful and fun marriage.
Tell us about your hero and heroine?
My hero, Dylan, is a good old boy with a heart of gold who just wants to make life better for everyone around him. He’s sweet and kind, but in a very manly way! Reggie can be a little difficult at times, but she has her reasons. You have to admire her for all she’s overcome in her life.
What makes this book special to you? 
This book is about friendship. The kind of friendship where you put your life on hold to help someone in trouble. And that’s what Jesus was talking about when He told us to love our neighbors–and our enemies. And since this book was about friendships, many of the secondary characters in the book were named after friends who were important to me in one way or another but died much too young.
Did you learn anything from writing this book?
I actually learned a lot from this book. It was the first book I had critiqued with the large critique group from ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). Critiquing is a very humbling process. In the beginning of the critiquing process, I thought the others didn’t know what they were talking about. By the middle, I thought I should give up writing forever. By the end, I knew I was a much better writer than I’d been at the beginning. And the proof is that this became my debut novel with a traditional publisher.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing?
I hate thinking up names for my characters. I once wrote a manuscript and as I was editing it, I realized I had used the name of the characters and actors from the old TV series Gunsmoke. I had Miss Kitty, Matt Dillon, Amanda Blake, and James Arness. But no Festus!
What makes this book a must read and why?
If you love suspense or romance, then this is the book for you. The suspense plot will keep you reading past your bedtime and the romance will make you say “aaahhh.”
What is your next project?
I have another book coming out in the fall, DECEPTION. It’s full of intrique and action. Along with that I’m working on three other manuscripts in varying stages that will hopefully become books in the future including a sequel to PURSUED.
How may our readers contact you?
My website is: www.lillianduncan.net
Thanks for taking time to spend with us today Lillian. Blessings on your upcoming release!