Interview with Lillian Duncan, Author of Pursued – Part One

This week I’m pleased to run an interview with Lillian Duncan whose suspense novel Pursued is now available from White Rose Publishing. Today, Lillian tells us about her new book. Come on back Friday for the second part of this interview when we learn more about Lillian herself. Later this month I’ll have a review of Pursued. Glad to have you, Lillian.

Tell us about your upcoming release.

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 many books have you published?

Pursued is my fourth book to be published, but the first with White Rose Publishing.  But in many ways, I consider it to be my debut novel since it’s my first book with what is considered a “traditional” publisher.

How long does it take you to write a book?

That’s a question I get asked quite often and it’s really a hard question to answer. First, the story rumbles around in my head for awhile and then I might write a few chapters and stop. If the story goes away, I give up on in for the moment but will go back to it somtime in the future. But if the story stays with me and I can’t get it off my mind, then I start writing it more seriously. At that point it may take 2-3 months to get the first draft written and then it can take forever to edit, revise, and polish.

How did you come up with the 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.

Give us a little information 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.

Is there a message in this 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.

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.

Is this book based on you or someone you know?

Absolutely not. I’ve never known anyone who was chased by killers.

What books have most influenced your life?

Dick and Jane, Curious George, Pippi Longstocking, and The Cat In The Hat to name a few.  I wish I could give a list of profound literary books but the truth is the first books I ever read changed my life. They opened up a new world to me. They created a lifelong reader who loved books so much that she wanted to create her own.

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.”

If you could change something about Pursued, what would it be?

Nothing. I love the characters and the story. So much so that I’m working on a sequel to Pursued right now.

For more information about Lillian, visit her website and learn more about her here on Friday.