Writing Stories of Faith…Mingled With Murder and Mayhem

Today’s guest post is by Lillian Duncan, author of the recently released novel Deception. Welcome, Lillian!

Really? Christian Fiction and murder/suspense novels. On the surface the two don’t seem to go together. After all, how can a book where murders, mayhem, and bad guys abound promote Christian values?

Can a writer of suspense novels make a difference in a life? Surely not, you say. It might be good entertainment but that’s where it ends. Not so, I say.

Jesus used stories to teach a point. People love stories. Can you honestly say there hasn’t been a book or a movie that changed your opinion on a matter of importance? If you can, I believe you but that puts you in the minority.

Stories can touch our hearts, stir our imagination, and teach us. Stories allow us to see the truth without the actual experience. Stories give us the opportunity to learn, change, and grow without all the growing pains.

My latest novel—DECEPTION is about to be released. And I’m soooooo excited about it.

This is a book that wouldn’t go away. I wrote it several years ago, but couldn’t find a publisher. I put it away and started working on something else but….the story nagged at me…pestered me…wouldn’t let me alone.

So, I started working on it again. Got some nibbles on the rewrite. More than nibbles, really—some editors and publishers were very interested. But again, the deal fell through. Uh..sigh…what’s a writer to do?

I put it away and started another project. But….again it wouldn’t let me alone.This story wouldn’t get out of my head and for a good reason.

I wrote it after the death of a dear friend whom I was estranged with. I’d always planned to reconnect with her—when the time was right. But I waited too long.

Lesson learned. It was a painful lesson.

What was the lesson?

In life, you aren’t guaranteed second chances.  

So when an opportunity presents itself—you better take it. There may not be a second chance. Forgive the people you love and even the ones you don’t. Because again—there may not be a second chance.  

Go ahead and do those acts of kindness, mercy, and love when you get the opportunity. Because second chances aren’t guaranteed.

Proverbs 3:27-28  says: Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do   not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”– when you now have it with you. This is God’s way of reminding us that tomorrow is not guaranteed.

In DECEPTION, Patti is estranged from her twin sister. And with good reason, but as the story proceeds Patti comes to understand being right isn’t a good enough reason to be estranged from a loved one.

And I believe that’s why this story wouldn’t go away and leave me alone. There’s a message to be learned and I’m sure each of us have learned it or need to learn it. I’m hoping people will read DECEPTION and decide to reconnect with that friend or family member before it’s too late.

If one person reconnects with an estranged loved one, then I’ve succeeded. And that’s why I write stories of faith….mingled with murder and mayhem.

To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit her website at: www.lillianduncan.net. To celebrate the release of DECEPTION, there’s a contest on her website. Grand Prize is a NOOK.

Twins are supposed to have an unbreakable bond, but Patti and Jamie have serious “relationship issues.” Patti hasn’t seen Jamie since her twin ruined her upcoming nuptials years before. When a niece she knows nothing about calls, Patti must unravel the yarn of Jamie’s life and her disappearance.

Detective Carter Caldwell takes his job seriously, and it’s his job to keep Patti and her adorable niece safe. But Patti is determined to help find her sister. Each step brings her closer to the truth, but pulls her further into a web of danger and deception.

They must find the courage and faith to continue the search for her sister. Her  journey will take her down a road of deception where they will have to fight for her life and the lives of countless Americans.

Lillian Duncan lives in Ohio with her husband, four parrots, one Jack Russell, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She’s been a Speech Pathologist for over thirty years.

She writes the types of books she loves to read—suspense with a touch of romance. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

Her blog—Tiaras & Tennis Shoes—can be found at www.lillianduncan.wordpress.com.