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.
GIVEAWAY
INFO: To celebrate the release of Puzzle House, I’m having a very
special giveaway on my blog, Tiaras & Tennis Shoes at www.lillian-duncan.com. Leave
a comment on one of my Puzzle House posts and you’re entered to win. Thanks!
INTERVIEW:
Tell us
a little about yourself.
My husband and I live in a small town in Ohio. I mean small—we
only have 1 traffic light. I grew up in the area, but moved to the big city of
Cleveland for many years. Like Dorothy, I love being home again.
Where did you grow up and attend school?
I grew up in rural Ohio, near
Wooster. It’s a farming community. Most of my books have a similar setting.
Sometimes I actually use the names of local communities, other times I use a
fictional name
I received my Bachelor’s
Degree from Akron University and my Master’s Degree from Kent State. Then I
moved away to the big city of Cleveland to work for many years until I retired
from Cleveland Schools in 2007.
What is
your favorite genre to read? To write?
Mostly I read and write Christian mystery and suspense with
a little horror thrown in. PUZZLE HOUSE is a complete departure from what I
usually write. I would simply classify it as Christian Fiction, like the book
WAR ROOM.
Tell us
about PUZZLE HOUSE.
I call it the book I never wanted to write!
Really?
Can you explain that?
Early on in the story, the main character (Rachel Summers)
discovers she has brain tumors due to a genetic condition called
Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF 2).
Neuro…what?
That’s exactly what I said when I was diagnosed with NF 2
and bilateral brain tumors in 2012. Don’t gasp! The tumors are almost always non-cancerous
but as I like to say that hasn’t stopped them from wreaking havoc on my health
and my life.
And that is why I say Puzzle House is the book I never
wanted to write. I would never have written it if I hadn’t developed the brain
tumors. But I do have NF 2 and the brain tumors and Puzzle House is one of the
good things that’s come from it.
What
inspired you to write this novel in particular?
Like Rachel, I have Neurofibromatosis Type 2. I wanted to
show that even when you have a serious chronic illness, God can use you to help
others.
What is
Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2)?
It’s a rare genetic disease that allows tumors to grow
anywhere there are nerves, but most people with NF2 develop brain tumors, which
I did. The tumors affect both your hearing and your balance which can affect
your health in significant ways. It’s been a difficult journey but God is good.
There’s a lot I can’t do these days because of the brain tumors, but I can
still write!
Tell me
a bit about your main characters.
Rachel Summers was all about Rachel Summers until the day
she crashed into a semi-truck. While in a coma she has a very special visitor
that asks a very special question. Do you want to be healed or to be a healer?
Her answer changes the course of her life as well as many others.
What’s
the setting for PUZZLE HOUSE?
It starts out in the icy cold city of Cleveland Ohio but
moves on to the warmth of Georgia.
Do you have personal experience with any of
the events in your story, and if so, could you share about that?
Like
Rachel I have neurofibromatosis Type 2 which is a genetic condition that causes
bilateral brain tumors. They are usually benign meaning non-cancerous but
believe me when I say they aren’t benign meaning harmless!
I was
diagnosed a little over 5 years ago. In that time I’ve had two Gamma Knife
surgeries, 3 rounds of chemotherapy, and months and months of being on
steroids. I’m completely deaf in one ear and partially in the other. I also
have severe balance issues that make it hard for me to walk or do lots of daily
activities that other people take for granted.
It’s
been quite a journey but even as my health declines my faith in God grows
stronger and stronger. And that has been a blessing.
How can
readers find you on the Internet?
My website is www.lillianduncan.net and I
have a devotional blog at www.PowerUpWithGod.com My
blog is TIARAS & TENNIS SHOES at www.lillian-duncan.com. I’m also on Twitter as @LillianDuncan and on
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lillian.k.duncan
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. She was a speech pathologist for more than 34 years
but retired in 2012 after being diagnosed with brain tumors as a result of
Neurofibromatosis Type 2. As an
educator, speech pathologist, and a writer, she believes
in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.
2 comments:
This sounds like something I would enjoy reading! Awesome giveaway too! Thanks for the opportunity!
jtabalk(at)hotmail(dot)com
Puzzle House sounds like a read that will bring new perspective to facing an illness and dealing with others who are ill. Thank you for the interview--it's always nice to learn new things about an author.
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