Tag Archives: Lillian Duncan

Me & Intermittent Fasting

5 Comments

WHAT’S A 36 PLUS HOUR FAST LIKE?

A FB friend mentioned that she was thinking of trying IF (intermittent fasting) but was worried that she might get too hungry. But she said all the people she knew said they never got hungry while they were fasting.

She must have stronger friends than me or the people I know who fast because we all get hungry at some point. Some days, I’m hungrier than others. Some days I don’t feel hungry at all.

But in all honesty, getting hungry is a part of IF but being hungry won’t kill you! Of course, if you actually feel unwell that’s a different story. At that point you should break you fast and eat.

Today, I’m doing another long fast (36 hours plus depending on when I wake up on Tuesday morning. So I thought some of you might be interested in what goes on body and mind during a longer fast.

At 15 hours: I woke up at around 5: 30. A little bit hungry but not too bad. Mentally, I’m thinking…ooh, I have all day long without eating since I’m already a little hungry, but I really want to lose some weight so I’m going to do my best.

At 16 hours: I do my workout as usual. Walked on the treadmill for 40 minutes. Will do another workout later since I like to workout while I’m fasting. (Ended up working 23 more minutes on the teadmill and then a 30 minute walk with a friend.)

At 18 hours: My tummy’s feeling uncomfortable and my mind is telling me that there’s no way I’m going to get through the day without eating. So I have a little pink Himalayan salt and my black coffee. My stomach feels better so my mind feels better as well.

At 20 hours: Feeling good. No issues at the moment. But I’m reminded of the Bible verse that says don’t act like you’re fasting and miserable. So I took a bath, brushed my teeth, and combed my hair.

At 22 hours: I’m hungry! Drank some water. Didn’t help. I’m still hungry! It feels like it will never go away but my mind tells me that it will. Going to drink a little more water and some salt and hope that it goes away. Either way, I’m not quitting at this point. May have to make it a modified fast and eat a salad but I’m hoping not to have to do that. I really want to make it a true fast. We shall see.

NOTE: I went down drank some more water with a little bit of the salt. The hunger went away after about 15 minutes.

At 26 hours:  I’m comfortable at this point. Not really hungry and not focused on food or eating at the moment. I sat with my husband while he ate his supper, and it didn’t bother me at all. I had no problem with wanting to eat. So all is good for now!

At 30 hours: I was comfortable during the evening. If I felt a little hunger, I would drink a few sips of water and then I was good again. Going to bed a little early. When I wake up in the morning I can eat—YEAH!

Looking back on the day, I can see that I was at my hungriest point during my normal eating hours, which makes sense to me.

THOUGHTS: I can’t say that I’m “enjoying” my 36 plus fast. It’s tolerable. If I lose some weight, then it will be worth it. If not, I probably will go back to my old schedule and throw in some 24 hour fasts rather than 36 plus fasts or maybe I’ll try a modified fast (a 500-calorie meal is eaten at some point).

No matter whether I lose weight or not, a long fast reminds me that I’m in control of my life—not food. And that’s a good thing to remember.

 At 38.5 hours: I woke up at 5, which is my normal time to wake up. I slept fairly well—no dreams about food! I was surprised to discover that I wasn’t really hungry. Last week after I finished my 37 hour fast, I was famished. I definitely feel more in control this week.

I started my UP day with a cup of creamy coffee (no sugar—only Splenda) but no food. I ate about 2 ½ hours later when I started feeling hungry.

So the big question did I lose any weight? Yes, I did, but I was a little disappointed with the results. I lost 1 ½ pounds. Now during my WW days, I would be thrilled with a 1 ½ pound loss in one week, but I was hoping for at least 3 pounds. Still 1 ½ pounds in a week is very good for me.

What’s next? I’ll probably do a modified long fast next week. If I can lose a little weight that way, I’ll think it’s a more comfortable approach for me.

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

Give Thanks in all Circumstances?

Leave a comment

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

On April 1, 2012, I developed Bell’s palsy which is an inflammation of the facial nerve. My doctor insisted I have an MRI to make sure nothing else was happening. Of course there was something happening, and from there I was diagnosed with bilateral acoustic neuromas and a genetic condition called Neurofibromatosis Type 2.

Early on, I made a commitment to God that I would remain faithful during the journey, which is actually a lifetime journey. And I do my best with that commitment, even though I’m not perfect.

The above verse however sort of stuck in my craw, as they say. I understand that the verse says give thanks IN all circumstances, not FOR all circumstances. Still my stubborn little self refused to believe that I would ever rejoice or be thankful for my brain tumors but…

Ten years later, I’m a different person than I was on April 1, 2012. My health will never be as good as it was on that day. I struggle in many different ways but… even though I’m not thankful FOR the tumors, I am thankful for the new relationship with God that was forged from them.

During these past ten years, I’ve learned just how faithful God is. I’ve learned that I can depend on him to give me the strength to endure the battles I face. I’ve learned that God keeps his promises. I’m so thankful for the peace and joy He gives me each day to not just face another day, but to enjoy that day. I’m so thankful that I’m still able to write books that will glorify God while entertaining others.

Now when I read this verse:

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I understand it’s actually a to do list to help get me through the difficult challenges.

Rejoice always.

Pray continually.

Give thanks in all circumstances.

God never promises life will be easy. God never promises that you won’t have challenges or even tragedies. But he promises never to leave us. He promises to turn ashes into beauty.

The advice to do these three things (rejoice, pray, give thanks) in the midst of your circumstances will help you survive and even thrive, no matter what the circumstances are!

God is good.

Word of the Year

4 Comments

Writers like words! So many writers–especially Christian writers–choose a word to focus on for the year. And I’m sure lots of non-writers do the same.

I didn’t have a word for next year–and had no plans to choose a word. But as I was exercising this morning THE WORD popped into my brain. God’s like that. He’ll give you things you aren’t even looking for!

The word…. drumroll…. is HEALING. It will be my prayer word for the year (or as long as I feel the need for it).

HEALING for this country that I love.

HEALING for those who are sick.

HEALING for those who are lost and hurting.

HEALING for those with Neurofibromatosis. (Don’t know what it is? Look it up. I have Type 2).

HEALING for myself as I go through treatment once again for my brain tumors.

May God bless you in the coming year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

God Bless and Good Reading!

Today’s Poem

1 Comment

So I issued a poetry challenge for myself–and anyone else that wants to play a few days ago. I admit I’ve missed a day or so. I couldn’t come up with any ideas so I turned to my favorite book–The Bible. Today’s poem is inspired by Psalm 16: 8

Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN

Oh, Lord.

I will not be shaken.

I will not be shaken.

I will not be shaken.

Oh, Lord.

I will not be shaken because you are with me, with me, with me.

You are with me in the dark, Oh, Lord.

You are with me in the pain, Oh, Lord.

You are with me in the storms, Oh, Lord.

I will not be shaken.

I will not be shaken.

I will not be shaken.

Because you are with me, Oh, Lord.

YOUR TURN: I’d love for some of you to share a poem with us.

God Bless & Good Reading!

Poetry Challenge?

Leave a comment

Are you up for a poetry challenge? Writing poetry is a good way to stretch those creative muscles–no matter what genre you write in. So, I’ve decided to write a poem every day for the next thirty days. I’m probably not going to share every poem with you, but here’s day one’s poem.

LOOK AROUND, MY CHILD.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Lord.

Thank you, my child.

What would you have me do, Lord?

Look around, my child.

Yes, Lord. I see the beauty of your creation.

Look around once more, my child.

Don’t you see?

Don’t you see the hungry child?

Don’t you see the angry teen?

Don’t you see the lonely, the sick, and the hurting?

Don’t you see your neighbor in need?

Yes, Lord. But what can I do?

Love them as I love you.

Yes, Lord.

There’s my first attempt. I’d love for some of you to share your poetry with me. It doesn’t have to be serious or spiritual. It can be fun or downright silly. So…what have you got for me?

It’s that time again!!

4 Comments

It’s that time again. I have a new book releasing today! Suffer The Little Children is the third and final (probably) installment in the Puzzle House Series.

AMAZON LINK

Just as a refresher, Puzzle House is the book I lovingly refer to as the book I never wanted to write. It features a character with the same brain tumors as a result of Neurofibromatosis Type 2 that I have. If I hadn’t developed the brain tumors, then I never would have written Puzzle House. Therefore; it’s the book I never wanted to write.

But God is good. Romans 8: 28 tells us that God can work all things out for the good of those who love him. Puzzle House is one of the good things that came out of my brain tumors. It was a finalist in The Carol Awards, a national book award for excellence in Christian Fiction.

That was a lot of fun and very exciting–even if I didn’t win.

Right now, Puzzle House and the second (The David Years) in the series is on sale for 99 cents!

AMAZON LINK FOR PUZZLE HOUSE

AMAZON LINK FOR THE DAVID YEARS

Of course, you can read Suffer The Little Children without having read the other books and still understand the story. Either way works. Suffer The Little Children comes full circle and brings the reader back to Puzzle House where some surprises wait along with a few miracles.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

There comes a moment in every Christian’s life when he must decide if his faith is real—or not.

For Nia Johnson-Simpson that time is now.

Nia has prepared for this moment for years. It’s time for her to step into her role as the next spiritual leader at Puzzle House. The plan is for her to work side-by-side with her new husband, but things don’t go as planned.

As Nia struggles with these unforeseen changes, she must decide what she truly believes…and what she’s willing to give up to continue God’s work.

Oooh, that sounds mysterious, doesn’t it? And I know what happens. It’s an interesting story with spiritual lessons we can all use.

God Bless & Good Reading!

MORE JANE DOE

5 Comments

By now, you know that I had a new book released last week–JANE DOE.

 

Here’s the official back cover blurb:

A Broken Body. A Broken Mind. What If She Wasn’t The Last Victim?

Raven Marks survives a brutal kidnapping but just barely. Along with a broken body, her mind is broken. She wants to put the past behind her, but nightmarish memories won’t let her. . .At first because she doesn’t have them, and then because she does.

Even though her fractured memory can’t recall every detail, she’s haunted by one thought: What if she wasn’t the last victim? Her search for answers leads her to the highest politicians in the land. Each reclaimed memory brings her closer to the truth—and to even more danger.

I wanted to share the review Publisher Weekly wrote about JANE DOE:

A woman wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of what happened to her in this exhilarating inspirational from Duncan (Until Death Do Us Part). Suffering from broken legs and a head injury, Raven finds herself in a hospital, where she begins to heal with the support of Gracie, a chaplain. After recovering sufficiently to move into a home close to her sister, Raven’s memories begin to return, and she recalls being held captive but can’t manage to identify the man who kidnapped her. Raven resolves to face her fears in order to discover her abductor’s identity and uncover the reasons behind her kidnapping. She teams up with Hunter, a self-defense instructor and sheriff’s deputy she meets while in recovery, to decipher the clues. After Raven recalls presidential candidate Charles Whitman’s voice as that of her kidnapper and learns she was found unconscious near his hometown, no one is ready to believe her claims that Whitman might be responsible. Raven’s faith, meanwhile, is tested as she wrestles with feelings of shame and guilt over being abducted, and she discovers that, in order to truly heal, she must learn to stop keeping secrets and to trust God. Duncan’s thrilling tale of justice and salvation will be perfect for fans of Terri Blackstock. (July)

In case you didn’t read the very last part, let me show it to you again. JANE DOE will be perfect for fans of Terri Blackstock! YAY! I love Terri Blackstock and her novels. It’s such an honor to have my work compared to hers. Thank you, Publisher Weekly!

 

GIVEAWAY!

I usually have a giveaway to celebrate a new release and this time is no exception. The first giveaway will be here on my blog, but there will be a second giveaway later, but you’ll have to wait until next week for that information  For now, leave a comment on any of my Jane Doe blogs, and you’ll be entered to win one of three  $10 AMAZON GIFT CARDS! That’s right–three winners! But wait…there’s more!  If you tweet, or post about JANE DOE  on your social media, I’ll give you a second entrance.  Just enter the link as a comment and you’ll be entered a second time. EASY PEASY!

Here’s a few examples of a tweet or post you can use:

A Broken Body. A Broken Mind. What if she isn’t his last victim? JANE DOE by LillianDuncan https://buff.ly/2Zf6NdV

A chance to win Amazon Gift Cards at Tiaras & Tennis Shoes to celebrate  the release of JANE DOE. No purchase necessary to be entered. For more details, go to www.lillian-duncan.com 

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN ON JULY 20TH. PLEASE SIGN UP TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG SO YOU DON’T MISS OUT ON THE WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT! THANKS.

 

God Bless & Good Reading!

 

 

Jane Doe or Lillian Duncan?

7 Comments

Jane Doe or Lillian Duncan?

I have a little more in common with JANE DOE than I usually have with my characters and I can admit that makes me a little uncomfortable. True the details are completely different but there are some commonalities as well.

Jane Doe also known as Raven Marks survives a brutal kidnapping but just barely. Along with a broken body, her mind is broken.  That’s sound like hitting rock-bottom, doesn’t it? Even though, I’ve never survived a brutal kidnapping, I have hit rock-bottom–physically.  I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors in 2012. They were non-cancerous but they still wreaked havoc on my health.  By the end of five years of treatment, I had to use a walker; barely had the energy to walk to the kitchen; was completely deaf in one ear and partly deaf in the other; severe balance issues as well as a multitude of other “little” symptoms.

When you hit rock-bottom physically, it can affect you spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.  I’m also sure the reverse is true as well–if you hit rock-bottom in one of the other areas, it can affect you physically as well. When you hit rock-bottom, whether it’s physically or spiritually, that’s when your faith will either grow or you’ll get stuck in the situation.

The choice is yours, just as it was up to me to decide.

I knew I would never be as healthy as I was before the tumors, but I decided I wanted to be as healthy as I could be. That meant believing God’s promises–even when it seemed impossible–even when I wanted to give up–even when I didn’t see any improvement.  Hebrews 11: 1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” In other words, believing when it seems impossible–believing without seeing.

In JANE DOE, Raven literally hits rock-bottom when she’s thrown off a cliff. As Raven struggles to rebuild her life, she learns that God is still trustworthy; that God is still faithful and loving; and  that God is still all-powerful. Her belief in God gives her hope for the future and assurance about what we do not see.

That is faith!

I learned those same things during my journey to a healthy-er me. And that’s what I hope my readers learn when they read JANE DOE!

 

GIVEAWAY!

I usually have a giveaway to celebrate a new release and this time is no exception. The first giveaway will be here on my blog, but there will be a second giveaway later, but you’ll have to wait until next week for that information  For now, leave a comment on any of my Jane Doe blogs, and you’ll be entered to win one of three  $10 AMAZON GIFT CARDS! That’s right–three winners! But wait…there’s more!  If you tweet, or post about JANE DOE  on your social media, I’ll give you a second entrance.  Just enter the link as a comment and you’ll be entered a second time. EASY PEASY!

Here’s a few examples of a tweet or post you can use:

A Broken Body. A Broken Mind. What if she isn’t his last victim? JANE DOE by LillianDuncan https://buff.ly/2Zf6NdV

A chance to win Amazon Gift Cards at Tiaras & Tennis Shoes to celebrate  the release of JANE DOE. No purchase necessary to be entered. For more details, go to www.lillian-duncan.com 

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN ON JULY 20TH. PLEASE SIGN UP TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG SO YOU DON’T MISS OUT ON THE WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT! THANKS.

 

God Bless & Good Reading!

IT’S HERE! JANE DOE!

13 Comments

JANE DOE is my latest novel and it’s a doozy!

What’s the genre you ask? It’s suspense with lots of drama and action…but it also a political thriller…but it also has a lot of mystery components…but there’s the romance element as well… and let’s not forget the spiritual message! No matter what genre you classify it as, it’s one I think you’ll enjoy!

So how did JANE DOE come about? I’d finished all my edits on a current book and was feeling very uninspired. I had no idea for my next story, so I went on FB and asked people to send me an idea for my next suspense novel. An old high school friend sent me the suggestion to write a story where the main character struggled with memory loss. Mmmm… but the old amnesia plot has been done and it’s a big no-no that writing experts warn against.

Still, I took the challenge and wrote JANE DOE.

It’s definitely not your typical amnesia plot, but the main character is haunted by her memories. First, because she doesn’t have them and then because she does!

Raven Marks survives a brutal kidnapping but just barely. Along with a broken body, her mind is broken. Even though she can’t remember the details of her kidnapping, she’s haunted by the thought that someone else is being victimized by the kidnapper she can’t remember.

Her journey to discover the truth leads her to the highest politicians in the state and then the country. Each reclaimed memory brings her closer to the truth—and to even more danger.

I’m not going to give away the plot, but there’s plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading late into the night!

 

GIVEAWAY!

I usually have a giveaway to celebrate a new release and this time is no exception. The first giveaway will be here on my blog, but there will be a second giveaway later, but you’ll have to wait until next week for that information  For now, leave a comment on any of my Jane Doe blogs, and you’ll be entered to win one of three  $10 AMAZON GIFT CARDS! That’s right–three winners! But wait…there’s more!  If you tweet, or post about JANE DOE  on your social media, I’ll give you a second entrance.  Just enter the link as a comment and you’ll be entered a second time. EASY PEASY!

Here’s a few examples of a tweet or post you can use:

A Broken Body. A Broken Mind. What if she isn’t his last victim? JANE DOE by LillianDuncan https://buff.ly/2Zf6NdV

A chance to win Amazon Gift Cards at Tiaras & Tennis Shoes to celebrate  the release of JANE DOE. No purchase necessary to be entered. For more details, go to www.lillian-duncan.com 

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN ON JULY 20TH. PLEASE SIGN UP TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG SO YOU DON’T MISS OUT ON THE WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT! THANKS.

 

God Bless & Good Reading!

 

 

THE LAST CHRISTIAN SERIES

Leave a comment

I’m so excited about The Last Christian series. It’s filled with lots of drama and suspense but has a deep spiritual message that is very relevant to the times we’re living in right now. When I started writing these stories, I had no idea that they’d be released in the middle of the pandemic when so many people are so afraid and worried about the future. Magdalena and her friends learn a valuable lesson throughout The Last Christian series.

God promises never to forsake his children even in the darkest of times–and he always keeps his promises!

The first story, THE LAST CHRISTIAN is a short novella to introduce NewAmerica–a country where even saying the name of God is a crime! MESSENGER introduces Magdalena Denton, the main character in the last three stories. She’s an unlikely messenger, but when God has a message he always finds the right messenger. UnCitizen follows Magdalena to prison. Prison in NewAmerica is nothing like prison in America. It may sound grim, but it’s really not. I’m in the middle of writing the fourth (and probably final) story–EXILE.

GOOD NEWS!

THE LAST CHRISTIAN is FREE today (Friday) and tomorrow.

Here’s the link:

AMAZON LINK

 

If you enjoy it, please leave a review on Amazon. Thanks!

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!