Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance, and the authors visiting my blog answered them! This week, I am so happy to have Lila Diller as my guest. My husband and I have spent years ministering to marriages, studying male/female dynamics, and writing articles about relationships. It’s always nice to meet someone who has a heart for marriage like we do. I hope you enjoy Lila’s interview and much as I did. Read on to see how you can enter to win not just one but TWO books in her current series!
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Hi, I’m an introverted, small-town ginger—novelist, blogger, home school mom—with a humorous husband, two energetic and funny boys, a “knead”-y cat, and a rambunctious dachshund puppy. Our home overflows with cuteness, creativity, and laughter. I encourage Christian wives through fiction and nonfiction to work past disappointment in their marriage to remain faithful to the God who faithfully pursues them.
Tell us about your current release. Her Heart’s Disappointment – #4 in the “Love is” series – continues Morgan’s search for true love in the newlywed phase, which turns out to be less than perfect. After the disappointments and annoyances have worn her down, she is blindsided by the big problems—a close friend’s failed marriage and her possible infertility. Will she stop blaming Jason or just continue sweeping her true feelings under the rug?
Whats the first major news headline that you can remember and what do you remember? I think it must have been when the Challenger shuttle exploded, in 1986. I was almost 8 years old. One of the lady astronauts was from my state, and it was a big deal in our school.
What is your personal, most effective way to get past writer’s block? It depends on why I’m blocked. If it’s because I don’t know what to write next, then I need to do more prewriting or character development. If it’s because my creativity is empty, I take a nap or watch a favorite movie to fill it up again.
What inspired you to start writing, or did you always want to write? I have always wanted to write since grade school. I never thought I was good enough, especially after a creative writing teacher in college made some harsh comments. So I gave up on that dream for 15 years. What pushed me to follow my dream again was when I dreamed about my heroine being chased by two men. I prayed and felt the Lord telling me to finish it. When my sister attempted suicide, I put it away as not important in the grand scheme of life and death. Several months later, once she was doing well, I felt the Lord urging me to put my story as a family member of an attempted suicide. Now I want to help Christians grow in their walk with Christ because of my books.
How did you determine whether to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher? Well, actually, I was just too impatient to wait for an agent to seek traditional publishing. 😉 I really didn’t know what I was doing at first. I just wanted to be able to call myself a “published author,” so I self-published. Once I did, I realized that I needed to tell others about my book, so I learned everything I could about the marketing and business side.
Do you have your plotline and character development already laid out before you begin writing a book, or do they develop as you write? That depends on the project. With my “Love is” series, I had the main characters and the overall plotline of chronologically following one couple from friends to dating to engagement to wedding to children… and we’ll see how long it goes. 😉
With my Jane Austen fanfiction, I brainstormed minor characters from Austen’s novels and began with what I knew of them and worked backward.
I have found that I am a plotter, or at least more of a plotter than pantser. The more concrete details I have about each scene, the easier is it to write. I don’t just write to find out what happens. Though I enjoy proofreading other authors’ works, I can’t stand that much editing of my own work. 😉
What is your preferred method of writing? Computer. Though I love pens, I type so much faster than I write. If I take too long to write it, I forget all my ideas. My memory is not good enough to take that chance.
Which of your characters most reflects your personality? Morgan in my “Love is” series is taken directly from myself and what I would do if I were ever in those situations. Through her story, I’m trying to show how the Lord has changed me from an insecure receptionist to a more confident woman and writer.
Here is where you can find Lila online:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/loveisseries
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/liladiller
Instagram: www.instagram.com/liladiller
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16575789.Lila_Diller
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Lila-Diller/e/B06XPT2GND
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lila-diller
Booksnatcher: https://booksniffer.com/lila-diller
Lila is giving away the first two books in her “Love Is” series to a reader! See below how to enter to win:
12 comments
Skip to comment form
Loved the interview and hearing about your pets especially!
Thanks for the interview.
Loved the interview. Have a blessed month.
You are a new author to me and I enjoyed the interview.
Loved geting to know you in the interview.
Loved the interview! There have been two suicides in my extended family, and a nephew OD’d, but survived. I’ve known two others that committed suicide, and know of another. It’s so very sad, and extremely hard on the ones left behind.
It’s great to learn about our favorite authors! Thank you for sharing them with us!!
What’s one of your favorite movies?
I enjoyed the interview and being a home school mom myself with two teens I could relate.
Hi Lila, awesome interview!
Thank you for the interview. God bless you both.
Thanks for the wonderful post. I have never read your work before and look forward to doing so.