Dream Or Destiny An Authors Interview

Today I have the great pleasure of having Author Lillie Ammann and her Dream or Destiny book visiting. Without further delay, let’s meet this fascinating person. 

1.Writers often talk about their muse, what is yours and can you describe it?

It seems my muse hides deep in my brain. Ideas float around in my mind, wake me in the middle of the night, interrupt my shower, and intrude into other activities. At first, they’re vague and unformed, but gradually they begin to firm up. I may go through this thought process for hours, days, weeks, or even months before I move forward.

2.Dream or Destiny is a very well written book. What was your inspiration?

Thank you. I originally got the idea for the book many years ago from a TV documentary about a woman who uses her psychic dreams to help the police solve crimes. When I started writing, domestic violence became an important part of the story, though that was not planned.

3.Have you ever considered writing a series with Marilee and David working as amateur sleuths?

I’m actually planning to write books about two of the secondary characters in Dream or Destiny-Tess, the “crazy lady,” and Bonita, the woman who was having an affair with a married man. The ideas are floating around in my head right now and should start to gel soon. David and Marilee will be in the stories-I don’t know yet whether they will be amateur sleuths.

4.I’d like to see a prequel about David and/or Marilee growing up. Your thoughts on that?

That’s a new and interesting idea. I’ll have to think about it.

5.How much, if any, of the characters were pulled from your background?

None of them are consciously based on anyone I know. Each of them probably has a few traits drawn from real life-including some of my own characteristics, but I don’t know anyone like any of the characters.

6.Which of the characters in Dream or Destiny do you feel most closely associated with?

I identify with both Marilee and David though I don’t have experiences common with either of them. I don’t know why I felt David’s emotions so strongly, but I was really pleased that The Bluestocking Guide , who is an attorney and advocate for domestic violence victims, said his psychological reaction was very accurate.

7.To paraphrase a question a friend uses, where can our readers learn more about you and purchase a copy of your books?

Visit my Web site and blog, A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye <>, to learn more about me and to read a free excerpt <> and reviews of Dream or Destiny . The book is available at Amazon. com  in paperback and Kindle editions and at GASLight Publishing  in paperback and e-book editions.

8.What is your preferred method of writing, longhand, computer, or another way?

I do everything on the computer. I’m probably as close as anyone you know to having a paperless office. I didn’t start writing seriously until after I had a stroke, and I had been paralyzed on my right side. Although I regained the use of the right side of my body through therapy, I still don’t have complete control in my right hand. If I had started writing before the stroke, I might have written in longhand, but I can’t imagine that now. My handwriting used to be beautiful-now I’m glad if it’s legible.

9.Describe your writing environment, please. Do you prefer quiet or noise such as television or music?

My office is a small portable building in the backyard, so I work completely alone-except when my husband comes out for a visit. No music or any other distractions-just a little white noise from the air conditioner.

10. Please tell us more about your freelance side.

I write and edit for businesses and individuals-news releases, resumes, business proposals, articles, reports, company histories, and other documents.

My favorite activity, though, is working with self-publishing authors. I call myself a book midwife because I do whatever it takes to help the author deliver a healthy book. That includes editing or re-writing the manuscript, negotiating with a printer and cover artist, formatting the text, creating the back cover blurb, and consulting on all the details involved in the process. After the book is published, I help with promotion, including setting up a Web site and blog.

Based on that experience, I’ve been doing a few Web sites for businesses and individuals other than writers. I register the domain name, provide the hosting, create the site using WordPress as a content management system, and maintain/update the site.

I love working with my clients and doing such a wide variety of projects. I never get bored!

11. How supportive is your family regarding your choice of career?

Very supportive. My husband wears a Dream or Destiny T-shirt and introduces himself as “Mr. Lillie.” The rest of my family is also proud of my writing.

12. Do you have more books planned?

As I mentioned earlier, two books are contending for top spot in my brain right now: Tess’s story and Bonita’s story. I will write both; I’m just not sure which will come first.

13. How is GASlight Publishing to work with?

Wonderful. The owners-Grace Anne and Ken Schaefer-have been close friends for many years. In fact, Grace Anne and I met the first day of college … and our 45th reunion is coming up soon. Grace Anne wrote a novel before I did, and that spurred me to start writing myself.

The Schaefers started GASLight about four years ago, and I edited for them before I submitted my book to them. Dream or Destiny was already under contract with another publisher, but when that company made a decision to focus heavily on erotica, I pulled the book and asked GASLight if they were interested.

Our relationship is a real collaboration, but we’re careful to keep our business relationship on a professional level while we also maintain a close personal friendship. That takes conscious effort, but we don’t want to risk hurting our long-standing friendship.

14. Have any of your characters ever done anything that surprised you? Care to share?

My characters are always surprising me! They often do things I don’t expect.

15. Do you know when you start a book where it is going, or do you allow your characters to lead the way?

I have a general idea of the storyline, but then the characters take over. When I started Dream or Destiny, I knew the story would be about a woman who dreams of a murder that really happens. The domestic violence theme appeared without any planning on my part. I didn’t even know who the murderer was until the very end!

16. Tell us a little about Lillie Ammann, the person. Outside of writing, what are your passions?

Like all writers, I’m an avid reader. Since vision problems from my stroke make it difficult to read print, I read just about everything on my eBookWise e-book reader or my new Kindle.

My husband and I have been married for more than 40 years. He’s been retired a long time and runs all the errands and does the grocery shopping (for which I am extremely grateful!). He has a wonderful sense of humor and keeps me laughing.

As a Christian, I do a lot of volunteer work for my church. I created and maintain the Web site, , edit and publish the newsletter, maintain the membership roster, run an online prayer chain … and just about anything else I can do from my home computer.

I had a myoclonic seizure disorder for several years-my left leg and arm would jerk out wildly, and I would make a noise that sounded like “Oh!” or “No.” No medication or treatment could control it, and the symptoms steadily worsened. A few months ago, I went through some intensive prayer intercession, and I have been seizure-free recently. Consequently, I was able to have a book launch party for Dream or Destiny, which was a wonderful experience. I look forward to being able to get out more and participate in things I’ve missed doing in recent years.

17.Is there anything else you would like to share? Take as much space as you want.

Ron, I think you’ve covered just about everything. I really appreciate the thought-provoking questions you’ve asked. I look forward to coming back during the day to answer questions and respond to comments. Thank you so much for inviting me to visit Unwriter.