Writing Lillian...
Recovery of Self through Fiction
The question of what inspired my character, Lillian, in the Lillian Dove series has been asked many times. Her inspiration came from a family member I never had the chance to meet due to her alcohol addiction. She had become distant from her family. But I did not want to make this story about giving up the choice of alcohol. Lillian tells her readers: There is no graduation from alcoholism. Or life, for that matter. I am also addicted to Pepsi, chocolate, men, being afraid, being afraid of not being afraid, men—again--and my independence, co-dependence, and unsettling ability to fail no matter my attempt. There are other compulsions and bad habits, but I can’t think of them right now. Memory loss, see? And I obsess about how much I forget if I remember. Giving up alcohol turned out to be easier than changing some of my other behaviors. I wanted to give Lillian the chance to renew her life and her life’s journey. Perhaps then, the universe gave me Lillian to mirror some of the things I have learned and still need to ponder. First, life can be compared to a river. An unpredictable journey through the wilderness, filled with twists, turns, and other types of life in motion. So, Lillian cannot renew her life without admitting first that it is full of mayhem. She begins to navigate the chaos by realizing she has options. Mystery and suspense are merely a genre for Lillian—and maybe me, too—and you?—to think about doing life differently. Renewing life through fiction? Why not!