Q: Why do you write?
A: I write because I believe that all youth and children deserve literature that inspires and engages them! I want everyone to be able to read. I believe it’s so important to be able to read in order to be in control of your life.
Q: Have you always loved books?
A: Absolutely NOT! I totally understand it when kids don’t like to read. I was one of those kids! I wanted to get to the story and not read about the color of the wallpaper for a page and a half. I used to hate it when I got a book for Christmas. I also had a hard time learning to read the English language. Although I am American, I grew up a missionary kid in Switzerland and learned to read and write in German first. So, in about third grade I was finally put in an American International school. By that time I had missed some basics. I have spent the rest of my life feeling behind. But now? I can’t find enough time to read! Love a good story!
Q: What made the difference?
A: I was introduced to adolescent literature in college. I was suddenly reading books on my reading fluency level and for the first time fell in love with literature. Before I knew it I was reading more and more. I found myself reading adult fiction and my reading fluency soared. It took me until I was in college to be a great reader! It’s never too late!
Q: Have you always been a writer?
A: I have always enjoyed writing, but up to 2008 I didn’t’ focus on it like I am now. I taught for sixteen years in the public schools working mostly with middle school students. It is through teaching that I became passionate about literacy. For nine of those years I focused on the students who were at risk of dropping out of school. Six of those years I worked in an alternative school where I fell in love with these young individuals and their stories. I never cease to be amazed at the diversity in struggles and painful life situations that teens have to face.
Q: Do you have any other books?
A: The books in the Gravel Road series are my first officially published books. However, I have some books published, outside the Urban Fiction genre. I published two historical fiction novels with G. Keith Parker. In 2012 we published Sons of Mercy and Justice: A Transylvania Story which is very specific to the Appalachian Mountains, but I think people from all around would enjoy a glimpse into the history of the area. The book has already been a huge hit in the area, and has won an award from the North Carolina Society of Historians. It is not the same as my urban fiction series. However, that doesn’t mean my readers shouldn’t give it a try since the modern-day story, which runs parallel to the historical one, is true to LB Tillit’s writing. It is longer and is not a one-night read, but it’s still very readable.
Order Sons of Mercy and Justice: A Transylvania Story by G.Keith Parker and Leslie Parker Borhaug
Published by KDP Publishing
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In 2020 G. Keith Parker and I also published To Stand on Solid Ground: A Civil War Novel Based on Read People and Events, published by My Easy Read Books, LLC. It too, takes place in the Appalachian Mountains. But this story will take you on a journey into the lives of real people stood together to create a county when the Civil war broke out, even when they were not always on the same side. So many of the event seem almost unbelievable, which really draws you in. It too is a longer novel, but moves quickly. It won North Carolina Society of Historians’ 2020 Award of Excellence and the 2020 Light House Award. It was also selected by INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD as a 2021 distinguished favorite.
Order To Stand on Solid Ground: A Civil War Novel based on Read People and Events by G. Keith Parker and Leslie Parker Borhaug
Published by My Easy Read Books, LLC
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I have also self-published three historical fiction books with my alternative school students several years ago that won awards from North Carolina’s Society of Historians. That was exciting, especially for my students who struggled with school in general. Suddenly they were published authors winning awards!
If you have any questions you want me to answer please send them through my e-mail lb@lbtillit.com, or through Facebook. I may add them to this page.