Being an introvert doesn’t mean the mind is quiet.

Please, introduce yourself. Tell us about your personal life, family, education.

My name is Lillian Green. I am a person with a curious and inquisitive mind, always striving for a new challenge or a new discovery. My curiosity has brought me to academia where I worked as a researcher for a number of years and earned a PhD degree in legal studies. I like sharing my knowledge with others. I live a rather independent lifestyle. I am single and happy with my peace at the moment. I have always been quite different from others and learnt to live my life on my own terms. Therefore, I don’t force relationships if the connection is not there. I identify as a neurodivergent individual and therefore finding true connections is not easy for me.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

As a typical introvert, I love spending time in nature, especially wandering through forests or in the vicinity of lakes or ponds, which is a perfect space for my reflective mind to venture into new realities. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to know the link between the past, present and future. I developed a kin interest in history and philosophy during my teenage years. I read George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Since then, I tried to read books on philosophy, sociology, history, and psychology. I want to understand how our mindset and way of thinking determines subsequent events. I am curious to see how our history was written and what was the prevalent collective conviction that drove us to the present moment. Where are we going next with our belief systems? Is it all predetermined somehow?

If you are active in career fields other than writing, what do you hope for the future of that business? Describe your work or business activities in which you are presently active.

At the moment, I am on a hiatus from my work to take care of my health and, therefore, I devote my time to writing and researching. Over the years, I worked for academia as a researcher and in practice as a jurist. My plan is to write several self-help books in the form of a series, which are mostly targeted for highly sensitive empaths or neurodivergent people. My writing is a sort of therapy for me and through sharing my words, I am hoping to find people with similar values and experiences.

Her Hobbies

Do you have hobbies? How did you get started in them?

I have several hobbies. One of them is taking photos, which make people reflect on changing seasons, passing time and lessons we can learn in life. Following the Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series, I like to take photos of buildings and places at different time of the year. It makes me realize how one particular object can change drastically over time, so that we can change our perception of it. These photos also show the elusiveness of our ideas and convictions and how they can change together with our feelings and emotions in the course of months or years. Like many, I also enjoy visiting sites of historical value. Our heritage is very important for our civilization. When I visit a new place, I like to understand how history shaped the place and why it looks the way it does. What sort of reflection we can leave that place with? How enriching this experience was? What can we learn from it? Is there something we can take as a warning?

If you are a writer, are you an avid reader?

I like reading autobiographies. I also enjoy reading self-help books. I prefer non-fiction to fiction, unless the fiction is somehow based on true stories.

What is your ultimate writing goal as you see it today?

My goal is to write a series devoted to people, like me, introverts who are also highly sensitive and who don’t fit the current standards imposed by the society. Many times, in the past, I thought that I cannot find a way to relate to others close to me and discovering books by people with similar experiences has helped me tremendously. It made me realize that I was not alone. I am now in the process of writing a book about different symptoms of neurodivergence and the impact of the epidemic of loneliness on people. My books are rather short, over 30,000 words. My aim is to produce a number of such short books and see how the audience receives it.

What inspired you to write your first book?

My first book, Confessions of a Highly Sensitive Neurodivergent Introvert, came from a place of distress with the world as we have it now. I felt that there are people who don’t fit the rigid norms of behavior imposed by a small, selected group. I saw many people suffering, especially people who are highly sensitive. Every day, I would read the news that another person died due to suicide, or someone was killed due to their different traits. I needed to write this book to try to motivate people to take care of themselves and understand that they don’t have to suffer. What is happening to them is often not their fault.

The idea for my second book, Essentials of Setting Boundaries, was also motivated by my personal experiences and the need to warn other people not to repeat my fate and to increase their self-esteem and learn how to set boundaries with others.

How do you decide on the title of a book?

The title needs to elicit the essence of the book. Moreover, it needs to attract the potential target audience. I don’t use subtitles, because there may be too many words that could discourage the readers from reaching for the book. I want to let people know what they can expect from the book. I don’t want to mislead anyone with the title of my book about the content.

Writing Style

Have you developed a specific writing style and why?

My writing is style is following the principle: Keep It Short and Simple. I want to avoid unnecessary repetitions or long sentences, which can make the reader confused and tired. Since I am rather an emotional human being, my writing style also reflects that. At the same time, I am very analytical. Sometimes I can sound very rational and analytical, and another time, I can become distressed and full of expression. My aim is to motivate people and show them the links between their mindset and how it can affect their behaviour. This is why I have to be sometimes rational and sometimes more passionate.

How much of your books is realistic and experiences based on someone you know, or events in your life?

My books are mostly based on my own experience and the research that I conducted. They are non-fiction self-help books and so they have to be realistic. However, I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist, and I don’t claim that my books are scientific. I have worked in the scientific field, but not in the area of psychology and hence my books are mostly subjective, but they are also science based to some degree. They are my perspective on science, if we can put it this way.

Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you?

I like the books of Gabor Mate very much. Gabor Mate is an expert on trauma and addiction. I like the connections he makes between diseases and trauma. These are links that many scientists have overlooked. I also like the fact that he writes from his own experience and can draw conclusions from them that could be somehow universal.

Do you remember the first book you read?

It was probably a book by Hans Christian Andersen, The Ugly Duckling. Many of the children’s books can be quite educational even for adults. We can always draw some conclusions from them, like, “Never underestimate the underdog.” I guess somehow, I still see myself as the underdog, the ugly duckling, who no one takes seriously, but she sees things that others fail to see, and she can turn out to be quite a surprise.

Is there an author, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?

I would like to meet Elaine Aron who wrote the groundbreaking book, The Highly Sensitive Person. She literally saved my life with this book. I would like to thank her for it and say how grateful I am for it. Many people go through life without knowing who they are until they reach a point where they need to learn, or they break. Often, they cannot do it on their own. Elaine Aron’s book is definitely a must read for those who feel things very deeply.

If you could not write, how would you express what you wish to convey through any stories?

I would probably take photos or create videos with stories. If I knew how to make movies, I would like to be a director. I think making movies is an excellent art of storytelling and educating people, more impactful than writing, because it reaches a broader audience. However, books are for those who are more imaginative, those who like to leave the interpretation to themselves.

When you see new authors struggling, what single piece of advice could you give them on a moment’s notice?

I would tell them to stay true to themselves and not to follow any trend in writing. It is not about subscribing to a current fashion, but more about finding their original way of expression, even if it is non-conventional or different from the established ideas.

How do you want others to see you or remember you? Is it important to you?

I want people to remember me as someone who was trying to motivate people to take care of their minds and their well-being, and as someone who challenged the current status quo. I want people to see me as someone who fights for fairness and equal treatment for highly sensitive and neurodivergent people.

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Instagram:  @neurodivergent.introvert

My books are to be found at:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lillian-Green/author/B0C6YFQZKC?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true