Tag: Chanticleer Grand Prize Winners

Award-winning author, motivational speaker, and podcast host Judy Gaman befriends a fun-loving and feisty centenarian in her CIBA Grand Prize-winning novel, Love, Life, and Lucille.

The list of titles and accolades Judy Gaman has accrued begin to pale when she encounters Lucille Fleming for the very first time. The whole reason for the meet-up with the centenarian was specifically to get her opinions on “aging gracefully,” the featured topic of a new book Judy planned to write. What was scheduled as an hour-long interview turned into an absolutely delightful, near three-hour visit. Lucille turned the tables and began asking questions about Judy’s life with compelling earnestness—something Judy rarely experienced. She was unprepared yet exhilarated.

Judy couldn’t stop thinking about this “dressed to the nines” woman with an ear-to-ear smile and a sturdy, affectionate hug. Her contact with this larger-than-life woman was so infectious, Judy made up an excuse—so that she could see her again. During that second meeting, the two became fast friends as they set Fridays aside as their day to get together. Before their next planned meeting, Judy learned that Lucille had gone into cardiac arrest. She was dead for three minutes before she came back full of vim and vigor as if nothing had happened. Five months later, Lucille was more than ready for TV interviews. With that, Judy made plans to write a second book about Lucille and their relationship.

Once Lucille agreed to Judy’s literary plans, their Friday get-togethers morphed into long, memorable, eye-opening, and at times, heart-wrenching lunch outings. 

The two would share their life experiences—many happier Lucille memories than Judy’s dark, divorced-riddled childhood recollections. At the same time, those outings provided valuable lessons for Judy. She realized she had stopped thinking about her work to-do list but, instead, was “simply living in the moment” when she was around Lucille. “With every lesson, she taught me, she was making me stronger, both mentally and emotionally.” Judy had no idea that her newfound strength from her newfound best friend would carry her through a series of unforgettable roller-coaster events.

Award-winning author Judy Gaman retells the remarkable, life-changing story of her relationship with Lucille, the woman who profoundly changed her life. 

Life, Love, and Lucille reads more like fiction than nonfiction. A true storyteller, Gaman enthralls her audience by taking common scenarios—visiting a friend; going to restaurants—and turning them into significant unanticipated spiritual encounters. During those moments, Gaman realizes that Lucille’s optimism came from years of perseverance through life’s ups and downs, which gave her optimism and determination, qualities severely lacking in Gaman’s life. Little by little, Lucille’s passion for life and people began to penetrate the carefully-protected recesses of Gaman’s heart. 

Gaman’s first-person narration delicately weaves a consistent theme highlighting the pair’s incredibly close relationship: Lucille’s stories; how Lucille’s stories affected Gaman; Gaman’s personal, gut-wrenching struggles with family members; and the testing and strength of their faith in God that led to wholeness. 

Drawing each chapter to a cliffhanging close further heightens the storyline. From one human-interest situation to the next, Gaman fills her narrative with a sequence of circumstances, slowly evolving from lighter, happier junctures to more heart-rending ones. Judy Gaman masterfully weaves her story, heartfelt, funny, outrageous – all to a compelling must-read narrative. 

Through Gaman’s Love, Life, and Lucille, Judy Gaman gifts us all with the experience of what it is like to meet a woman who chose hope, love, and life above all else. Highly recommended!