By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Here we are! January 2018! We’re probably in a happy-tired mode from all the festivities. We began with the Thanksgiving turkey and raced to New Year’s celebrations. Our bellies are full—maybe too full! Memories are sealed in our hearts that photos can never capture. The sights and sounds of the holidays are a part of our …
Living With a Writer – From a Husband’s Point of View
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Curious about what it’s like to live with a writer? This week I decided to have my husband interviewed for his perspective. I admit waiting for his answers caused my heart to head into overdrive. How honest would he be? Would I have to eliminate him in my next novel? But his answers were fun to …
5 Ways Life Challenges Can Change and Grow Us
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills As a novelist, one of my jobs is to show character change and growth. This is a process that takes the entire book to accomplish. A character is challenged by life, and he/she can choose to open the door to solve a problem or slam it shut. A hero or heroine grabs hold of life and …
15 Ways to Survive Stress—and Enjoy the Holidays
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Stress is nothing we plan or calendar. It doesn’t even ask our permission, as though the gray clouds rolling our way are something we want. We respond per our personality, how we were raised, and life experiences. Some of us do a better job than others. October ushers us into the holidays—Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New …
Mentoring For All Seasons
@DiAnnMills A Guest Blog by Janet Thompson I grew up in Southern California where, with few seasonal exceptions, the weather was consistent year round—sunny and beautiful. Sunny and hot with morning fog near the beach in summer. Sunny and warm with occasional Santana winds in the fall. Sunny with a few storms, rain, and overcast days in the winter, when …
Read! Add Power to Your Life
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills People who reads add power to their lives. With all of numerous techy ways to entertain ourselves, why do leaders and successful people spend hours reading fiction, nonfiction, articles, and blog posts? How does reading add power to our lives? Gain Knowledge The more we learn about people and the world, the wiser we become. When …
7 Ways To Stomp out Perfectionism and Embrace Acceptance
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A perfectionist is seldom satisfied with her performance, and she’s rarely pleased with other’s accomplishments either. Some say it’s the way the person is wired, or how the person was raised, educated, and a host of other reasons, which are really excuses for an attempt to step out of the human DNA. None of us are …
Swapping Snake Stories
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Last week, I was a guest at a book club of a special group of ladies who read my books and encourage me. These ladies are grandmothers and great grandmothers, full of life and dear friends. If you suffer from Ophidiophobia, read no further. As a kickoff to the evening, one of the ladies prepared a …
10 Characteristics of a Best Friend
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Our best friends love us despite our faults. They are our 2:00 a.m. friends. They listen to us when we’re ecstatic and comfort us when we think our lives have been flushed down the toilet. And we are there for them too because that’s what best friends do. Statistics show best friends often overlook each other’s …
Why Getting Outside is Good for You
By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills When we were kids, we couldn’t wait to get outside. A sunshine-filled day exploded when we opened our doors, and we were energized. We laughed, played, and our spirits lifted higher than the tree tops. What happened to the kid in us who felt better with the sky as our ceiling and green grass tickling between …