by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
Tweet This: Strong Women, Strong Roles
Readers often ask how I choose my heroines. My goal is to create women who accept nontraditional roles 
and succeed with dynamic outcomes. These are Glock-totin‘ gals with southern charm who understand grits aren’t just for breakfast. These women embrace their femininity with an added boost—they aren’t afraid to go after the bad guys or say they love Jesus. This style of heroine understands her “peace” can be more about the caliber of the “piece” in her purse than the state of her spiritual life.
What makes a contemporary woman choose a career that has the potential of ending her life? Experts often point to personality differences or a “risk-gene” as an explanation why some are risk takers and others are content in less stressful lifestyles. I prefer courageous heroines who’ve been wired with a few more endorphins to balance the adrenaline, and they thrive on it.
If my heroine races down a dirt road on a Harley in the dead of night, or scales a cliff while someone is shooting at her, or stuffs a weapon into the waistband of her jeans, it’s to get the edge on the bad guys.
My heroines are not satisfied unless they are placing their lives on the line to protect or save innocent victims. These women are warriors who are trained to protect, defend, and hopefully outsmart the ones who will stop at nothing to obtain money and power.
Jack London said it quite well. “The adventurer gambles with life to heighten sensation–to make it glow for a moment.”
In a romantic suspense novel, the heroine often ends up being hunted, but the heroine and the villain are balanced in their skills and intelligence. Who knows? The bad 
guy may be a woman.
Yes, I like a gutsy women who can work alongside a man, and a hero who appreciates her abilities, wit, dedication–and her beauty.
What is your favorite type of heroine?
Tweet This: Strong Women, Strong Roles
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable 
characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.
Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association; International Thriller Writers, and the Faith, Hope, and Love chapter of Romance Writers of America. She is co-director of The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.jhcdev.com/diannmills.
Comments 11
I like the gutsy heroine too
Love it DiAnn — especially the “Glock-totin’ gals with southern charm.” I’ll remember to write some of that gumption into my female characters to make them women of spirit and peace. You continually inspire me!
Love, Love you. C
Hi Carmen, thanks for posting! Looking forward to seeing you at the ACFW!
My favorite type of heroine is a woman who is strong enough to have a career-any career at all, even those that may bring her into physical harm or potential loss of life-who is flexible enough to have a man in her life to complement her. A woman who doesn’t need a man to rescue her or take care of her. No Simpering Sara’s for me!
Hi Edward, I so agree!
Your stories are awesome and I can never get enough of them! I watch the Justice channel a lot as I do not have cable, etc. They have a Border Wars program five days a week. I often think of your book about the border patrol agents. I must say that is one of the hardest jobs I know that anyone can do. Plenty of courageous women do them as well as men just as you have written! I thank God for heroines as well as heros in the real world as well as in the pages that you write so well! May God continue to use you as you write for His glory!
Hi Faith, thank you for your kind words. I so envy and admire women in law enforcement.
I was licensed to practice law in 1979 when there were still comments like “You’re too young to be an attorney” and “You can’t be a lawyer, you must be a lawyerette” so any woman who stands to be counted in a situation “normally” for a man, is my type of heroine. Fight as we have, we still are behind in wages 77 cents for every $1 a man makes which impacts on us even more in retirement since Social Security is based on how much you make! Although I have never done so, I admire those who put their lives on the line to be police officers, firefighters, soldiers, etc. , so any of those women are my heroines.
Thank you, Shirley. I just learned something new about you!
I must say I agree with you regarding strong female characters. Putting oneself in a position to have to be resucued doesn’t sit well with me.
I’m laughing. I don’t want to be rescued either!