By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills In CANYON OF DECEIT, danger runs deep in the Texas wilderness—but the greatest risks aren’t always found in the canyon. Meet Therese Palmer, a survival expert haunted by the past, and Blane Gardner, a Texas Ranger trained to talk down criminals but unprepared for what this mission stirs in his heart. Together, they must find a

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills If I don’t change and grow into a better person when writing a story, I’ve failed —not just the characters, but also the storyline, my readers, myself, and the God who gifted me with the ability to write. My characters help me see life from a new perspective, offering deeper insights into how others live in

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills National Color Day celebrates how every person interprets the way  light reflects or bounces off an object. The experience is more than what we see and enjoy or avoid. The various hues and shades impact us creatively, physically, and psychologically. Color is one of my favorite literary tools to show emotion and encourage readers to join

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Who doesn’t love the huggable, honey-eating Winnie-the-Pooh of Hundred Acre Wood? His gentle voice and whimsical ways have delighted the hearts of young and old since English author A. A. Milne created Pooh and E. H. Shephard illustrated him in 1926. Walt Disney saw Pooh Bear’s potential and in 1961 licensed some of the film rights

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Tuesday, April 27 is National Tell a Story Day. Listeners, readers, and writers share a bond—we love a wonderful story. For centuries we’ve been thrilled with character and plot in a world that is often different from our own. Our imaginations explode when stories come to life. Stories help us see a reflection of ourselves. Since

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Writers have a plethora of writing project ideas from which to choose. Life is full of words and scenarios that refuse to let us go—overheard conversations, history, local and worldwide events, movies, and other publications. Even when we dream, we are filling our imagination with ways to form our words into sentences, paragraphs, pages, and books.

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Ever feel like God’s plan for our lives is a futile attempt to solve a mystery? Our days are spent looking for clues in everything we experience. Is this God’s plan for me? What does this Scripture passage mean? Is God listening to my prayers? Nights are worse because we replay and stumble through the day’s

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills We’ve all wondered if we’re cut out to write a novel. We experience an unusual or exciting event and ask ourselves, “Could I write a story about this?” Sometimes we dwell on it for days, weeks, months, and even years, still asking ourselves the same question. Why not take a novelist writing quiz to see if

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Thousands of stories are released each year. So many wonderful and amazing books, and we’ll never be able to read them all. But we try. What’s the fascination for story? Why do we crave the next novel and the next? Here are 7 reasons we love story. Entertainment is the number one reason we love story.

By Katie Briggs @DiAnnMills This week’s blog post is written by Katie Briggs Think of your top ten favorite characters in literature and cinema. How many are women? If you’re like me, your number of leading men outweighs your favorite ladies. Even worse, you might also be a writer and find female characters difficult to create! So, I asked my