By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills America is 242 years old on July 4th, 2018. Americans all over the country will be enjoying a red, white, and blue holiday. Young and old will proudly carry Old Glory high and lead out parades through the streets of our communities. Family and friends plan barbecues to continue the celebration, and when the sun disappears

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills When Grace was 8 1/2 years old, I asked what she wanted me to write her. She said, “I want us to write a story together.” That took me by surprise. “Do you have a story idea?” I said. “Yes. It’s about a little girl who finds a purple dragon egg, and she accidentally cracks it.”

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Every writer wants to be viewed as professional, intelligent, and bestselling. These goals are honorable, worthy, and attainable. But when a writer consistently makes mistakes that label him/her unprofessional, credibility takes a nose dive as well. Examine the following mistakes. If you are a writer, changes may be on your horizon. 1.  Practicing poor grammar and

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills June is National Dairy Month, and what better way to celebrate our introduction to summer than ice cream. For many of us, that means heading to the nearest ice cream or frozen yogurt shop. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy some form of ice cream, and even those who are lactose intolerant can find this

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills It’s June, and most people are looking forward to a vacation. But is that on your summer calendar? For some, a staycation makes more sense. Tension and stress war against our minds and bodies, making it critical to leave our work-related obligations behind. Becoming consumed day after day with fulfilling responsibilities is a vicious trap. We

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills We writers can be a bit eccentric, sometimes bizarre, and those who love us may wonder if we need to be on meds. The truth is we’re creative people, and we look at life a little differently. You may be wondering if you’re a writer or suspect someone close to you has the ability to string

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Lions fascinate me. They represent nobility and respect, and their muscular bodies are to be admired and feared. No fat anywhere. Like I hope my stories resonate with readers. The more I thought about lions, the more I realized writing a novel has much in common with these animals. Here are my 10 comparisons. If you

By Rhonda Rhea @DiAnnMills This week’s post is from a writer-speaker friend, Rhonda Rhea Kids have super weird yet extremely discriminating palates. I know this to be true. I raised five of them. I’m telling you, I remember toddlers completely snubbing dinner, then half an hour later eating a dirt clod and washing it down with bath water. It’s not

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills We’ve all experienced the occurrence of “alone together.” It’s a reference to social media users: a crowd of people busy with their devices and ignoring those around them. Social media is a valuable connection and communication tool designed to link people all over the world. Imagine the impact we can have on other people’s lives for

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills This week is an opportunity for you to win a $25.00 Starbucks Gift Card! All you need to do is write a caption for the image below and submit it in the comments. The contest closes Friday, May 4th at 12:00 p.m CST.  I will then select my top five captions from posted comments and place