By DiAnn Mills June is National Dairy Month, and what better way to celebrate our introduction to summer than with ice cream. As a girl, I loved Dairy Queen—actually, I still do. One of my favorite memories is my brother choosing to ride in the back of our dad’s pickup with his ice cream cone. The wind picked up and

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Do you know writers who are miserable because they equate success with perfectionism? They seldom find satisfaction with their creativity and are rarely pleased with others’ accomplishments. Some say the perfectionism trait is determined by the writer’s personality, childhood, education, life experiences, and a host of other variables. Really? None of us are perfect writers, so

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Quotes that inspire, encourage, make us laugh, and motivate us into action are those words of wisdom that we return to time and time again. The following quotes are some of my favorites, and they may be special to you too. There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills My mouth waters at the thought of a hot cherry cobbler, one scoop maybe two of vanilla ice cream, and fresh dark-roasted coffee. Yep, that’s May 17th—National Cherry Cobbler Day. According to the dictionary, the definition of a cobbler is: “A dessert consisting of fruit baked in a deep dish with a thick, cake-like crust on top.” The sweet

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Where do authors find their ideas? From experience I can assure you a drone hasn’t delivered any of my stories to my front door or drop-shipped a complete novel into my brain. Sometimes I waken from a dream with an amazing idea, but that’s rare. Novel ideas are everywhere. We simply must train our minds to

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Trying new recipes doesn’t need a special season of the year but swinging into spring with light and fun dishes makes sense to me. The following are a few favorites that will tickle your tastebuds. Crispy Jicama Apple Salad Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 4 I tried this for the

by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Writers today search for tips to help them move forward in the craft. The following are 41 ways to sharpen your writing career. Pray for your writing ministry. Read in the genre you are writing. Read a craft how-to book each month. Read a marketing book each month. Study the bestsellers like a textbook. Study daily

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills It’s no coincidence that National Stress Awareness Day falls the day after tax day. I’ve also seen that April 19th is National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day, and that’s just another way to relieve the stress. Stress is the body’s way of protecting itself from potential harm or a threat. So our bodies kick into high

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Most of us know if we’re introverts or extroverts, but do we know to what extreme? Are we a little introverted or a lot? Are we a friendly extrovert or an over-the-top people person? Rarely is a person 100 percent one way or the other. We are individuals and our preferences and life experiences determine our

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Writers of all genres welcome brainstorming sessions. The opportunity to discuss new ideas and solve problems in a creative environment is an amazing resource. Our minds kick down the doors that hold our imaginations captive, and the result is a collective stroke of genius. By using the acronym, BRAINSTORMING, you can bring the whirling to a