BLOGWORDS – Thursday 18 September 2025 – CHAT THURSDAY – DIANN MILLS

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 18 September 2025 – CHAT THURSDAY – DIANN MILLS

CHAT THURSDAY – DIANN MILLS

 

Please give a warm feathered welcome to author and friend, DiAnn Mills.

 

rem:  Hullo DiAnn, and welcome! Tell us three random things about yourself.

DIANN: 

1.     I have a bit of a wild-child streak in me when it comes to adventure, especially novel research.

2.     I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer. No outlines for me.

3.     I’m super concerned about health, nutrition, and exercise.

 

rem:  1. Ditto, 2. Ditto, 100%, and 3. Sorta kinda LOL  What is your favorite quotation and why?

DIANN:

That’s hard! So here are 3:

“Courage is what it takes to stand up; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Winston Churchill

“There’s nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him.” William Law

“We are never defeated unless we give up on God.” Ronald Reagan

 

rem:  When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you? Your fiction pet peeve?  

DIANN: 

Opening hook.

Information dump

Telling

 

rem:  Oh, absolutely! Info dump and telling takes the reader right out of the story, while character dialogue and interaction brings the reader right into the action.  What are you reading right now? 

DIANN:  Silent Horizons by Chad Robichaux

 

rem:  Tell us a little about your writing journey.

DIANN: 

I wanted to write by the time I was 8 years old. My first book was written on a Big Chief notebook pad with a #2 pencil. My lack of self-confidence never let me show my work to anyone. But in 1996, my husband challenged me to stop talking about writing a book and just do it. He asked me to quit my job and spend a year seeing what I could do. If I got anything published, then I never had to go back to my other job. I took that challenge! Canyon of Deceit, released 9-9-25 by Tyndale is book #96.

 

rem:  I don’t know if it was a Big Chief tablet, but my first story was when I was 6 or 8, too. What genre(s) do you write and why?

DIANN: 

Romantic suspense because we live in a dangerous and unpredictable world. I want to show there are courageous men and women who are trained and willing to face danger to keep us protected. And I do this with a Christian worldview. At least one of my characters is and shows they are a believer.

 

rem:  Faith always comes through in your stories. As well as some intense action. Tell us a little about your latest book? What is your current project?

DIANN: 

Canyon of Deceit:

Survival isn’t just about the wilderness—it’s about who you can trust.

A desperate father, a hidden truth, and a child in danger. When wilderness expert Therese Palmer agrees to find a missing girl, she never expects the case to uncover a high-stakes international conspiracy. Now, with a Texas Ranger at her side and enemies closing in, survival isn’t just about the wild—it’s about who they can trust.

When wilderness survival expert Therese Palmer receives a frantic phone call from former colleague Professor Rurik Ivanov, she is shocked by the news that his young daughter, Alina, is missing—and that Rurik wants Therese’s help finding her. She’s sure Rurik hasn’t given her the whole story . . . especially since he refuses to report the kidnapping to the police. Yet with a child’s life hanging in the balance, Therese can’t turn down this mission. She knows the clock is ticking and she can’t do this alone.

Therese reaches out to Texas Ranger Blane Gardner, whom she met seven months ago during one of her training courses in wilderness survival skills. Blane’s specialized training and background with the Crisis Negotiation Unit make him uniquely prepared for this search-and-rescue mission. He agrees to help Therese and to accept Rurik’s terms to keep Alina’s disappearance quiet, and as the two begin working together, Therese is determined the spark growing between them won’t distract from their mission to save Alina.

Traversing deep into the desert of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Alina’s last known location, Therese and Blane struggle to separate truth from lies within the mix of intel they’re receiving. As they close in on answers that suggest the involvement of Russian organized crime and a high-profile international assassination attempt, they must fight to rescue Alina before she becomes an innocent casualty of a much bigger plot—no matter the risk to their own lives.

Here: https://diannmills.com/books/canyon-of-deceit/ Readers can enjoy more information about the book, including a book trailer and two original songs that the heroine wrote.

Here: https://diannmills.com/book-clubs/ is a special tab for book clubs or any reader who looks for ways to enhance their reading. A downloadable book club kit is available with games, puzzles, Q&A, menus, and other fun facts.

 

rem:  What is YOUR favorite part about the book or why do you love this book? Why should we read it?

DIANN: 

Research! I hiked the area where my story takes place in the Texas Guadalupe Mountains. Interviewed rangers and learned so much. I also viewed several YouTube videos about wilderness survival and took advantage of a course on MasterClass given by Jessie Kriebs on wilderness survival.

Via MasterClass I enjoyed a course by Chris Voss and how to negotiate.

 

I believe readers will enjoy Canyon of Deceit because of an innocent little girl is kidnapped by a greedy, unscrupulous man.

 

rem:  What is one take-away from your book(s) that you hope readers identify with? 

DIANN: 

Children are our most precious treasure. They are to be loved, nurtured, and protected at all costs.

rem:  Yes, they truly are. One more and then we’ll close. Do you have a life Scripture?

 

DIANN:

Yes! Jeremiah 20:9. I prefer the NIV version. But if I say, “But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my   bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

 

rem:  His voice is a fire that will not be quenched or silenced.  Anything you’d like to add?

DIANN: 

I appreciate readers. Please connect with me on any of my platforms listed on my website: https://diannmills.com I respond to all posts and email.

rem:  DiAnn, thank you so much for chatting with us on my blog today!

  

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who invites her readers to step into stories where suspense meets adventure and romance warms the heart. Known for crafting unforgettable characters tangled in unpredictable plots, DiAnn believes every breath we take unfolds a story waiting to be told—so why not make it thrilling?

Her novels have consistently landed on bestseller lists including CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly, and have won prestigious awards such as the Christy, Selah, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol awards.

DiAnn is a founding board member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Conference Advisor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers. She actively participates in Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, International Thriller Writers, Outliers Writing University, and The Christian Pen. DiAnn passionately invests in helping fellow authors succeed through mentoring, book coaching, and editing. She travels nationwide speaking and teaching engaging writing workshops.

A proud coffee snob who roasts her own beans, DiAnn also enjoys diving into good books, experimenting in the kitchen, and unabashedly spoiling her grandchildren—whom she insists are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband make their home under the sunny skies of Houston, Texas.

Learn about all of DiAnn’s books and connect with DiAnn @ diannmills dot com.

 

 

 

#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Interview, DiAnn Mills, Winston Churchill, William Law, Ronald Reagan, Silent Horizons, Canyon of Deceit, Jeremiah 20:9