Welcome, Booklovers!
It’s Wednesday again. Grab your coffee cup, pull up a chair and settle in for book talk with author DiAnn Mills.
Nice to meet you DiAnn. How do you take your coffee?
DM: I drink it black and strong. No additives whatsoever.
Ally: Ah, a coffee purist like myself. While I pour, please introduce yourself.
BIO:
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. Firewall, the first book in her Houston: FBI series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian Fiction books of 2014.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Mountainside Marketing Conference 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.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in her regular bio. “Here are two: a) I can’t wear a watch. The electricity in me speeds it up or slows it down, depends on how long I’ve worn it; and b) I’m a super picky eater. Basically vegetarian and even then, I can be a pain to take to dinner. At least, that’s what my husband says.
Contacts:
DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on: Facebook, Twitter, or any of the social media platforms listed at diannmills.com
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. Firewall, the first book in her Houston: FBI series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian Fiction books of 2014.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Mountainside Marketing Conference 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.
Something unique/unusual that isn't in her regular bio. “Here are two: a) I can’t wear a watch. The electricity in me speeds it up or slows it down, depends on how long I’ve worn it; and b) I’m a super picky eater. Basically vegetarian and even then, I can be a pain to take to dinner. At least, that’s what my husband says.
Contacts:
DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on: Facebook, Twitter, or any of the social media platforms listed at diannmills.com
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Every suspense/mystery story needs a villain. What makes a good one? What characteristics will make us love to hate him/her?
DM: A true villain is charming, often good looking, powerful, magnetic or manipulative. Or all those traits. The key to his/her antagonistic ways is in backstory, unfortunate life experiences that defined and motived the villain into a life of crime. The why is shaped by the how.
Ally: Do you use a professional editor? If not, what do you do to ensure a quality book?
DM: I don’t use a professional editor prior to submission. Once the book is written and I’ve edited it several times (never mind how many times some passages are edited) and my husband reads and edits, the book is sent to my publisher where a team of editors dissect the story.
Ally: Do your characters come to you fully formed with names and backgrounds?
DM: Never! I spend a considerable amount of time getting to know my character, their personality, wants, needs, backstory, and a host of other traits.
Ally: Do you enjoy research? Does your genre require it?
DM: I enjoy research, and yes, my genre requires it. I also value what solid research does for the credibility of a book. My last several books have focused on a FBI hero or heroine. I was able to forge a relationship with Houston’s FBI and now with an agent at the Office of Public Affairs | FBI Headquarters. While I’m committed to writing correct protocol, the FBI wants readers be properly informed.
Ally: Which of your books is your personal favorite? Why?
DM: That’s like asking which one of my children is my favorite.
One who behaved in the market? One who didn’t do as well as I’d hoped? One who won awards? One who sold the most?
My favorite is the one that was just released. When the next one releases, it will be my fav. :)
Ally: What are you working on now? Anticipated release date?
DM: My next project is the second book in the FBI Rapid Response Series. It releases September 2019.
Ally: Try your hand at these five quick answer questions:
Ally: Every suspense/mystery story needs a villain. What makes a good one? What characteristics will make us love to hate him/her?
DM: A true villain is charming, often good looking, powerful, magnetic or manipulative. Or all those traits. The key to his/her antagonistic ways is in backstory, unfortunate life experiences that defined and motived the villain into a life of crime. The why is shaped by the how.
Ally: Do you use a professional editor? If not, what do you do to ensure a quality book?
DM: I don’t use a professional editor prior to submission. Once the book is written and I’ve edited it several times (never mind how many times some passages are edited) and my husband reads and edits, the book is sent to my publisher where a team of editors dissect the story.
Ally: Do your characters come to you fully formed with names and backgrounds?
DM: Never! I spend a considerable amount of time getting to know my character, their personality, wants, needs, backstory, and a host of other traits.
Ally: Do you enjoy research? Does your genre require it?
DM: I enjoy research, and yes, my genre requires it. I also value what solid research does for the credibility of a book. My last several books have focused on a FBI hero or heroine. I was able to forge a relationship with Houston’s FBI and now with an agent at the Office of Public Affairs | FBI Headquarters. While I’m committed to writing correct protocol, the FBI wants readers be properly informed.
Ally: Which of your books is your personal favorite? Why?
DM: That’s like asking which one of my children is my favorite.
One who behaved in the market? One who didn’t do as well as I’d hoped? One who won awards? One who sold the most?
My favorite is the one that was just released. When the next one releases, it will be my fav. :)
Ally: What are you working on now? Anticipated release date?
DM: My next project is the second book in the FBI Rapid Response Series. It releases September 2019.
Ally: Try your hand at these five quick answer questions:
- a. an item on your bucket list: Zip line
- b. color of nail polish you have on: Rose gold sparkles
- e. high heels or sneakers: Heels
- d. hiking or sunbathing: Hiking!
- e. What comes to your first - character or plot? Plot – but I believe the story is all about character.
BURDEN OF PROOF (FBI: Rapid Response #1)
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 1 (I write inspirational novels)
Reeling from a negotiation gone wrong, FBI Special Agent April Ramos is caught off guard when a frazzled young woman shoves a crying baby into her arms, then disappears. Worry for the child’s safety quickly turns to fear when a man claiming to be the girl’s father abducts them at gunpoint. April puts her hostage negotiation skills to use to learn more about who she’s dealing with: Jason Snyder, a fugitive accused of murder.
As Jason spins a tall tale about being framed for the killing of his business partner, April must sort through his claims to find the truth. A truth that becomes all the more evident after April overhears a conversation between Jason and the local sheriff and realizes something more sinister may be happening in their small town of Sweet Briar, Texas. But aligning herself with a known fugitive to uncover the burden of proof could cost April her job . . . or worse, her life and the lives of other innocent people.
Buy Links:
https://diannmills.com/books/burden-of-proof/
BURDEN OF PROOF (FBI: Rapid Response #1)
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 1 (I write inspirational novels)
Reeling from a negotiation gone wrong, FBI Special Agent April Ramos is caught off guard when a frazzled young woman shoves a crying baby into her arms, then disappears. Worry for the child’s safety quickly turns to fear when a man claiming to be the girl’s father abducts them at gunpoint. April puts her hostage negotiation skills to use to learn more about who she’s dealing with: Jason Snyder, a fugitive accused of murder.
As Jason spins a tall tale about being framed for the killing of his business partner, April must sort through his claims to find the truth. A truth that becomes all the more evident after April overhears a conversation between Jason and the local sheriff and realizes something more sinister may be happening in their small town of Sweet Briar, Texas. But aligning herself with a known fugitive to uncover the burden of proof could cost April her job . . . or worse, her life and the lives of other innocent people.
Buy Links:
https://diannmills.com/books/burden-of-proof/
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