#SaturdaySpotlight is on DiAnn Mills & Burden of Proof!

Good Morning Friends!

DiAnn is no stranger to our blog and she's recently shared thoughts and treasures with us but today we get a sneak peek into her latest release, Burden of Proof. Welcome DiAnn!

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.

Read an entire chapter Excerpt HERE!
Watch the Trailer HERE  Purchase HERE

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. 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.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, 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.

Connect with DiAnn here: www.diannmills.com

Thanks for joining us today DiAnn and Friends. Wishing you ALL the best of luck and God's blessings!

PamT

#ThursdayThoughts with DiAnn Mills!

Good Morning Friends,

Please welcome DiAnn back to our blog to share some thoughts with us....

How to Rock Your Character’s World

I’ve always wanted to rock climb, and when I studied the skill, I realized rock climbing and scaling heights with my hero had a lot in common. Both require a struggle against odds, guts, stamina, techniques, and training. So I compared the two arts, and this is what I discovered.

Training: Your hero is constantly in training. How else can he change and grow into a better person? But don’t have him climb any higher than he needs to. He also doesn’t climb to the top the first time out. Every skill is done in steps. Through each scene, he becomes wiser and moves ahead so that by the time he reaches the climax (peak), he’s ready for the task.
Remember your hero is human (unless you’re writing fantasy or sci-fi). In rock climbing, the person is either bouldering, which means he’s experienced and doesn’t use a harness, or he’s belaying, which means he uses a harness. Whatever the skill level of your character, give him the training to complete the task.

Learn from an experienced climber: Your hero learns from experience, wisdom, and other people. Show his motivation from who and what has influenced his life’s decisions. Delve into his backstory and make him focused and determined to reach his goal or solve his problem. Don’t have him be too proud to ask for help, unless that is his weakness. Rock climbers want to pick the minds of those who’ve gone before them.

Invest in the right equipment: Your hero needs tools to equip him up the climb. If he doesn’t find a way to attain them, his struggle up the mountain won’t happen. He’ll fail. A climber makes sure he has climbing shoes (motivation), a rope (to bind courage with skills), a helmet to protect his head (good stuff in and bad stuff out), and chalk to mark his progress (to chart where he is on the climb to achieve his goal).

Prepare for the fall: A hero plans ahead. He has to look the part. That means he wears the clothes, thinks like a hero, and acts like a hero. He anticipates what could go wrong in the worst scenario and prepares and practices the possibilities. Challenges speed up his adrenaline, and he has a backpack with exactly what he needs to cushion or prevent the fall. A climber aims his fall away from rocks that can injure him.

Take time to rest: Your hero uses his wits and his body. Taking a break to rest, stretch, and evaluate his progress are good habits for heroes and rock climbers to strive for excellence and reach the top.

Rock climbers and heroes. Both have accepted the task of completing what others claim is impossible. What about your hero or heroine? Can you rock your character’s world?

Thanks so much DiAnn for sharing these thoughts about rocking our character's world!

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. 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.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, 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.

Connect with DiAnn here: www.diannmills.com

DiAnn's latest book, Burden of Proof can be purchased HERE.

Hope you enjoyed DiAnn's post as much as I do friends, and that you'll check back regularly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT

#TuesdayTreasures with DiAnn Mills!

Good Morning Friends,

Today's guest is no stranger to our blog but a dear friend and fellow writer who has shared treasures, thoughts and the spotlight on more than one occasion so please welcome DiAnn Mills back to our blog.....

The High Concept Novel

Are you a novelist striving for a high concept story? Have you heard the term and not fully understood what it means? Worse yet, has an agent or editor challenged you to create a high concept novel, and now you have brain freeze? Let me help you unpack what agents, editors, and readers are desperately seeking.

A high concept story is one that has potential to spread like wildfire, either within a genre or across a large audience. Think of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Hunger Games, Divergent, Forrest Gump, Gone with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, Les Misérables, and the list continues.

Rachelle Gardner writes, “High concept means the PREMISE of your book will get attention, before anyone sees even one word of your writing.”

Are you still scratching your head? What is this thing called a premise?

• Do you know why you must write this story?
• What is the burning passion to spend hours perfecting your craft?
• What is the moral truth to be explored, revisited, and turned upside down?
• What sears your heart with a what-if?
• What keeps you up at night and preoccupied during the day?

Sometimes the premise can blow away an agent or editor in one sentence; sometimes it takes three. But it must be unique to the writer and to the story’s concept, something the writer has never written before.

Another element is how the premise affects you, and why you are the only one to write the story.

When you are brainstorming your novel’s potential high concept, ask yourself the following questions.

1. What is your distinctively different premise?
2. How is your story original?
3. Why are you the only writer who can pen this story?
4. How are your characters intriguing?
5. Is your story idea fresh and exciting?
6. Are the plot twists super-unpredictable and yet believable?
7. Will your story touch the hearts of cross-genre readers or a wide-niche market?
8. Does your story entertain?
9. Are strong emotions a part of the high stakes?
10. Can your readers step into the closet of your character and emerge satisfied that they have lived a true adventure?

Now write your high-concept idea in one sentence. Make every word count. Don’t settle for the first draft. Refine what you’ve written. Let your passion swell. Give yourself time to ponder over ideas, and consider if this type of novel writing is for you. Come back to it. How has it changed?
Perhaps your story idea falls within the high-concept criteria. I hope so! If you believe in your premise, then get started with the groundwork of making your novel idea the next bestseller.

What is the premise burning in your mind?

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. 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.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, 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.

Connect with DiAnn here: www.diannmills.com

DiAnn's latest book, Burden of Proof can be purchased HERE.

Oh wow, DiAnn, these tips are definitely something every writer can treasure. Thanks for sharing!

Hope you enjoyed DiAnn's post as much as I do and that you'll check back regularly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT