Once Upon a Time by DiAnn Mills

Once Upon A Time

By DiAnn Mills
It wasn’t a dark and stormy night. Thunder didn’t rumble, and lightning didn’t streak across the sky. 

In fact, it was a summer day in Houston—99+ and the pool felt wonderful, splashing and laughing with my grandchildren.

“Mimi, will we always be able to swim in your pool and play together?”

“I hope so,” I said.

“What about when you’re really old?”

“You might have to help me get in and out of the pool.”

He showed his muscles. “I can do that.”

Little boys can do anything.

I smiled. Our dialogue prompted a story idea . . . What if a man, named Daniel, had been raised by his grandparents, and now that man looked after the two who had loved and cared for him?

Not very exciting so far.

What if Daniel was a Houston police officer, and his parents had been lawbreakers. 

Still not suspenseful.

What if his mother was in prison for killing his father? Because of her betrayal and abandonment when he was a toddler, he couldn’t give his heart to a woman.

Better, but what’s the story?

What if his grandfather was a victim of Alzheimer’s, and he’d been scammed of several thousand dollars? The grandson/police officer was committed to ending the crime.

Now the idea is simmering.

The grandmother was feisty, witty, lovable, and knew how to use a gun. She was my kind of woman, but what role would she play in the story?

In an effort to end an elderly scam, what if the grandson/police officer was forced to combine forces with a female FBI agent, who had a few control issues going on? Add a felon to the threesome, a guy no one could trust and yet he had inside information to the elderly scam. Per FBI, the threesome had to work together to solve the crime. Who could they trust?

I shook the mix and out rolled Double Cross, a story about betrayal, greed, unforgiveness, and a generous dollop of unexpected love.


My story idea didn’t evolve overnight, but it did begin with a single what-if thought and a five-year-old little boy. 

When I took the premise and set my characters and plot in Houston, my city, it came alive. 

It’s important for me to drive the same streets as my characters, see their homes, eat at their favorite restaurants, select the Starbucks they’d frequent, listen to their dialogue, and learn their unique problems, challenges, strengths, and goals. Story is birthed in truth, a single thought that is credible. When I look around me, I see potential for real people, real stories, and real victory.

Once upon a time, a story idea dropped into a writer’s mind . . . 
 

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. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; the 2015 president of the Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope, & Love chapter; a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and International Thriller Writers. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

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Buddy the Wonder Dog by DiAnn Mills

Buddy the Wonder Dog

By DiAnn Mills

Taryn Young, my heroine in Firewall, finds a friend in a German shepherd. I’m not an detailed plotter, and when Taryn spotted the dog, so did I. He appears on a dark night in a precarious situation when she needs a friend. Her world is shattering around her, and she’s frightened. The dog became a dear friend, and she quickly named him Buddy. Throughout the story he exhibits loyalty and unconditional love. Often he lays his head on her lap when she’s discouraged and stays by her side when she’s in danger.

German Shepherds may be better than a boyfriend!

 I fell in love with Buddy too. So I did more research on German shepherds. I learned they are listed in the top five most intelligent breeds of dog. They are fast learners, eager to develop new skills, and used extensively in K-9 units as bomb sniffers, drug sniffers, search and rescue, and various branches of the military. German Shepherds are suited as guard dogs. Although they can be aggressive, they can be trained to obey their owner. No wonder Taryn fell in love with this beautiful animal!

I posted the question to my Facebook friends about their experiences with German Shepherds. Some of their responses were the dog’s sweetness, protective nature, devotion to family, and loyalty. Others mentioned unconditional love and alertness.

One man told me how his German shepherd walked between his toddler and the street, never allowing the child to step into danger—The dog was not used as a babysitter, but the father observed this. The same gentleman told me about his dog playing hide and seek with his children. I loved his stories!

A woman confessed to loving her German shepherd to the point of attributing her fondness to that of a child.

Another woman valued her dog’s keen sense of smell. She was involved in K-9 Nose Work.
  
I wanted to own German Shepherd until I realized I don’t have the yard size needed for the dog to exercise. This breed has tons of energy and must have a way to work it out. If I’m to have a dog of this caliber, I don’t want to be selfish and not provide for its needs. Maybe a home in the country is in my future. :)

But I can admire from a distance and envy all you who have these wonderful animals.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She currently has more than fifty-five books published. 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; the 2014 president of the Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope, & Love chapter; and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and International Thriller Writers. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn is also a craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins
Christian Writers Guild. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. Visit her website at www.diannmills.com and connect with her on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/DiAnnMills), Twitter (@DiAnnMills), Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/DiAnnMills), and Goodreads
(www.goodreads.com/DiAnnMills).

Available now!

   

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How Heavy is a Glock and Other Cool Stuff

How Heavy is a Glock and Other Cool Stuff?

By DiAnn Mills

Ever wonder how much extra weight a Glock adds to an FBI agent? I’m kind of a lightweight, so that thought has cross my mind. I pictured myself as a special agent running after a bad guy. Imagine the drag of a weapon? What was the weight difference between a loaded and unloaded Glock. What about a Kevlar vest? Whoa, I’d need to be in shape to manage my equipment while doing the best job possible.   

I posed those questions to an FBI special agent. After all, my stories need credibility. I was intrigued with what I learned, especially the accuracy, and I wanted to pass it on to you!
                             Glock                    Unloaded                       Loaded
                             Model 22                1.4325 lbs.                    2.15125 lbs.
                             Model 23                1.3225 lbs.                    1.94125 lbs.
                            Model 27               1.234375 lbs.               1.6875 lbs.
  
I quickly realized a baby Glock would be for me.

Oh, yeah, I'm packing.

 
On to my next question about the weight of a Kevlar vest, which I now see is called “body armor.”    Wow ... take a look at my findings. The weight of the body armor is based on “Areal Density of Pounds (lbs) per square foot.” Per the FBI, “Our current version of body armor has an areal density of 1.1 lbs/sq ft.  The conversion of total weight would be based on each individual agent's body measurements.” In my opinion the lighter the special agent, the lighter the equipment. Makes sense to me.

This one will need to be trimmed a bit for me.

  
Here’s another cool fact. For the short agent, the Kevlar vest or body armor might need to be altered. That also means some of the special little pockets could be eliminated. Bummer. So I guess I’d have to slip my baby Glock into my back waistband.

 
 Think about a female agent’s handbag. Gotta be leather to hold the weight and look good too.

Got my Baby Glock in the bottom, but I can pull it out fast!

  
Now I’m ready to dive into my next FBI story. Got my gun, my body armor (shortened), and my purse.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She currently has more than fifty-five books published.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America, Faith, Hope & Love, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and International Thriller Writers. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

Website: www.diannmills.com
 www.facebook.com/diannmills
 twitter.com/diannmills

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