Book Review--A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills
DiAnn Mills writes historicals and contemporaries, doing great jobs at both. The last couple books I read of hers were contemporary mystery, and I loved both of them and their characters, so I wasn't surprised when I also found myself falling in love with Sage Morrow and Marshall Parker Timmons, two very unconventional characters in a story set in Colorado in the 1870s and 1880s.
Sage is half Indian and has survived a tragedy by becoming a bounty hunter. Marshall Timmons is a nice guy with a tough job. This book contains murder, kidnapping, and some shooting, but also has wonderful spiritual themes and, like all DiAnn Mills books, a heart-stopping romance! I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for a great read!
Showing posts with label DiAnn Mills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DiAnn Mills. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Book Review--Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills
I just returned from the Write to Publish Writing Conference 5 days ago and all the aspects of great writing are still swirling through my head from the many wonderful teachers and the classes I attended .
I have to say that this book by DiAnn Mills is definitely great writing and then some--well written hero and heroine you immediately feel drawn to--with high morals, yet flawed like the rest of us; also well-rounded minor characters; superb description; exciting plot with escalating conflict and tension; and many unexpected twists and turns that will keep you reading long past your bedtime like I did!
Here is the back blurb description of the heroine: Paige Rogers is a former CIA agent who lost all she treasured seven years ago when her entire team was killed in a covert mission. She blames their leader--Daniel Keary, a just-announced candidate for governor of her state--whom Paige believes betrayed them. Disillusioned and afraid for her life, she disappears and starts a new life as a small-town librarian."
If you read this book, I guarantee you'll never look at your librarian with the same eyes! And you'll be caught up in this book like a movie unfolding before your eyes. Come to think of it, this book would make a great movie!
DiAnn has graciously offered to mail a copy of Breach of Trust to our winner this month. Please leave a comment by June 30th to be eligible for the drawing on July 1. And leave your email addy or some way of contacting you if you win. Must have US mailing address.
I just returned from the Write to Publish Writing Conference 5 days ago and all the aspects of great writing are still swirling through my head from the many wonderful teachers and the classes I attended .
I have to say that this book by DiAnn Mills is definitely great writing and then some--well written hero and heroine you immediately feel drawn to--with high morals, yet flawed like the rest of us; also well-rounded minor characters; superb description; exciting plot with escalating conflict and tension; and many unexpected twists and turns that will keep you reading long past your bedtime like I did!
Here is the back blurb description of the heroine: Paige Rogers is a former CIA agent who lost all she treasured seven years ago when her entire team was killed in a covert mission. She blames their leader--Daniel Keary, a just-announced candidate for governor of her state--whom Paige believes betrayed them. Disillusioned and afraid for her life, she disappears and starts a new life as a small-town librarian."
If you read this book, I guarantee you'll never look at your librarian with the same eyes! And you'll be caught up in this book like a movie unfolding before your eyes. Come to think of it, this book would make a great movie!
DiAnn has graciously offered to mail a copy of Breach of Trust to our winner this month. Please leave a comment by June 30th to be eligible for the drawing on July 1. And leave your email addy or some way of contacting you if you win. Must have US mailing address.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Guest Blogger--DiAnn Mills
I'm happy to post the following guest blog by DiAnn Mills, the wonderful author of 16 novels and 14 novellas. As I mentioned in my last blog, DiAnn has graciously provided this interesting article on memorable characters and will be moderating this blog for the next three days (February 11-13) and making comments and answering questions on this topic. Then on Thursday morning I will draw a name from all those who comment about her article and DiAnn will mail the winner an autographed copy of her latest novel, Awaken My Heart, so be sure to leave your email addy for contact information. You will also be entered in my February drawing (see last post) so you'll have two chances to win a copy of this book. Now, on with the show...
Memorable Characters that Rival Scarlett and Rhett by DiAnn Mills
Sit back and close your eyes. Who are your favorite book or movie characters? Are they Scarlett and Rhett? Perhaps Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia? Sam and Frodo? Ahab and the whale? The Lone Ranger and Tonto? The list goes on and on. Why are these characters unforgettable? What about them causes us to laugh and cry and wonder if they are all right?
The key is that the writer defined the characters with believable traits and clear motivation. We care about those characters. We live our lives vicariously through them. To many readers, their favorite characters must be real people because they live in their hearts and minds.
How does a writer create memorable characters? She establishes wants and needs that lay the foundation for critical motivation. If I asked you to take a moment and write down all of the things you wanted, the items might fill a book. But if I asked you to compile a list of what you needed, the project becomes a little more difficult. We don’t always know what we need, but finding out becomes a process of soul searching and experiencing life. But when needed items become goals, we are motivated to go after those things vital to our survival.
Character sketches provide great help to laying the foundation for our characters. They force us to think—brainstorm about what motivates the character. And there’s that word again: motivation.
The roots of motivation are unmet needs. How these needs are fulfilled depends on the character’s integrity, established over time through life experiences, inherited factors, and environment. No wonder we humans are flawed characters! No protagonist is perfect. No antagonist or villain is completely evil. But some characters have more flaws than others, and out of those flaws come weaknesses and room for character growth. Out of the admirable traits come our heroes and heroines, who have the stuff that gives us hope and help us to believe again in the goodness of mankind.
All of us have a need for relationships, significance, and security. These critical needs are supposed to be filled by God, but we, as flawed “characters,” look for fulfillment in other areas, and those areas become our weaknesses. Examine your character’s struggle. Does he/she have a need for sex, for material goods, power, work, education, or the arts? How are those weaknesses manifested? Does your character seek to satisfy his basic needs in ways that honor God? In short, what motivates the character?
My suggestion is to study your character from every angle to determine the underlying factors shoving them out of bed each morning. Interview them. Live with them. Go to dinner with them. Place them in settings that are unlike the previous scenes. Would you take a vacation with them? How a character reacts and responds to the events surrounding him determines who he is. Steer away from predictable behavior but stay within the perimeter of the traits you have assigned.
The next time you are reading a dynamic novel or watching a movie that has you sitting on the edge of your chair, take the time to discover the characters’ motivations. This article has just touched on the volumes of information about writing memorable characters. I hope I’ve given you inspiration to discover the techniques behind the scenes.
Scarlett and Rhett are unforgettable. Now you know why! Here is my question for you. Who are your favorite book or movie characters and why? I look forward to your response.
Check out my website at http://www.diannmills.com/ and sign up for my newsletter!
I'm happy to post the following guest blog by DiAnn Mills, the wonderful author of 16 novels and 14 novellas. As I mentioned in my last blog, DiAnn has graciously provided this interesting article on memorable characters and will be moderating this blog for the next three days (February 11-13) and making comments and answering questions on this topic. Then on Thursday morning I will draw a name from all those who comment about her article and DiAnn will mail the winner an autographed copy of her latest novel, Awaken My Heart, so be sure to leave your email addy for contact information. You will also be entered in my February drawing (see last post) so you'll have two chances to win a copy of this book. Now, on with the show...
Memorable Characters that Rival Scarlett and Rhett by DiAnn Mills
Sit back and close your eyes. Who are your favorite book or movie characters? Are they Scarlett and Rhett? Perhaps Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia? Sam and Frodo? Ahab and the whale? The Lone Ranger and Tonto? The list goes on and on. Why are these characters unforgettable? What about them causes us to laugh and cry and wonder if they are all right?
The key is that the writer defined the characters with believable traits and clear motivation. We care about those characters. We live our lives vicariously through them. To many readers, their favorite characters must be real people because they live in their hearts and minds.
How does a writer create memorable characters? She establishes wants and needs that lay the foundation for critical motivation. If I asked you to take a moment and write down all of the things you wanted, the items might fill a book. But if I asked you to compile a list of what you needed, the project becomes a little more difficult. We don’t always know what we need, but finding out becomes a process of soul searching and experiencing life. But when needed items become goals, we are motivated to go after those things vital to our survival.
Character sketches provide great help to laying the foundation for our characters. They force us to think—brainstorm about what motivates the character. And there’s that word again: motivation.
The roots of motivation are unmet needs. How these needs are fulfilled depends on the character’s integrity, established over time through life experiences, inherited factors, and environment. No wonder we humans are flawed characters! No protagonist is perfect. No antagonist or villain is completely evil. But some characters have more flaws than others, and out of those flaws come weaknesses and room for character growth. Out of the admirable traits come our heroes and heroines, who have the stuff that gives us hope and help us to believe again in the goodness of mankind.
All of us have a need for relationships, significance, and security. These critical needs are supposed to be filled by God, but we, as flawed “characters,” look for fulfillment in other areas, and those areas become our weaknesses. Examine your character’s struggle. Does he/she have a need for sex, for material goods, power, work, education, or the arts? How are those weaknesses manifested? Does your character seek to satisfy his basic needs in ways that honor God? In short, what motivates the character?
My suggestion is to study your character from every angle to determine the underlying factors shoving them out of bed each morning. Interview them. Live with them. Go to dinner with them. Place them in settings that are unlike the previous scenes. Would you take a vacation with them? How a character reacts and responds to the events surrounding him determines who he is. Steer away from predictable behavior but stay within the perimeter of the traits you have assigned.
The next time you are reading a dynamic novel or watching a movie that has you sitting on the edge of your chair, take the time to discover the characters’ motivations. This article has just touched on the volumes of information about writing memorable characters. I hope I’ve given you inspiration to discover the techniques behind the scenes.
Scarlett and Rhett are unforgettable. Now you know why! Here is my question for you. Who are your favorite book or movie characters and why? I look forward to your response.
Check out my website at http://www.diannmills.com/ and sign up for my newsletter!
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