Bestselling author DiAnn Mills is known for her gripping romantic suspense novels where readers can Expect An Adventure. With multiple Christy Awards and numerous bestsellers, her stories captivate readers with their depth and intensity. A passionate storyteller and dedicated mentor, DiAnn is also a coffee connoisseur and proud grandmother living in Houston, Texas.
DiAnn talks about the challenges of the writing process, as well as advice she has to offer younger authors.
FF: What inspired this story?
I love adventure. The idea of a woman who specialized in wilderness survival techniques appealed to my curiosity and imagination. What kind of woman chose that type of career? What motivated her? Where did she learn the skills and knowledge? My hero rose from an appreciation of those who risk their lives to keep us safe. In this case, a Texas Ranger who served also as a negotiator. How would a partnership between a survival expert and a negotiator complement each other, and how would they disagree?
FF: What messages or themes do you focus on in this book?
The power of love can overcome lies, deceit, and betrayal.
FF: What do you hope that readers learn from Canyon of Deceit?
God changes hearts and instills courage for His people to step into the unknown. Sometimes the unknown is physical danger, and sometimes it’s an affair of the heart, but always for unselfish motives.
FF: Who is your favorite character in the book and why?
That’s a tough question, like asking me who my favorite child or grandchild is. I’d say Alina, an innocent child caught up in a power play. She had no choice in the matter of her mother’s death, her father’s remarriage, her stepmother’s rejection, or her kidnapping. Yet, she showed a strength that would carry her into adulthood.
FF: What do you find to be the most challenging part of the writing process? What advice would you offer young writers?
All of the process is challenging, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I’m not challenged with character, plot, emotion, setting, and dialogue, then my writing suffers. My goal is to entertain, inspire, and encourage readers, and if that doesn’t happen, then I fail the reader, myself, and God.
I encourage writers to:
- Pray for guidance.
- Read every day: the books in their genre and bestsellers in all genres. Use those books as textbooks. Highlight and underline.
- Study the craft and marketing and promotion every day.
- Write every day.
- Repeat
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Canyon of Deceit
DiAnn Mills
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
Genre: Suspense, Romance
Released: September 9, 2025
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
ISBN-10: 1496485157
ISBN-13: 978-1496485151
Book Summary:
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.
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