Reading to Grow, Know, and Show

By DiAnn Mills @diannmills

Reading is my superpower. Communicating through the written word helps me grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. The more I know, the more I grow, and the more I can (hopefully) show someone a bit of information that will add value to their life. Tall expectations, but it’s motivated me to read for—never mind the years. Let’s say ever since I asked my dad, “Daddy, what does S T O P spell?”

Like many of us, I started my reading with Dick and Jane and graduated to cereal boxes. Then Little Women captured my attention. I cried my way through Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Once I dried my eyes, I discovered Nancy Drew and read every Nancy Drew Mystery Story I could find. Mystery and suspense thrilled me. And the hours of adventures with The Hardy Boys, Trixie Beldon, and Cherry Ames.

One thing hasn’t changed and that’s my longing to embrace beautifully crafted words. Sentences. Paragraphs. Books. Wow.

Today on My Reading Life, DiAnn Mills lets us know that reading is her superpower. #ReadingCommunity #Reading #BRRC Share on X

Every morning begins with my Bible, allowing God’s Word to give me my marching orders. In my spare time, I look to my to-be-read stack, which is taller than my 5’2” height.

Nonfiction inspires me to learn more about my faith, writing, other people, sciences, language, and the world around me.

Did I mention signs, billboards, advertisements, package ingredient lists, nutritional values, sales’ circulars, and recipes?

Opinion pieces broaden my perspective on how others view the world and its people. If I disagree, then why? Do I need to rethink my beliefs, stand firm, and/or explore more deeply into the topic?

Devotions encourage me to live and show my faith to honor God. These little nuggets of gold enrich my life.

I devour various blog posts about writing, marketing, promotion, social media, and the publishing industry to keep me up to date on my chosen career. I also explore the blog posts and articles about good health, baking, cooking, beauty, fashion, travel, gardening, and decorating. Yeah, I’m a bit eclectic. Aren’t we all?

Then there is fiction. The amazing and incredible world of a story. History and culture live forever within the realms of tales. My favorite genres are suspense, thrillers, and romantic suspense. Man’s behavior and psychology intrigue me. Yet I can easily get lost in a contemporary, historical, mystery, dystopian, apocalyptic dystopian, or fantasy. Just like my writing, story is about character, and the more complex the better.

I have my favorite novelists. These are listed below in alphabetical order, so I don’t show partiality.

David Baldacci

Robert Dugoni

Lynette Eason

James Hannibal

Steven James

Jerry B. Jenkins

Tosca Lee

Joel Rosenberg

Hank Phillippi Ryan

Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson

I just remembered a dozen more, so I’ll stop with the above list.

Yes, reading is my superpower. I encourage you to make it yours too.

Meet DiAnn

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards, the Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, an active member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. DiAnn 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.

Visit DiAnn’s website to find out more. Click here.