DiAnn Mills: Success Story! (by Linda Gilden)
When DiAnn Mills first arrived at the Ghost Ranch for the 2009 CLASS Christian Writers Conference she was a little disappointed in her surroundings (and that's probably an understatement). However, it is amazing how God can take that first look and turn it around. After spending four days at the Casa del Sol, DiAnn became captivated by the beauty of the location and the history of the Ghost Ranch. So much so that she decided to write about it. CLASSEMINARS asked DiAnn to share her inspiration:
Q: Please tell us how you came up with the idea to set the story at the Ghost Ranch?
A: I was on staff to teach for CLASSEMINARS at Ghost Ranch. When I first arrived, which was at dusk, I didn't like the surroundings at all. Desolate. Lonely. Cell phone didn't work. The staff housing was 2-1/2 miles back a dirt road and across a cattle guard. But . . . the next morning, I woke to the most incredible beauty. The mountains, the colored rock, the wildlife. I was drawn into the high desert and didn't want to leave! My class didn't make, so while exploring Ghost Ranch, I decided that it was the perfect spot to write a romantic suspense.
Q: Where did you dig up so much historical information and research material?
A: I purchased two books about the area and talked to the local historian and librarian.
Q: Our curiosity was piqued when you recorded the Navajo in the area, but when we looked it up, we found out it was true. How important is it that the information in a historical fiction be factual and accurate?
A: I used a source for the Navajo from a missionary who had worked with the Navajo. I believe that research needs
to be as accurate as possible, but I also believe that fiction allows dramatization for the sake of the story.
Q: I understand that one of your characters is patterned after the wife of the original owner of the Ghost Ranch?
A: Not Eva, but Charlotte Arnold. I patterned her character from Caroline Bishop Stanley who once owned the Ghost Ranch.
Q: With this writing project in particular, what was one of the more fun aspects for you?
A: Under a Desert Sky was an experiment in point of view. Eva is in first person, and Tahoma is in close third. I believe it worked, and I'm thrilled with the results. I believe in planting my feet on the soil where my novels are set. By experiencing the setting, I can not only heighten the sensory perception for the reader, I can learn when to make my setting a protagonist or an antagonist.
YOU CAN BE A NOVEL CHARACTER!
Q: Please tell us how you came up with the idea to set the story at the Ghost Ranch?
A: I was on staff to teach for CLASSEMINARS at Ghost Ranch. When I first arrived, which was at dusk, I didn't like the surroundings at all. Desolate. Lonely. Cell phone didn't work. The staff housing was 2-1/2 miles back a dirt road and across a cattle guard. But . . . the next morning, I woke to the most incredible beauty. The mountains, the colored rock, the wildlife. I was drawn into the high desert and didn't want to leave! My class didn't make, so while exploring Ghost Ranch, I decided that it was the perfect spot to write a romantic suspense.
Q: Where did you dig up so much historical information and research material?
A: I purchased two books about the area and talked to the local historian and librarian.
Q: Our curiosity was piqued when you recorded the Navajo in the area, but when we looked it up, we found out it was true. How important is it that the information in a historical fiction be factual and accurate?
A: I used a source for the Navajo from a missionary who had worked with the Navajo. I believe that research needs
to be as accurate as possible, but I also believe that fiction allows dramatization for the sake of the story.
Q: I understand that one of your characters is patterned after the wife of the original owner of the Ghost Ranch?
A: Not Eva, but Charlotte Arnold. I patterned her character from Caroline Bishop Stanley who once owned the Ghost Ranch.
Q: With this writing project in particular, what was one of the more fun aspects for you?
A: Under a Desert Sky was an experiment in point of view. Eva is in first person, and Tahoma is in close third. I believe it worked, and I'm thrilled with the results. I believe in planting my feet on the soil where my novels are set. By experiencing the setting, I can not only heighten the sensory perception for the reader, I can learn when to make my setting a protagonist or an antagonist.
YOU CAN BE A NOVEL CHARACTER!
Have you ever dreamed of being a character in a novel? How about in a novel written by one of Christian fiction’s top award-winning authors?
We are excited to announce a new contest that will be held at the CLASS Christian Writers Conference, You in the Book. The prize? Your name will be one of the characters in a future DiAnn Mills novel!
How to enter the contest:
Create a hook for a suspense novel—a sentence or two that would make the reader anxious to read more. Remember, no more than two sentences!
Bring your hook to the Ghost Ranch. Put your name on the back at the bottom of the sheet and turn your entry in by Thursday noon. There will be a box in the dining room to collect entries.
DiAnn Mills, who will also be offering a morning teaching lab, Fiction A to Z, will read all of the entries and pick the winning hook. The winning name will appear in one of DiAnn’s future novels. Can you imagine? Your name as a character in DiAnn’s book!
So get started. Write your hook and bring it typed on an 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper with your name on the back. Remember, entries need to be turned in by noon Thursday. Everyone at the Ranch is eligible to enter—attendees and faculty, so hurry up and start writing. DiAnn is ready to make your name famous!
Linda Gilden is Director of the CLASS Christian Writers Conference and enjoys helping others on the path to publication. For more about Linda and her writing and speaking go to www.lindagilden.com.Photo/DiAnnMills
Photo/LindaGilden
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See you at the (Holy) Ghost Ranch!
Blog content provided free of charge by CLASSeminars via Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.
Posted by Karen Jordan at 29 Sep 2011 
Categories: Encouraging Spiritual Stories
Tags: education KCW Communications CLASSeminars writing writing conference Linda Gilden DiAnn Mills
Categories: Encouraging Spiritual Stories
Tags: education KCW Communications CLASSeminars writing writing conference Linda Gilden DiAnn Mills
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