Award-winning author, DiAnn Mills, launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. Currently she has over forty books in print and has sold a million and a half copies. Six of her anthologies have appeared on the CBA Best Seller List. Three of her books have won the distinction of Best Historical of the Year by Heartsong Presents. Five of her books have won placements through American Christian Fiction Writer’s Book of the Year Awards 2003 – 2008, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005 and 2007. She was a Christy Awards finalist in 2008.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope and Love, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also a mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild. She lives in sunny Houston, Texas. DiAnn and her husband have four adult sons and are active members of Metropolitan Baptist Church. Visit her website at: www.diannmills.com.

When The Nile Runs Red

Texas Legacy Trilogy

Everyone loves a finely crafted movie. They are magical and memorable, and they linger in our hearts for years. We love the characters, the plot, the setting, the witty dialogue, and how the director “saw” the story. We want to see it again and again.

But the badly done movies? We’ve wasted our time and hard-earned cash on something that was disappointing. In short, watching them is a frustrating experience.

Such is the same with book trailers. “Oh, take a look at my new book trailer,” an excited writer says. “Tell me what you think.”

Gulp. How do you rate something between poorly done and downright horrible? That was my concern about venturing into the world of book trailers. I’d seen some fabulous ones—that I couldn’t afford. And I’d seen some sad ones—that I could barely watch.

I met Cecil Stokes of www.tentmakersentertainment.com and www.bookpreview.com at the Gideon Media Arts Festival at Ridgecrest, North Carolina, and was immediately impressed by his incredible talent as a filmmaker. So when he approached me about making a book trailer, I wanted to be confident and excited that my book trailer would not only be professionally done, but also it would knock the viewer’s socks off! Cecil did not disappoint me.

The first book trailer was for When the Nile Runs Red, a contemporary suspense novel set in war-torn Sudan. I’d visited that country, and I knew what I had written on the page had to be reflected on the screen. Cecil read the book and understood my vision. We worked together closely, exchanging ideas and discussing our passion for the project. I provided photos and pointed him to Web sites, and he gathered photos and sound using his expertise. The result was incredible. He truly captured what When the Nile Runs Red means to me. The first time I saw and heard what he’d created, I cried. Every time I see it, I get goose bumps. Cecil made sure it was posted on many book trailer sites. Naturally, I had to see them all.

The second book trailer covered three novels—A Texas Legacy: Leather and Lace, Lanterns and Lace, and Lightning and Lace. The latter was a Christy finalist. I wanted my readers to see my characters’ problems and goals in these historical novels. Cecil read the books—I understand this is a rarity—and teased me with his ideas. But could he achieve what he’d done before? I held my breath, and again I was blown away by the versatility of this amazingly talented man. He captured my Wild West characters and the romance of the era in a magnificent trailer. I was ready to buy my own book!

Now his team is working on a third trailer from the galleys of Breach of Trust. This novel is a romantic suspense and will be released in March. The trailer will be used to promote my new book on many different sites. Potential buyers can catch a glimpse of the essence of my story and become as excited as I am! Salespersons can point retailers to a Web site where they can see for themselves the story line. Again, I’m holding my breath, but not because of any apprehension. I’m excited to see this new masterpiece. I try not to think about how it might look because nothing I could ever envision would thrill me like the explosion of my story on screen.

See for yourself. Go to www.bookpreview.com and see an assortment of Cecil Stokes’s work. You will be delighted with his work and his team of talented professionals.

I was once a skeptic, and now I’m his poster child!