“Canyon of Deceit” by DiAnn Mills … and a GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to Friday Reads!

 

There’s a giveaway for a print copy of Canyon of Deceit by DiAnn Mills, courtesy of the publisher. (US ONLY!) Enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of the post. (Contest ends October 3, 2025.) If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information to pass along to the publisher.

 

About the book…

 

When wilderness survival expert Therese Palmer gets a frantic call from former colleague Professor Rurik Ivanov, she’s stunned to learn his daughter Alina is missing—and even more alarmed when he refuses to involve the police. With a child’s life at stake, Therese turns to Texas Ranger Blane Gardner, whose crisis negotiation skills make him the ideal partner for the mission.

As they search Alina’s last known location in the remote Guadalupe Mountains, Therese and Blane navigate misleading intel, growing danger, and their own deepening connection. With ties to Russian organized crime and a potential international assassination plot emerging, they must find Alina before she’s lost to a deadly conspiracy—no matter the cost.

 

Excerpt…

PROLOGUE
HILL COUNTRY, TEXAS
TWENTY YEARS EARLIER

THERESE

I smoothed a tattered quilt beneath a live oak about a mile from our home and laid my guitar atop it. “Are you ready for a concert?” I said to Kate. 

My little sister sat on the quilt and lifted her pale face stained with blackberry juice. She’d had her fill of berries on our walk here. “I am.  What a fun morning. I love spending time with you, and you picked the perfect picnic spot.” She touched her chin. “Remember when we went to the mountains in . . . Colorado?”

“Yes. The best vacation Mom and Dad ever took us on.”

Kate nodded, her white-blonde curls br ushing her shoulders. “We went before I got sick, when I was three.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Five years ago. Anyway, sometimes I close my eyes and hear the water singing.”

“I loved the sound of it rippling over the rocks and rushing down the waterfalls. What else was your favorite?”

Kate tilted her head, and the sunlight glowed on her face. “The
deer, elk, and the bighorn sheep.” She startled. “Remember the eagle,
Therese?”

“Oh yes. We’ll ask Mom and Dad to take us back when you’re feeling better.”

“This time I want to learn how to do the special fishing.”

“Fly-fishing. Dad will teach us.”

Kate sorted through the remains of the picnic snacks. “Sissy, any more blackberries?”

“You ate them all, Katie-Bug. I wish you’d eaten your egg sandwich. How about a little more? I’ll peel off the crust.”

Kate shook her head. “No, thanks. Would you sing the Willie Nelson song about the road?”

I laughed and scooted next to her on the quilt. I tucked my guitar in the crook of my arm and pulled the pick from my shorts pocket. Every concert began and ended with “On the Road Again.”

“Why do you like that song so much?” I said while tuning the strings.

“’Cause I’m on the road to heaven, silly.”

I swallowed several times to rid myself of the acid- tasting fear. God would heal her. He had to. The doctors had made a mistake. “You have a beautiful reason. Mom says we are all on the road to heaven. But I’ll get there first ’cause I’m older.”

“But you’re not sick like me.” She patted my knee. “It’s okay. Angels tell me I’ll love being with Jesus.”

“You talk to them?” I held my breath. Please, heal my sister.

“Oh yes. At night they stand around my bed and keep watch over me.”
“Kate, I’m in the same room, and I don’t see them.”

She giggled and covered her mouth. “You’re not looking good
enough.”

“Next time, wake me up, so I can see them too.”

“Okay.” She touched my arm. “Sissy, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

I smiled because she knew the answer. “I’d like to sing and play my guitar.”

Kate clapped her hands. “You’d be the best country-western singer in the world.”

I dreamed of performing at the Grand Ole Opry. I’d write my own songs, but Grandma said I should do what God said, and He hadn’t told me.  “We’d sing together—The Palmer Sisters.”

Kate drew in a breath. “Ouch. Something bit my leg.”

I searched Kate’s matchstick- thin leg and found a quickly swelling bump on her ankle. “Looks like a fire ant nibbled on you. Let me make sure no more are crawling on the quilt.”

An ant hill rose three feet from our picnic site, and we moved several feet away. I washed the bite with water from the thermos and a clean cloth. “I’ll put soda on it once we’re home. Do you want to leave?”

“No. I’m fine.” Kate curled up on the quilt and closed her eyes. “I’m ready.”

I sang the song twice, picturing brighter days ahead for my family. My sister would win this fight. 

Kate’s eyelids hung at half-mast. The ant bite? I stuffed the remains of our picnic into my backpack and hoisted my guitar strap over my shoulder.

“I’ll carry you,” I whispered. “Go ahead and sleep, and I’ll tuck you in when we’re home.” I picked up Kate and nestled her close to me.

“Would you sing your song about me on the way?”

“Of course.” The words and tune had come to me one night when Kate sobbed in pain. Love burned inside me, and I’d much rather God take me and heal her.

 

Amazon purchase link

Q&A with DiAnn…

 

Q:   What inspired this story?
A:  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.

Q:  What messages or themes do you focus on in this book?
A:  The power of love can overcome lies, deceit, and betrayal.

Q:  What do you hope that readers learn from Canyon of  Deceit?
A:  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.

Q:  Who is your favorite character in the book and why?
A:  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.

Q:  What do you find to be the most challenging part of the writing process? What advice would you offer young writers?
A:  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

 

Thanks for being here, DiAnn. I’m sure my readers enjoyed learning more about you and your latest release!

 

About DiAnn…

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.

 

“Canyon of Deceit” by DiAnn Mills

Rules for the giveaway can be found here.