Like It’s Christmas
Diana A. Hicks
(Winterstorm Village, #1)
Publication date: October 29th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Romance
At Winterstorm Village, a record-breaking blizzard always ends in a wedding before the season is over. This year promises to bring the mother of all snowstorms, and the residents couldn’t be more excited to see who’s next to tie the knot…
Rhett Parker hates Christmas. When the Mayor of Winterstorm has an unfortunate accident and ends up in a coma, Rhett is left hanging with the proverbial Santa Gift Bag. To make matters worse, the only one who can help him save their money-making tourist season is his office nemesis, Ms. Christmas cheer in a bottle, Parker Cruz.
Parker Cruz, the Mayor’s daughter, is determined to save Christmas now that her dad isn’t there to make it all happen. The only person standing in her way is the town’s Scrooge, the newly appointed Mayor, Rhett Parker.
She’s willing to do whatever it takes to make good on her promise to her dad. So, when a series of unlucky events strike, and the residents start talking about canceling Christmas, Parker does the unthinkable. She agrees to a fake date with her new boss.
Love is always in the air during the holidays at Winterstorm Village. So what if this year it’s all pretend? Or is it?
Chatting with Diana A. Hicks:
Tell us about your latest book, who
are the main character’s and what can we expect when we pick it up?
“Like It’s Christmas” is a fake dating my grumpy boss Christmas
novel. It’s first in series in my brand-new series Winterstorm Village. There
are 12 planned books in the series, all standalones.
Parker Cruz loves everything Christmas. And by love, I mean she’s
obsessed. I think her parents are to blame. During their marriage, they sort of
became the town’s Mr and Mrs Claus. So of course, Parker wants to keep that
tradition going.
Rhett is the opposite of that. Christmas doesn’t have the same
meaning for him. So when it comes to spending the town’s budget to pay for
Parker’s extravagant decorations, all he sees is money wasted.
Hence their intense “dislike” for each other. The one thing they do
have in common though is their love for Winterstorm Village. It’s why they’re
willing to go through great lengths to make sure Christmas happens as planned.
This Christmas romance has all the steamy scenes with tons of
chemistry, but also, plenty of moments that are just so sweet and Christmasy.
Think Hallmark movie but with steamy, open-door scenes. It’s a great way to get
into the holiday spirit. J
Tell us about what you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in
the future? Any favorite authors you enjoy reading in your spare time?
I finally got on the Fourth Wing wagon. My daughter begged me to
read it, and now I’m hooked. I’m hoping to find the time to read Iron Flame
this month.
I don’t have a favorite author or sub-genre per se. I enjoy reading
all romance as long as the characters have tons of chemistry and a love story I
can’t stop thinking about…like Xaden and Violet. J
Tell us about your
writing day. Do you write every day or only when inspired?
My goal is to write
every day, even if it’s just a page or a paragraph. If I don’t touch the story
at least once a day, I feel like I lose momentum. Then it takes a long while to
get back into it. The trick to writing every day is to make space for it in my
schedule. Sometimes that means getting up early in the morning or staying up
once everyone goes to bed.
Which book would
you recommend for readers to choose first if they’re new-to-you?
My bestseller for the past 3 years has been King of Beasts
Duet. If dark billionaire romance isn’t your thing, I would recommend the Steal
My Heart series which features five brothers and their friends, and it has more
of a romantic suspense vibe.
What do you do when
you have free time?
I write or read. I have two
teenagers at home. Time just gets away from me most days. So I try to spend as
much time as I can writing or reading.
I use the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) method to get
things started for a character and then I narrow it down to…Character wants
(Goal) because of (Motivation), but (Conflict).
For example, in my latest release, “Like It’s Christmas,”
Parker loves Christmas because if reminds her of her mom. So her GMC
became….Parker wants Winterstorm Village to have the best Christmas ever
because she loves Christmas but Rhett hates Christmas and cuts her Christmas
budget down to a third.
Okay, not very romantic but it gets the job done. I usually
take that GMC and build on it. I do that for the MMC and the villain as well.
What do you believe
sets your writing apart from others in your genre, and why should readers
choose to read your books?
I like writing books with lots of twists and turns…and also
steamy scenes. My books are for readers who enjoy intense and dark situations.
Except for my Winterstorm Village series, which is totally light and fluffy.
After finishing The Crime Society series, I needed to write a happy book. J
Can you discuss any
upcoming projects or books that you're currently working on? What can readers
expect from your future works?
Now that “Like It’s Christmas” is out in the wild, I’m ready
to return to my roots and write my next dark billionaire trilogy. I have the
series and characters fleshed out, but I haven’t written any chapters yet. I’m
hoping to get started before Christmas.
I’m scheduled to announce the series in the next week or so.
For now, all I can share is the tag line for the series…
While I stand in darkness,
she holds the light…
Author Bio:
Diana A. Hicks is an award-winning author of steamy romantic suspense and science-fiction romance.
When Diana is not writing, she enjoys hot yoga, kickboxing, traveling, and indulging in the simple joys of life like wine and chocolate. She lives in Atlanta and loves spending time with her two children and husband. Connect with Diana on social media to stay up to date on her latest releases.
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