by: Diana A. Hicks
Series: Winterstorm Village
Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Release Date: October 29, 2024
Publisher: HMG, Inc.
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?
Hi! I’m doing great. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (aka, the meal to kick-off the holiday season). And thank you so much for having me.
You’re welcome. I’m excited to have you here. Congratulations on the release of Like It’s Christmas, the first book in your Winterstorm Village series. What can you tell me about the series itself and the story?
I dreamed up this series last summer when it was still a hundred degrees here in Atlanta. I remember seeing a newsletter titled Christmas in July. It was a sale for something, I don’t remember what. But that got me thinking about Christmas and this fictional small town I had been wanting to write about. Before I knew it, I had my spotify playing a Christmas playlist, while I came up with the concept for Winterstorm Village. I started with the town first and made a list of their Christmas traditions. By the time I had a solid idea of what the town should look like, Parker and Rhett were already in the background hating each other. LOL Their story just had to be the first in series.
Lol. That sounds fun. Tell me about Rhett Parker and Parker Cruz.
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 to great lengths to make sure Christmas happens as planned.
Who are some of the other characters readers will meet in Like It’s Christmas and the rest of the Winterstorm Village series?
In Like It’s Christmas, readers will immediately meet Mrs. Dankworth and Mrs. Birdwhistle, the town’s gossip duo and book club leaders. These older ladies are great and will continue to play a big role in making sure everyone finds love.
There are 12 standalone novels planned for the Winterstorm Village series. It was hard to introduce all the couples all at once, but for now know that Parker’s friends all get a book. We’ll also get to learn more about the Windsors and the Waltons and how their families co-founded Winterstorm Village.
I’m not sure of the order just yet, but for now, Book 2 will be Thor and Briar’s story.
What tropes are in Like It’s Christmas, and do you have a favorite one?
LOL. This book is so packed with tropes, at one point, even the characters were making fun of it.
We start with enemies to lovers and grumpy v sunshine. Then we move on to fake dating, kissing the town’s Scrooge, royalty, one-bed trope, and of course, you gotta have a couple of billionaire families.
My favorite trope is fake dating, especially when the characters don’t like each other but have one main goal in common. Throw some Christmas traditions and hot chocolate, and I’m in love. Ha!
What was your favorite part of Like It’s Christmas to write and why?
Argh. I had so many favorite parts, but mainly all their firsts. When they kiss for the first time on the skating rink to prove they’re really a couple is definitely my top favorite moment...it’s sweet and funny. This is the scene where Parker realizes that she really doesn’t hate Rhett.
I love that point in the book when readers just know there’s no going back for the characters. When Parker and Rhett kiss, they seal their fates and have no choice but to go down the rabbit hole….It was so much fun to watch those two fight their feelings.
Can you tell me about one of your favorite scenes from the book, and why it is a favorite?
Again, so many! I love the scene where they’re at the Windsor mansion in the kitchen roasting chestnuts. They’re in this huge house decorated like a page from A Christmas Carol novel basically going down memory lane. It was a great moment for them to reconnect and remember the friendship they once had. (Does this count as a spoiler? LOL)
No. I don’t think so. Did you incorporate any of your family’s Christmas traditions into the story?
YES! All of them. When I started working on the concept for Winterstorm Village, I wrote down a list of traditions/Christmas activities I’ve made my family do over the years. The list has about 30 items on it. One tradition we still do today is walk up to the neighborhood’s square to watch the lighting of the Christmas tree and drink hot chocolate. My kids are teenagers now, and they still love doing that with us.
Diana, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for me.
Thank you! This was so much fun. I can talk about books all day long. Until next time…
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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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You can follow the Like It’s Christmas Blog Tour here.
Love a good Christmas romance, this sounds like a wonderful book!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thank you for stopping by, and bringing this book to my attention.
DeleteThe cover is magical
ReplyDelete