Can you believe LOVE OVER LATTES, Book 1 in my Desert Monsoon Series, hit the #1 best seller spot on Amazon today?! I’m so excited. Thank you so much for all your support!!!
If you haven’t met Cole yet, here’s your chance. Only a few more days left before the $0.99 promo is over, and I turn back into a pumpkin. Le sigh
Here’s what reviewers are saying about LOVE OVER LATTES:
“Hicks’ first installment of her Desert Monsoon series is confident and assured with strong storytelling, nuanced characters, and a dynamic blend of romance and suspense…A sexy and irresistible tale for fans of contemporary romance.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Love Over Lattes is one of those quintessential romance novels with plenty of chemistry, mutual attraction, and push and pull between the characters.” – Readers’ Favorite
When recent college graduate Valentina loses the deal on her dream rental and the chance to bring her son home to live with her, she has no choice but to accept the help of the intimidating-as-hell stranger she’s admired from her coffee shop seat for the last six months.
Wealthy businessman Derek Cole has one focus: to save his company. But when he offers to help Valentina, he begins to reevaluate what’s really important to him.
LOVE OVER LOGIC is out in just one MONTH!!! I can’t wait to share Dom and Emilia’s story with you.
How about we celebrate with a fun giveaway! Ready to win Amazon cards, romance books and other prizes? I’m one of the sponsors of the Night Owl Romance Hallowpalooza Scavenger Hunt.
During this event I’m going to help you find some great new books. Make sure to check my featured title out along the way.
It’s RELEASE DAY for Love Over Lattes, and I’m humbled and a little embarrassed by all the amazing support. Reviews for Cole and Valentina’s love story have been incredible…
“Hicks’ first installment of her Desert Monsoon series is confident and assured with strong storytelling, nuanced characters, and a dynamic blend of romance and suspense…A sexy and irresistible tale for fans of contemporary romance.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A deliciously sexy romance with chemistry that explodes off the pages. I absolutely loved it.” – Heather Van Fleet, Author of the Reckless Hearts Series
“Love Over Lattes is one of those quintessential romance novels with plenty of chemistry, mutual attraction, and push and pull between the characters.”Readers’ Favorite
Single mom Valentina wants to provide a good life for her son, starting with the perfect home. When the deal on her dream house falls through, rather than move back in with her parents and disappoint them and her son once again, she accepts the help of the intimidating-as-hell stranger she’s admired from her coffee shop seat for the last six months. She’s afraid to fall for the wrong guy again, so she makes Cole promise to keep their relationship strictly professional.
Following his failed marriage, Cole can’t find a reason to care about anything or anyone. Saving his company from his ex-wife is the only thing that has kept him afloat for the past six months. As loneliness sets in and he begins to lose the fight over his company, Valentina becomes his lifeline. Cole wants to be more than her landlord, and he has a plan to get her to release him from his promise.
Diana A. Hicks is an award-winning author of steamy contemporary romance and science fiction. Her latest release LOVE OVER LATTES, Book 1 in her Desert Monsoon Series, is a 2018 Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention in the Romance – Contemporary genre!
When Diana is not writing, she enjoys 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.
Follow her on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/diana-a-hicks
Follow her blog: https://dianahicksbooks.com/
Like her Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/DianaHicksAuthor/
Join her reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DianaSexyReaders/
Follow her on Twitter: @diana_hicks
Single mom Valentina wants to provide a good life for her son, starting with the perfect home. When the deal on her dream house falls through, rather than move back in with her parents and disappoint them and her son once again, she accepts the help of the intimidating-as-hell stranger she’s admired from her coffee shop seat for the last six months. She’s afraid to fall for the wrong guy again, so she makes Cole promise to keep their relationship strictly professional.
Following his failed marriage, Cole can’t find a reason to care about anything or anyone. Saving his company from his ex-wife is the only thing that has kept him afloat for the past six months. As loneliness sets in and he begins to lose the fight over his company, Valentina becomes his lifeline. Cole wants to be more than her landlord, and he has a plan to get her to release him from his promise.
“A sexy and irresistible tale for fans of contemporary romance.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A deliciously sexy romance with chemistry that explodes off the pages. I absolutely loved it.” – Heather Van Fleet, Author of the Reckless Hearts Series
“This could be a hit movie, it’s so good!”Julia Red Hatter Book Blog
Diana A. Hicks became an avid reader when she found her first romance novel tucked away in a corner of her high school library. The more books she read, the more she wanted to be a writer. She has a master’s degree in information systems and accountancy, and for many years worked for a major Fortune 100 telecommunications company as an IT project manager (As one does when pursuing a career as a romance author.).
These days, when she’s not writing, Diana enjoys running half marathons, 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.
In this contemporary, #OwnVoices debut set in the Southwest, single mom and recent college graduate gets more than she bargained for when she accepts the help of a sexy as hell businessman fighting to keep his company.
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Single mom Valentina wants to provide a good life for her son, starting with the perfect home. When the deal on her dream house falls through, rather than move back in with her parents and disappoint them and her son once again, she accepts the help of the intimidating-as-hell stranger she’s admired from her coffee shop seat for the last six months. She’s afraid to fall for the wrong guy again, so she makes Cole promise to keep their relationship strictly professional.
Following his failed marriage, Cole can’t find a reason to care about anything or anyone. Saving his company from his ex-wife is the only thing that has kept him afloat for the past six months. As loneliness sets in and he begins to lose the fight over his company, Valentina becomes his lifeline. Cole wants to be more than her landlord, and he has a plan to get her to release him from his promise.
Hi! We both know why you’re here, but before we jump right in, go ahead and read my official bio here. I’ll wait…
Elevator music.
Who am I?
What my shiny, super official bio doesn’t tell you is that I’ve been writing for a long, long time. That for most of those years, I’ve gotten over 200 rejections. And that I never really got anywhere with my writing until I found Twitter, more specifically, until I found the #Pitchwars community.
I am a two-time Pitch Wars hopeful (never a mentee). Back in 2015, I subbed my Prime Vector novel to three awesome YA mentors. I didn’t get in, but I listened to their advice, and kept revising, and writing. I tried my luck again in 2016 with my latest title, Love Over Lattes. Still no luck. However, I received a lot of feedback on specific areas where my manuscript needed re-working. One mentor even offered to re-read my pages. (Go check out Laura Brown’s wish list. She’s an awesome mentor!)
Long story short, I re-wrote my manuscript, and six months later I received an offer for a three-book deal from The Wild Rose Press. Book One in my Desert Monsoon series is due to release Spring 2018. Here’s the shiny new cover released last week at RWA17!
Wait, I had a point…even if you don’t get in, you’re here, you’re networking, and honing your craft. That means you’re well on your way to success! Yay, you!
I told you my Pitch Wars story, so I could answer this question. This community has helped me so much, I’m afraid I’ll be struck by lightning if I don’t find a way to pay it forward. That’s it. I’m here to help other authors achieve their writing goals. And to show I’m not BSing here, I will be giving feedback to the first twenty subs I get. If I have time, I’ll do a few more!
My strengths/weaknesses?
Commas are my kryptonite. I can spot grammar errors, but I’m not your best bet if you’re seriously lacking in this area. What I can do is break down your story to its bare bones, and figure out what’s missing…from story structure, pacing, and plot holes to character development and deep POV. I’m tough with my critiques, but only because I can see the potential in the writing and I really, really want it to shine and succeed. If you’re cool with tough love, keep reading…
My ideal Mentee?
My ideal mentee would be a hard worker. We only have two months to polish your MS, so we’ll need to hit the road running. I’ll have charts for you to fill out, and there’s also a spreadsheet. If you want to get a head start, go read Debra Nixon’s GMC: Goal Motivation and Conflict. We’ll start by dissecting your story and your characters. My goal is to get two rounds of edits in, so we can focus on sentence structure and flow.
What am I looking for?
Send me your new adult/adult romances! I’ll take contemporary (my favorite), sci-fi, magic realism, paranormal, light fantasy. If romance is the main story line, send it to me!
To save you time, here’s a list of what I’m NOT looking for:
High fantasy
Historical Romance
Inspirational Romance
Sweet Romance
Horror
Women’s fiction
Non-fiction
Thrillers
Memoirs
Western
If your work does NOT fall into any of the sub-genres listed above, we’re getting warmer. What will make me hot for your MS?
I have no preference for POV or tense, as long as your prose is fresh with an authentic voice (not necessarily flowery). Also, please do your absolute best to make sure your grammar is in decent shape.
Give me a hooky meet cute. I love tropes. My favorite is enemies to lovers, and second chances, but it has to be believable. Same if you’re going for the friends to lovers trope, or strangers to lovers. Give me some sizzling chemistry.
This is a given in romance, but I’ll put it on here so you can check it off the list. Happily Ever Afters (HEAs), or Happy For Now (HFNs) are a must. There are no loop holes here.
Heat required. I don’t do sweet romance. Send me your spicy and erotic romance. I’m mostly a contemporary author, but if your characters are falling in love, and doing all the sexy things in outer space, I WANT your MS!
Consent required. I want strong heroines who know what they want, and know how to ask for it.
Rape is a deal breaker for me. Just no. Not even as backstory.
Diversity welcome. Bonus points for interracial couples!
Contemporary is my main jam. Send me your hot and kinky CEOs, rock stars, bad boys, and men in uniform. Tattoos? Yes, please! I’m all about the romance, but I also need grit and heart. Who/what are these hot guys fighting for?
Some of my recent favorite books…(ehem, notice there are no sexy, sci-fi books here. So sad.)
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren
Royally Screwed by Emma Chase
Inspire by Cora Carmack
Reckless Hearts by Heather Van Fleet (aka Awesome Pitch Wars Mentor, go check her go out.)
You made it all the way to the end! Thank you for checking out my wish list. I hope I answered all your burning questions. If not, find me on Twitter, and ask. Like seriously, I don’t mind questions at all…I’ve been there, so I know how difficult it is to choose a mentor. I’m here to help!
I hope you stay a bit. Check out the book titles on the banner to learn about what I’ve written, and what I’m currently working on. There’s also an About page if you’d like to find out about me.
Update: LOVE OVER LATTES coming soon from The Wild Rose Press
