Everything Happens For a Reason – Book Tour and Giveaway

Where were you born/grew up at?

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and always wanted to live in New York. Finally, in December 2023, I moved to Brooklyn, and it was one of my best decisions.

If you knew you’d die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?

Having sex, eating caviar and pizza, and drinking dirty vodka martinis with extra olives.

What are you passionate about these days?

My writing. My cat Shea (named after the Mets’ old baseball stadium), baseball (Mets fan)

What do you do to unwind and relax?

I watch General Hospital. I watch other old soap opera shows like Knots Landing, Dallas, and Dynasty, as well as newer soap opera-ish shows like Younger, Emily in Paris. I like my television and movies far from reality and with beautiful looking people. My favorite television show of all time is Hart to Hart – I was five when the show aired but I was drawn to them because Jonathan and Jennifer Hart are beautiful, they love and respect each other, they’re rich, and they have no kids which makes more time for each other – they are the perfect couple.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Passionate, Loyal, Consistent, Determined, and Honest (brutally)

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I don’t know if I do yet. I don’t know when it will happen. Maybe when I can quit my full-time job and make a living from it. Maybe when I have a book that sells millions of copies.

Do you have a favorite movie?

I have two equal favorites:

Love Actually – I watch this movie the week of my birthday every year. I cry every year at the same scene – the one where Emma Thompson opens her Christmas present from her husband and its CDs and not the necklace she saw in his pocket, and she goes upstairs to be alone to listen to a song and cry alone – I have done that many times.

The Natural – I have loved baseball since I am 4 years old. I watch this movie every year, the night before baseball season starts.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

In 2026 or 2027, I would love to spend three months in Italy and go to every place and location in my novels, Everything Happens for a Reason and Chance Encounter. After I wrote the books, I thought to myself that I just mapped out a trip for myself.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I have four different romances planned for 2025: Here is a link to my website to read about the upcoming titles: https://www.nicoledicicco.net/coming-soon

PB & Gelato: Brooklyn baker Georgina Cerullo finally gets her dream proposal from her gamer boyfriend, Oliver, and an unexpected bonus—a luxurious wedding in Naples. But while she dives into wedding planning and indulges in Italy’s delights, Oliver remains glued to his streaming setup, prioritizing high scores over honeymoon plans. Enter Carlo Monticello, a charming gelato shop owner with a knack for rescuing lost brides-to-be. When Oliver ditches their first photoshoot, Carlo steps in as a stand-in fiancé, and what starts as playful role-playing stirs up real feelings. As Georgina navigates sun-soaked streets, sweet temptations, and her heart’s true desires, she faces the ultimate question: marry the man she’s waited for or risk it all for a love as irresistible as Italian gelato?

Sugar: Sebastian, the enigmatic owner of an ultra-exclusive sex club, is haunted by the memory of Eve, the woman who once stole his heart. Her captivating face looms over the club in a mural, a constant reminder of what he lost. While he protects and cherishes his Sweets—the dancers and high-end escorts who call Sugar home—his heart remains locked away, despite Penny’s unwavering love for him. But when Bree, the bold and fiery bartender, makes an unexpected move to win his affection, Sebastian finally begins to open up—until Ava walks in. Nearly identical to Eve, she shatters his carefully guarded world, forcing him to confront the past he’s never let go of. Torn between the passionate Bree and the ghost of his greatest love, Sebastian must decide if he can move forward or if the past will consume him. Sugar is a steamy, seductive tale of desire, secrets, and the dangerous games of the heart.

Now and Then: Laura lives two lives—one in the fast-paced present as a burnt-out mommy influencer with her Italian artist husband, Luca, and their two kids in NYC’s Woolworth Building, and another in 1951 as a devoted housewife married to Luke, a hardworking man in the same landmark. But when she meets Lorenzo, a passionate Italian artist who looks exactly like Luca, temptation blurs the lines between past and present. As Laura is pulled between the comfort of her polished 1950s life and the chaotic beauty of today, she must decide: surrender to the intoxicating pull of another era or return to the life she’s built.

Muse: Once a rising star, Enzo Valenti is now a washed-up musician drowning in cheap whiskey and odd jobs, sometimes paid by lonely women for more than just handyman work. But when he hears Olivia Russo’s hauntingly beautiful voice in a dimly lit bar, something in him stirs—something he thought was dead. Desperate to create music again, he convinces Olivia to collaborate, and their passion ignites beyond the studio. But Olivia harbors a dangerous secret—an abusive husband with the power to destroy them both. Their stolen nights of music and love shatter when he finds out, and Enzo is framed for murder. Forced to run, they embark on a desperate journey to clear his name, knowing the man hunting them won’t stop until Olivia pays for her betrayal. As love and obsession blur, Enzo and Olivia must decide if they’re composing their final song—or their greatest masterpiece.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?

Steve’s last name came from my love for General Hospital (GH) as an ode to them. In each of my seven published books, I have an ode to GH and I plan to have on in all my books – fun note: I’ve list these on my website under extras.

https://www.nicoledicicco.net/extras

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Everything Happens for a Reason?

Steve is a completely fictious billionaire bachelor architect in New York. He was burned by a serious relationship in college and told himself he would never be hurt again. He was raised to believe his self-worth is based on how success he is in his career.

Natalie is a mix of mostly fiction with a little bit of me tossed in. The me parts are her cat, Peanut (my cat Shea), lives in Brooklyn, loves Broadway, Frick Collection Museum being her favorite, and she loves the Woolworth Building, the Brooklyn Bridge being her favorite New York icon. I do believe anyone who has ever lived in or visited New York has a favorite icon.

Max was born in my mind when I first saw Michele Morrone on my television screen. Max looks like Michele and paints like him but that is where the resemblance ends. The rest of Max is fictitious.

Matteo and Nicoletta: a mix of all the kids that have entered my life through the years.

Rose: I modeled her after my Nan Rose – her rosy cheeks, Italian woman who insisted on cooking rather than eating out – this character was a way of honoring my hero in life – my Nana Rose.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for Everything Happens for a Reason?

This story marinated in my mind every night as I went to sleep. It started in my mind during the 2020 pandemic and the ridiculous lockdowns in my state. To entertain myself, I created Steve, the billionaire architect and I was Natalie. Every night in my mind, I continued the story for ten minutes at a time as I drifted off to sleep. My storytelling to myself was what got me through and then I got bored with continuing the story because Steve and Natalie were happy and now what. I needed conflict and didn’t have any so I let the story go and left it alone.

Fast forward almost two years later in late April 2022, I watched 365 Days on Netflix. I was late to the party watching that movie but my God, when I saw the most perfect male specimen walk onto the screen, Max was born in my head. I wrote Max with Michele Morrone in mind and no one else in the world could ever be or play the part of Max. Thank you Michele for not giving up your dream of acting. I wish you more acting success than you can imagine for yourself. As I developed Max and wrote his chapters, I truly fell in love with Max along with Natalie.

I started writing the first draft in June 2022 and finished in August 2022. I wrote every night as soon as I logged off my work laptop into the late night and every weekend, sometimes all weekend and pulled a few all-nighters. I spent hours and hours researching went to every location in New York and researched Italy online. I scoured the web to pick out clothes for Natalie (check out the gallery of Natalie’s outfits on a separate page on my website). I signed up for many newsletters about living in Italy, bought books and researched online.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I loved writing the Max chapters – they were all natural and unplanned. I had no idea from chapter to chapter what their dialogue would be. It felt like I was eavesdropping on two people’s

Who designed your book cover?

My dear friend and art director, Ellen Zanolle (zano-design.com) created the cover. I told Ellen my idea of blending the Brooklyn Bridge with a picture of Venice and add a silhouette of a couple. She did her magic and came up with the perfect cover. She provided me with 30 covers to choose from and the one that became the cover – that one I loved it instantly but it needed one tweak, I told her I needed the people in the silhouette of the couple to be better looking. In the original silhouette, the woman had a Pinocchio nose and the man looked like a high-school kid.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

No. The characters wrote the story, and it’s theirs to tell. I was just the vessel used to put it out in the world.

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

Natalie is not the main character. I thought that Natalie was the main character while I was writing it and even afterwards. It took a while to realize and it was a complete surprise to me that Steve is the main character.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

Michele Morrone is Max – he is the only actor who could ever play the role of Max, or I would ever sell the rights. I wouldn’t let anyone else play Max, no matter what. If it weren’t for me stumbling on Michele’s movie on Netflix, I wouldn’t have a book.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Interesting fact: all my main characters thus far have been male, and of the four books I plan to publish in 2025, at least three of the four main characters are male. I think I will have my first female lead character in Now and Then, planned later this year, but I don’t fully know until I write the book.

How did you come up with the name of this book?

It came from the character Max saying “I believe everything happens for a reason” to Natalie. The minute I wrote it; I knew that was the title. I had a terrible name in mind at the beginning.

What is your favorite part of this book and why?

The Max chapters – every year for my birthday I re-read them. I just love Max and Natalie’s love story, the slow burn of being in close proximity but becoming friends and slowly falling in love with each other. I also love as part of their story, the connection Natalie has with Max’s family especially Nonna Rose and his niece Nicoletta.

If you could spend time with a character from your book who would it be? And what would you do during that day?

I would spend the weekend at Nonna Rose’s villa. I would go the market with her and help her cook for family feast day and then eat with the family.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

My characters completely hijack all my stories so far, and I think they always will. The only part of the process I control is the initial outline. Once the writing begins and the characters come to life, they take over.

Convince us why you feel your book is a must-read.

It’s a love saga. It’s a journey about love and a chosen family. It will make you swoon, laugh, cringe, cry, get angry, turn you on, and most of all, make you smile.

What did you edit out of this book?

It isn’t so much what I edited out; it is more of what I edited into the original outline that in a million years I never would have done, but because the characters wrote the story, I did something that made me cry my eyes out and would have protested if someone suggested the idea. I don’t want to give it away because it may spoil it for the reader.

Which writer’s brain would you love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?

I would love to have a long dinner with Edgar Allan Poe. Ever since I was in grade school, I’ve been fascinated by his writing. I would love to know how he came up with his ideas and learn how his mind ticks especially about writing.

Fun Facts/Behind the Scenes/Did You Know?’-type tidbits about the book.

I love the city of New York so for the foreseeable future all my books will take place there. New York is a character in this book as much as Steve, Natalie, and Max. I use real locations and places. I scouted out each place or location mentioned in this story. While researching I lived Natalie’s life in New York unfortunately without a Steve and his billions, but I haven’t given up hope that my Max is out there.

Italy came into play when I decided to create Max, and I have never been to Italy but I researched as much as I could about all the locations and places I used in this story and they are real. I plan to visit all the places I mention in the book within the next two years.

New York and Italy are minor characters in my book dedicated to my favorite television shows that made New York so prominent and used actual locations, Sex and the City, Younger, Gossip Girl (original series on CS). New York, I know well but sadly I’ve never been to Italy so I hope I don’t disappoint those who live there or have visited with the descriptions and the online research I did to choose real places.

Checkout pictures of the book’s locations on my website – but beware looking will give book spoilers