Hawkins' Novels & Publications
Diana Hawkins' Novels & Books
Diana M. Hawkins writes action-adventure and romantic suspense novels, children's books, and biographies. Below are her major published works, along with a brief synopsis outlining each one.
Shadows Over an African Heart
In Shadows Over an African Heart, newlyweds, Piet and Jessica van Rooyen adjust to married life. Meanwhile they continue to assist their friend, Hector Kaminjolo, newly hired ZimParks’ superintendent, in his quest to conserve Zimbabwe’s wildlife species. Hector disapproves of the government’s policy of separating young elephant calves from their families in the bush and shipping them overseas to spend uncertain lives in Chinese zoos. Unfortunately, he is powerless to stop it. New on the job, Hector is confronted by a sudden unexplained wildlife loss, including hundreds of elephants that are found dead near water holes in Hwange National Park. Soon afterwards, Hector and one of his rangers come across poachers removing tusks from these dead elephants. The poachers attack and take Hector hostage. His ranger escapes. The van Rooyens join in the effort to search for Hector and it sets off a terrifying series of events, in which Jessica is shot, wounded, and taken prisoner. Lives hang in the balance, and Piet's ultimate survival depends on a small herd of elephants that he and Jessica had earlier helped rescue.
Shadows Along the Zambezi
In 2008, Zimbabwe is a particularly dangerous place. Corruption, violence, rape, murder, and inhuman levels of greed and brutality rule the land as lawless political factions battle for power. Pieter Van Rooyen, a commercial farmer-turned-environmentalist, has felt the terror firsthand. Seven years earlier, his family was brutally murdered and his farm seized, during Zimbabwe's violent land distribution scheme. The experience changed his life and priorities; now he is dedicating his life to honoring life.
He joins forces with Jessica Brennan, an American wildlife biologist, to protect Zimbabwe's most threatened treasure, its elephants that are being slaughtered by poachers and corrupt government officials alike—under the guise of conservation. While conducting a study of Zimbabwe's elephants in the eastern Zambezi Valley, Jessica witnesses many of the threats they face, including habitat encroachment, floods, droughts, mismanagement of wildlife areas and their slaughter for ivory.
Jessica and Pieter are joined by his former neighbor, Angus McLaren, another dispossessed farmer who narrowly escapes with his life when his farm is stolen by the so-called veterans of the independence war. Together, the trio wins over the local National Park Service chief, Hector Kaminjolo, and professional hunter Blair Nisbet.
Despite the terror and sadness that surround them, Jessica and Pieter are reminded of the best of human nature as they discover love. Against a backdrop of kidnappings, murders, and international intrigue, a healing romance emerges, proving that love truly can conquer all.
Lumpy the Elephant
In this children's book, Lumpy the Elephant is treated as an outcast by the other toys because he is so much bigger and less agile than they are. There comes a day, however, when Lumpy's companions find themselves in serious trouble. To their surprise they discover that Lumpy is the only one who can help them. Afterward, they gain a whole new respect for him. This is a charming story that shows how a person's unique qualities and abilities often go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Mom's Cat Stories
Diana is a cat person who has always admired these amazing animals for their energy, grace, beauty, and the boundless affection they display towards humans they trust. Over the course of 58 years, she and her family have been privileged to share their lives with 11 felines of varying sizes, breeds and colors. Their individual stories evoke the gamut of human emotions -- from happiness and laughter to deep sadness and regret. Diana felt she needed to recount these precious memories before they began to fade.
