Melanie Hansen Interview

Title: Signs of Life (Resilient Love Story #2)
Author: Melanie Hansen
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 28, 2015
Genre(s): Contemporary
Page Count: 234
Reviewed by: Gigi and Lili
Blurb:

Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.

Welcome Signs of Life author Melanie Hansen!

QUESTION: Wow, you really put poor Jeremy Speer through the wringer in your newest book Signs of Life! How difficult was it to write his story? I’d imagine it was pretty hard for you, given how much love you put into your characters.

It was terribly difficult for me. I love Jeremy deeply, and I hated to hurt him. I cried several times while writing Brent’s death scene and the aftermath. It’s hard to think of a human being, even a fictional one, in such pain. Jeremy’s story was actually inspired by a real-life event that happened here in my city, a man whose pregnant wife was killed in a car accident that wasn’t her fault. The doctors were able to deliver the baby alive, but sadly he died as well a few days later. All I could think about was a man whose family was here one day, and gone the next. Could he possibly find healing, and renewed happiness? I wanted to explore these concepts, and Signs of Life is my take on that.

QUESTION: Your physical inspiration for Kai is Andrew Christian model Cory Zwierzynski (we approve!). Were you able to speak with him? Did he influence you more than physically? Does he plan to read the book? Thank you for the information you already provided about him in your cover reveal.

Cory Z is the perfect Kai! I hope everyone approves of this beautiful man! He not only influenced me physically for Kai, but also with his attitude. If you watch the videos, interviews and games that he appears in on AndrewChristian.com, you’ll see that he’s funny, a little snarky, and a whole lotta sexy. Rawr!

I haven’t been able to speak with him personally….yet. But I will soon, and everyone who comes to GRL in October will be able to speak with him AND meet him, because Cory will be appearing at the Supporting Author signing on Oct. 15 with me!! Yay! He will be sitting at the Dreamspinner table signing copies of Signs of Life, posing for pictures and giving away Andrew Christian goodies such as undies and hats. If you’re attending GRL, or even just live in the area, come out to meet him! The author signings are open to the public, so you do not have to be registered at GRL in order to come out to meet him. Keep an eye on my Twitter, @MelJoyAZ, for information on time and exact location of his appearance.

Dreamspinner will have limited copies of the paperback for sale on-site, so if you’d like to ensure you have a copy for Cory to sign, the best bet is to order them from either Dreamspinner or Amazon beforehand. (And I plan to convince him when I meet him to read the book!)

QUESTION: The next book in the Resilient Love Story series will feature Kai’s best friend Loren. Any hints you can give us about that book and/or Loren’s love interest?

Oh, this book is a very personal one for me. Loren’s love interest is his childhood friend and first love, Eliot, who suffers from bipolar disorder. Eliot’s suicide attempt at 17 causes them to be separated, and Loren runs into him by chance nine years later when he’s on loan to the Phoenix Police Department and the ATF. Unquiet is a very emotional, angsty story in a much different way than Signs of Life is. This story deals with a man who’s helpless to a chemical imbalance in his brain, a man who has been buffeted by the twin storms of mania and depression throughout his entire life. He and Loren love each other deeply, but the challenges they face in order to be together are immense.

My own family has been touched by mental illness and suicide, and I wanted to explore these difficult themes and approach them realistically with dignity and respect, and also with the hope and joy of a romance. I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

QUESTION: On a personal note: Please describe your perfect day.

My perfect day would be to send my two little boys off to school, not have to go to work, and have the whole house to myself for hours in order to write! I would stay in my PJs and drink coffee, and have peace and quiet the whole entire day. Sigh. As it stands now, I get up at 4:00 a.m., and sometimes 3:30, in order to have quiet time to myself. The struggle is real!

NOTE OF THANKS: Thank you so much for allowing Jessewave to read and review Signs of life, thank you for answering our questions and THANK YOU for Everything Changes and Jase and Carey. We can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next time!

Thanks, Gigi, and Jessewave for having me today! I can’t wait to meet you all at GRL!