Hi and welcome to the blog. I’m so delighted to introduce you to a new friend — Melanie Hansen. I met Melanie at the Dreamspinner Author’s workshop in Florida and today i’m privileged to help her launch her first novel, EVERYTHING CHANGES. I think you’ll agree, it sounds wonderful. Melanie is also offering a prize to someone who comments — you’re choice of a prize package including a fridge magnet, pen, and notepad OR a $10 Amazon GC!. So be sure to leave a quick encouraging comment for Melanie.
Here’s some background on Melanie, the book, and a little insight into its creation —
Melanie Hansen has spent time in Texas and Florida prisons…for work. She’s been in a room with a 17-year-old mass murderer who was also one of the most soft-spoken and polite teenagers she’s ever met. After a 13-year career as a court reporter, she can tell many stories both hilarious and heartbreaking.
She grew up with an Air Force dad, and ended up marrying a Navy man. After living and working all over the country, she hopes to bring these rich and varied life experiences to her stories about people finding love amidst real-life struggles.
Melanie left the stressful world of the courtroom behind and now enjoys a rewarding career transcribing for a deaf student. She currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.
Excerpt: (slightly NSFW)
Carey’s mouth fell open, and heat rushed through him as Jase kicked the clothing off, pushing it aside with his foot. He held his arms out to the side, grinning impishly at Carey.
“Well?”
“Damn,” Carey breathed. “You’re beautiful, Jase.” With his eyes he traced Jase’s body from head to toe, the lean muscles, ridged abdomen, pecs topped by prominent brown nipples. His cock was framed by a trimmed mat of pubic hair.
“You keep looking at me like that, this ain’t gonna last long,” Jase growled. Carey smirked, then twirled his finger in a turn-around motion.
“I feel like a piece of meat,” Jase grumbled good-naturedly, but turned in a slow circle. Carey’s mouth watered as he took in Jase’s broad shoulders and muscular back, tapering in a perfect V into slim hips and high, round buttocks. Carey was a little bemused at how looking at another man’s body was revving him up, but it was. It was just… Jase. Carey already knew how beautiful he was on the inside; now he knew how stunning he was on the outside too.
Using his support leg and his arms, he pulled himself to the edge of the bed and sat up, crooking his finger at Jase.
“Come here.”
Jase’s eyes flared hot, and he took the few steps necessary to reach the edge of the bed. Carey reached up slowly and moved his hands onto Jase’s hips, stroking over the hipbones lightly before tugging him forward to stand between his legs.
“I just want to touch you,” he said hoarsely. “Is that okay?”
Jase smoothed Carey’s hair back from his forehead, his fingertips achingly gentle. “Touch me,”
he said simply.
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Here are the buy links for Dreamspinner and Amazon:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6039 (ebook)
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6040 (paperback)
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Some words from Melanie —
I’ve been a romance reader almost my entire adult life. Discovering m/m romance was like coming home, the readers and authors I met at GRL and through online interaction feeling like “my people” from day one. I had never dreamed of writing anything until something happened off-page in one of my most beloved m/m book series, something I couldn’t let go of and had to see happen. So I wrote the story myself, and I posted it on Tumblr.
I won’t say that piece of fanfic was overwhelmingly received or changed my life, but I discovered an outlet for my love of romance and for certain book characters who had become precious to me. When NaNoWriMo rolled around, I thought, “Write original? Why not,” and on November 1, 2013, I opened a Word file and started what eventually became Everything Changes.
My background as a military brat and then as a military spouse gave me a lot of material to work with, and when I heard this line from a song that I love, “When it’s just me and you, who knows what we could do, if we can just make it through the toughest part of the day,” my muse went wild. I pictured two close friends in a war zone, one grievously wounded and close to death, the other frantically trying to save his life and begging him to make it through “the toughest part of the day.”
What would happen if that intense, life-changing experience and the resulting feelings deepened their friendship into love – love between two men, one of whom had never in a million years imagined it would be possible for him to fall in love with another man? Those are the themes I tried to explore in Everything Changes, and I hope you enjoy it!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelJoyAZ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009084006829
Website: http://www.melaniejhansen.com/
Email: [email protected]
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Remember to leave a comment for Melanie and you’ll be entered to WIN a $10GC or a prize package. Thank you for coming by! : )
Thank you, Tara, for hosting me! I loved chatting with you and getting to know you at the Author Workshop. The support and encouragement you offered meant the world to me!
So happy to have you on the blog, Melanie. Wasn’t that Author Workshop fun? : )
It was so much fun, and I can’t wait for the next one 🙂
The Book looks amazing and I love what you said in your post. Congrats on your book. As a military brat myself, there is a lot of material is what you see.
Thank you, Debra! Military issues are near and dear to my heart, as I’m sure they are yours. I appreciate your comment and kind words 🙂
i’ve been reading Melanie’s fanfics on tumblr since i joined and her writing is amaziiing, so can’t wait to read her original book! 🙂
Awww thank you, Natalie! You are awesome! ☺️
I enjoyed your post it sounds so interesting being a court reporter. The book looks really good and I’m adding it to my wish list.
Thank you, Shirley! I loved all the different experiences I had court reporting, but I definitely don’t miss the stress!
Congrats on the release. I love the cover and excerpt. 🙂
Thank you so much! My cover artist is crazy talented, and a nice person too. I got lucky ☺️
Having been in the military myself (AF), I enjoy mm stories with that setting. This one sounds excellent!
Thank you, Susan! I’m an Air Force brat and a Navy wife! The military has literally been my entire life LOL. I appreciate your comment!
The author is a personal friend and I can tell you guys she’s one of the best ppl I’ve ever met.
And if you liked Everything Changes, just wait for the Signs of Life, her next book. 😉
Thank you, darling!! You’re the best *mwah*
I put this book on my wishlist at Dreamspinners after reading the excerpt. Now, you show up on Tara Lain’s website with another great peek! The universe is telling me to pick this one up!
CONGRATULATIONS on your first release!!!
This has all been so wonderfully exciting…and lovely, encouraging comments like this make it so much better. Thank you, Lisa!
Hi Melanie! I already read your book and it’s amazing. I had high expectations after reading your fanfics and you have completely live up to them. Congrats on your success! Looking forward to your next book!
Thank you, Sus! You’re simply awesome. *hugs*
Thank you, thank you for Everything Changes! it is, hands down, my favorite book of 2015. LOVED IT!
Really excited for your second book Signs of Life. Your friend Kenya on GoodReads said it will be released this fall. Yippiee!
I hope you plan on going to GRL 2015. If so, I promise to keep the fangirling down to a minimum.
Oh, and you need a website. But I’m sure you already know that. Your twitter updates just aren’t enough now that you have a hit book!
Wow, that was fast! http://www.melaniejhansen.com/ LOL! It wasn’t there yesterday, I swear!
*claps*
Yay, thank YOU, Gigi! I’m smiling so hard it hurts 🙂 And yep, I was ordered by the lovely marketing lady at Dreamspinner to get a website up and running NOW, LOL. Glad you found it!
I would love the book
🙂 🙂
This story sounds so good! Congratulations!
Thank you so much, Debra! 🙂
Your background sounds quite interesting and rife for stories. I enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks and congrats on the book!
I do have quite a few stories floating around in my head 🙂 If only the days were twice as long…thanks so much for your comment, Jen!
This books sounds wonderful. I’m an Air Force brat myself and my brother joined the Navy and did 2 tours in Iraq. Dad fought in Vietnam. I love military themed books. Thanks for the giveaway!
The issues our military face are so important to me, too. I can only hope I did them justice in my story. Thanks for your comment, Lisa!
First of all congratulations on your first release.
It’s always fun to discover new authors and i must say i really like the blurb and excerpt of this book . I love to read books and i I just love to read about military men or men with a disability and it looks this book got it all LOL.
The cover is very nice too 🙂
Thank you everyone for participating in my giveaway! I’ll put everyone’s names in a hat, except for my good friends Monica and Sus (sorry, loves) and draw the winner! Thanks for all the lovely comments of encouragement and support <3