Romance
author Melanie Hansen is here
today and we’re chatting about her new contemporary military romance novel, Keeping a Warrior.
During her virtual book tour, Melanie will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes
and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be
entered for a chance to win, use the
form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit
her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
Hansen doesn’t get nearly enough sleep. She loves all things coffee-related,
including collecting mugs from every place she’s visited. After spending
eighteen years as a military spouse, Melanie definitely considers herself a
moving expert. She has lived and worked all over the country, and hopes to
bring these rich and varied life experiences to the love stories she gets up in
the wee hours to write. On her off-time, you can find Melanie watching
baseball, reading or spending time with her husband and two teenage sons.
Please share a little bit about your
current release.
so excited to share Devon and Rhys’s story with you! Devon is a member of the
U.S. Army’s Cultural Support Team, and as such, she works alongside a platoon
of Navy SEALs, deploying with them and going on missions with them. Her job is
to interact with the women and children who live in remote Afghan villages
since it’s a grave cultural offense for her male teammates to do so. Rhys is an
Air Force pararescueman who’s attached to the same SEAL platoon as Devon, and
he’s just gone through a painful breakup with his childhood sweetheart. The
last thing they’re looking for is a relationship, but as their trust in each
other grows, so does the love! From San Diego to Arizona to Afghanistan and
back, they find they can’t deny their feelings anymore, but Devon’s career
aspirations threaten to drive them apart.
What inspired you to write this book?
A couple of years ago, I stumbled across a nonfiction book about the Cultural
Support Teams called Ashley’s War,
and wow, the plot bunnies started hopping! Even though a woman hasn’t yet made
it through SEAL training or Delta Force selection, CSTs are still required to
keep up with the men on patrol, fast-rope out of helicopters, and fight their
way out of an ambush. I absolutely had
to write a story about such a badass woman, and Keeping a Warrior is the
result!
Excerpt from Keeping a Warrior:
The night before, for the first time since he could
remember, Rhys had fallen asleep with another woman on his mind.
staring pensively at the plane. After a moment’s hesitation, Rhys gathered his
courage and approached her, not sure of his welcome.
like a genuine smile. “Not at all.”
drew his knees up, ankles crossed, loosely draping his arms around them. “You
okay?
pose and nodded at the plane. “Just sitting here trying to analyze my
feelings.”
complicated feelings,” Rhys said gently.
different place now, at least. Back then I was so idealistic, so trusting, so
goddamn stupid.”
her talk.
happen to me, or if they did, it’d be something heroic, you know? Not—” She
shook her head. “And now all I want to do is reclaim that part of myself that
someone else took from me.”
the slight quaver in her voice.
me,” he said fiercely. “You have the guys.” He nodded his head toward Matt and
Shane, who were leaning against a nearby wall, arms crossed, each with one
booted foot propped against it, heads close together.
“Think they worked everything out?”
when Matt pushed off the wall. As he did, Shane snaked his hand behind him and
gave his ass a firm pinch, followed by a discreet pat. Matt elbowed him, hard,
but he was smiling while he sauntered away.
bet.”
she bumped him with her shoulder. “You’re right. It’s gonna be different this
time, for lots of different reasons.”
What exciting story are you working on next?
I’ve just turned Book 3 of the Loving a Warrior series, Trusting a Warrior, in to my editor at Carina! I can wait to share
George and Lani’s story with you. It will be out in November 2019.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
Even
after eight novels, it’s hard for me sometimes to consider myself a “real”
writer! Imposter syndrome is a thing, that’s for sure, that feeling of not
belonging. All I can do is my best, and that has to be good enough. This year
I’m both a Lambda Literary finalist and RITA finalist, so that definitely helps
my mindset!
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?
don’t write full time! I actually have a full-time day job at a branch of our
county library, so my writing time is limited, especially since I also have two
teenage boys who play sports and are involved in lots of activities. The only
way I can get around my schedule and have time to write is if I get up in the
wee hours of the morning, like 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. That gives me a couple of
uninterrupted, peaceful hours before the day starts. I write on my lunch hour,
at the doctor’s office, waiting to pick my kid up from practice, all thanks to
my trusty iPad, which goes everywhere with me! It’s definitely not an easy way
to go about it, but it works.
What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
I’m a total pantser, in that I don’t outline before I start a new story. A plot
bunny will strike me, and if the story requires research, I’ll start doing
that. Then I pick a starting point, sit down and start to write! It’s a
difficult, sometimes stressful way to go about it, but it’s my writing process
and I have to trust it.
As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up?
For a long time, I wanted to be an archeologist or an oceanographer. I’m very
interested in both the stories of the past and the unexplored. Unfortunately I
didn’t have a real aptitude for science because my strengths are more in the
literary arts—grammar, writing, etc.—so I ended up as a court reporter for
thirteen years.
Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?
Just a huge thanks to Lisa for hosting me today!
Thank you for being a guest on my blog!
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks so much for hosting me today! ❤️
Sounds like a good book.
I loved learning about you and the book sounds amazing!!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading, everyone!