Everything Changes was reviewed here a few weeks ago, and received
huge praise, as a gripping, romantic read. Check out the review!
Ms. Hansen is not only providing us with an excerpt and a blurb, she is running a giveaway!
One of the commenters on this post will win their choice of an Everything Changes bag of goodies, or a $10 Amazon gift card! The winner will be drawn on 4/17 at 5 PM, so comment away!
Here is a note from Melanie Hansen: I love talking about inspiration for my stories, and for Everything Changes there are so many of them: The people I’ve met during the course of my husband’s Navy career, the stories they’ve told, the things I’ve witnessed or lived through.
Two of my most vivid memories as a military spouse:
My husband was on his ship preparing for a normal workday when 9/11 happened, and he only had time for one quick phone call to me before he was gone. For three weeks I didn’t hear one word from him. I didn’t know where he was, what he was doing, if he was safe. After the three weeks he called me and I was able to meet him at the waterfront for one 15-minute conversation and hug, and then he was gone again. I don’t even remember what we talked about, the only thing that mattered to me was that he was safe and I could hug him. I gave him a bag of candy and some other comfort items, said goodbye, and sent him back into the unknown.
Then in 2011, a beloved gym teacher at my boys’ elementary school lost her husband in Afghanistan. Since it was a rather high-profile incident, and the media was going to be all over it, the CACO Team (Casualty Assistance Calls Officer) had to be called out immediately, and they couldn’t wait for after-hours. They had no choice but to come over to the school to inform her of her husband’s death, and the minute they walked in, in full dress uniform, everyone knew why they were there and who they were there for. I was volunteering that day and hearts were breaking, especially the school secretary’s, the one who had to go get the teacher from her class, knowing that every step she took toward the gym was one step closer to this woman’s life changing forever.
Both of those events will always be with me, and I knew my first book had to be a military book. I wanted to explore what might happen between close friends and teammates who had been through hell and back together, who had survived but were forever changed, the deep feelings they already had for each other having been forged by the fires of war into something more.
Friends to lovers, gay for you, men who have served their country – my favorite tropes, and I hope you enjoy reading Everything Changes as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Read on for a blurb and an exciting excerpt!
Blurb:
What happens when friendship catches fire?
Former Marine and lower-leg amputee Carey Everett keeps a
grueling schedule of counseling fellow war veterans and their families. The
injury he received in Afghanistan forces him to rely on a reserve of strength
he didn’t even know he had. A much deserved vacation will let him reconnect
with his best friend, who saved his life and has been there for him through
devastating injury and painful recovery.
Part-time EMT and aspiring singer Jase DeSantis has been in
love with Carey for years, but he’s come to accept that his straight friend
will never be able to offer more. Jase fills his days with band rehearsals,
ambulance shifts and willing groupies, all while trying to cope with
debilitating PTSD.
A week of sun, fun, and music in San Diego changes Jase and
Carey’s lives forever when their relationship takes an unexpected turn. Jase
has been longing for that change, but it leaves Carey reeling with confusion.
As Jase fights to hold things together, Carey deals with doubts, fears, and his
own preconceived notions about labels and the true nature of love.
Excerpt:
Suddenly Carey flashed back to
those hazy memories of the aftermath of his injury, Jase gripping his hand and
whispering in his ear, “Hang on,
Carey. Get through today, dude. If today is all you can give me, that’s okay.
I’ll take it. I’ll take today.” He
remembered Jase whispering that over and over, “I’ll take today, Carey. I want every second of it, you hang on. You
hear me? Give me today, Carey.”
He
remembered how he had fought to hang on, to give Jase that day, every second of
that day, how it would have been so easy to let go and drift away into the
blackness where there was no more pain or blood or agony. But Jase had wanted
today, and Carey had wanted to give that to him. He’d focused on that, fought
for that. And he was here now, alive, and he had the chance for a lifetime of
love and happiness with a man who knew him better than anyone, who understood
him better than anyone ever had or ever would. A man Carey desired above all
others, a man who, when Carey thought of him, he thought of love and home and
acceptance and belonging. The man Carey loved.
Bio:
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.
@MelJoyAZ (Twitter)
Thank you, Melanie!!
