AUTHORS INTERVIEWING CHARACTERS: MELONY TEAGUE

August 8, 2020 | By Melony Teague | Reply More

A PROMISE TO KEEP:

Research librarian Savannah Sanderson wants to escape into her happily-ever-after novels with their larger-than-life fictional heroes. But a promise to her late husband has her attending her dreaded twenty-year high school reunion, drinking ghastly punch, and taking desperate measures just to keep her vow, even if she has to hide behind the décor to do it.

Once a reckless troublemaker, Michael McCann fled town after graduation. Now a professional technical rescuer, he’s back for the reunion, but on his trip down memory lane, he soon comes face to face with unresolved issues, namely Savannah.

Before the night is over, a pact between these two old friends will lead them on an adventure into uncharted emotional territory where Michael must confront his past regrets and find the courage to reveal the truth. But can Savannah fly from her sheltered nest and risk her heart on a real-life hero?

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Author Melony Teague interviews her main characters from A Promise to Keep, Savannah Sanderson and Michael McCann.

Melony: Settle down, stop it with the staring lovingly into each other’s eyes for now, I have some questions for you both. First, did you expect that going to the Point High reunion would turn out the way it did?

Michael: Not at all, I was dreading it. High school was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I’m not the man I used to be, thankfully—both physically and otherwise. To be honest, I’d rather have been involved in a complex rescue mission than attend that reunion, but life is full of surprises.

Savannah: Not at all, in fact, if it wasn’t for the fact that I made a promise to my late husband, Nick, I would never have gone. Too many awkward memories. But a promise is a promise, and so I went, and I never imagined how it would change everything.

Melony: Savannah, please tell me a little bit about yourself.

Savannah: My parents were born in South Africa, as was I, but they immigrated to the United States when I was midway through the seventh grade. That was a difficult time for me. I don’t have any siblings, but Michael and Nick were my best friends at school. They helped make the transition a little easier. I’m thirty-seven years old now, so I’m much more settled. Now I work as a research librarian in Ithaca and Michael is a technical rescuer.

Melony: Oh, that’s interesting, I was also born in South Africa. Michael McCann, how about you. Tell me about your family.

Michael: My story is a little different, I was born and grew up in the little town of Point, New York. I moved in with my Granny McCann after my parents passed away. I was a young boy when it happened so my memories of them are few, but I do know I miss them terribly. Gran did her best, but it couldn’t have been easy raising me on her own. I was a bit of a handful too. I never knew my grandfather, he died before I was born. I also have no siblings, but now the rescue team, Owen, Benjamin and Johnnie are like family to me, we’re brothers on the job and off the job. We have each other’s backs.

Melony: Let’s see how well you know each other. What are each other’s pet peeves?

Savannah: Oh goodness, let me think. If I were to guess, I’d say he’s a protective sort, so he doesn’t like to see anyone hurt, ignored or bullied.

Michael: Savannah doesn’t like to talk to anyone before she’s had her first cup of coffee. Not even to me. Not even kidding.

Melony: What would you say is each other’s best character trait?

Michael: Savannah is a survivor, she’s been through so much. I admire her resilience.

Savannah: Aw, that’s so sweet. I’m not as brave as you are, but I’m learning. I’d say Michael’s best character trait would be his empathy and how fiercely protective he is of the vulnerable. He’s also a loyal friend.

Melony: Let’s dig a bit deeper. What would you say is the biggest thing that holds you back in life?

Savannah: Everything. After Nick died, the simplest decision was too much, and I was worn out emotionally. After taking care of him for so many years I had to relearn how to take care of myself. I guess in some sort of weird way, I felt guilty for being the survivor and having a life ahead of me when Nick was robbed of that. Thanks to Michael and my friends, Catherine, Evelyn, Lucy, they all did their best to nudge me out of my nest and learn to fly again. I knew I was going to be thrown out of my comfort zone when they said, “Come on, it will be fun.” Famous last words, right?

Michael: Guys don’t talk about this stuff. In the first responders’ world, you’d talk to a therapist if you start having problems. We deal with our trauma by joking and teasing each other. It’s just the way it is. Thankfully, my best friend, Owen, and probably more accurately through his wife Cindy, know how to get me to open up, even if it’s like prying a victim out of a wreckage sometimes. After many years hiding behind my tough rescuer persona, I’d almost successfully buried my sensitive side…until Savannah pretty much tore all of that down. There’s no hiding from someone who knew you from way back before all the walls went up. As for Savannah, the hardest part was not jumping in to fix things and letting her figure things out for herself. In some ways, she rescued me instead.

Sounds like your years of friendship have stood the test of time. Thank you for spending time with me today, but before we go, tell me one thing you’d like the readers to take away after reading your story.

Savannah: Be inspired to love more, and fear less. I’m speaking to myself here too, because after everything I’ve been through with Nick, it was hard to do that, but it was worth it.

Michael: Life is a gift and I hope readers will live life to the fullest, without missing opportunities to express their love to others. Living without regrets is a challenge worth pursuing.

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Melony Teague is a freelance writer who believes everyone has a story to tell. As co-author of As the Ink Flows, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words. She writes Contemporary Romance with a dash of humor. Member of ACFW and The Word Guild. She has never met a Starbucks she didn’t love and has been known to eat vegetables for breakfast—well, pumpkin pie—same thing. Melony was born in South Africa and now lives in Toronto with her husband, their two teenagers, and two cats.

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