February 2019: Hardest Character
~ Megan Slayer ~

CTR asked:

Who was your hardest character to write? And why?

Megan Slayer said:

My hardest character to write has to be Denver Chambers from my book Begin Again. I’ve never been a twin, so I have no idea what that would feel like. That’s tough enough.

But I have been touched by depression. I’ve had members in my family who’ve committed suicide. I can’t imagine having the person that’s my other half suddenly be gone like that. But I can imagine having a loved one gone in a second because of a decision I don’t understand.

That’s why writing Denver’s story was so hard. Deiken, his brother, his twin, took his own life. The depression he faced got the better of him. I’ve been down, but never to the point I felt ending it all was the way out. That said, I have family members and people that I’d never knew had considered it in my circle. I don’t look at them any differently. I try to love them even harder and hold them closer, while letting them know I’m listening. I know that’s not the only thing they need, but it’s what I can do.

Denver was the one left behind. He had to pick up the pieces. Knowing how to move on afterwards can’t be easy. I had to examine how I might feel to be in his shoes and what I might do. It was scary.

The other thing about writing Denver’s story is that this isn’t the end. It’s a pause. Denver doesn’t forget he’s a human and needs love. Enter Jett. The complication Denver faces involves Jett, his brother’s lover. How can they move on and would it be wrong to do so together? I can’t imagine not wanting to pull tighter to the one other person who understood what happened and Denver wants Jett. But is it wrong to be with the boyfriend of your brother? It’s tough. Denver’s fighting feelings he’d had for a while, but never acted on because Jett belonged to Deiken.

It was hard to get into Denver’s head and rationalize his feelings. There really isn’t a rationalization for them. He loves who he loves and he can’t change the past or save his brother.

That’s why Denver was so hard to write.

– Website – http://www.wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
– Twitter – @meganslayer

Begin Again

[Contemporary Gay Romance]

Denver Chalmers thought his world completely collapsed when his twin brother, Deiken, committed suicide. Instead of succumbing to the depression, he took a long breath and kept pushing forward with his life. But he’s not really living. Will a chance meeting at the cemetery be the first step toward his salvation?

Jett Dawson shared Denver’s view of the world. Deiken had been his everything, but their seemingly perfect relationship hid a multitude of problems. Jett won’t forget about his past, but he’s ready to move forward. He’s always had a crush on Denver and although he’s been told its wrong, he wants Denver in his life on a romantic level. Will their common ground and mutual desire lead to disaster or something they both need?

Available in Ebook:

More Authors Dish about their hardest characters to write.

https://coffeethoughts.coffeetimeromance.com/ad2019-feb-hardchar/