By Mark Ambrogi
Mike Hansen first started about writing his book’s main character, Don Lemon, a man going through a mid-life crisis, several years ago.
But the 35-year-old Carmel resident then discovered he was too young at the time to appreciate what his character was going through.
“I sat down and quickly wrote the first three or four chapters and then walked away from it,” Hansen said. “I don’t think I was ready for the subject matter I was writing about. At the time I was 27 and hadn’t had any children yet and only been married a few years. In 2013, I found the document sitting in my computer and I’ll take a look at it. By then I had two children, been married a few more years so I think I was more ready to explore the process of life.”
The debut novel, “When Life Hands You A Lemon” was published in the fall of 2015 by French Press Bookworks. Hansen will do a book signing from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 1 at Barnes & Noble, 17090 Mercantile Blvd., Stony Creek Marketplace, Noblesville.
“He’s stuck in a dead-end job and he’s kind of bored with himself,” Hansen said. “He’s abducted and forced to face his life and his choices.”
Hansen has lived in Carmel for six years but is originally from a suburb of Chicago. He graduated from Purdue in 2003 with a double major of creative writing and film studies.
Hansen uses his wife, Laura, as a sounding board for his writing.
“She reads three books a week,” he said. “She’s a crazy reader.”
Other friends and his mother, Pat, a Carmel resident, supply support as well.
“There is a sense of relief when you sign the (first book) contract, knowing someone else believes in your work and knowing there is a potential audience for what you want to say,” Hansen said. “It does give you confidence to keep going.”
His website is fattyhansen.com, named after a character in the book. The book is available on his site as well as amazon.com.
