Interview with Michael Hanson by Chris Bartholomew

I've known Michael for over four years, back in the day when "Sha'Daa: Tales of the Apocalypse" was coming into it's own with many other writers that I knew. I began reading his poetry at an ezine entitled Ragged Edge, and another online magazine, Writer's Nook and Reader's Corner, and became an avid reader of his work.  Lately his decesion to take some of his poetry and publish it in a beautiful book called Autumn Blush came to my attention, and I knew there would be interest in such wonderful work, so here is the interview:

Q. What has been your inspiration for writing poetry?


In a word, life.

I found myself at a crossroads when entering middle age. Within the span of a year my 12-year marriage came to an end, my mother passed away suddenly (less than a week after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer), and for the first time in my life I found myself living alone [sans family and/or roommate(s)].

To say this was a shock to my system is an understatement. I suppose turning to a psychologist for weekly visits may have been a more  traditional direction to take in such a case, but I found myself  turning to poetry instead. And it has been a blessing. Writing poetry has become a wonderful catharsis for me, allowing me to deal with painful issues and moments, some recent, and some dating back to my childhood, and I like to think that I am better for it.


Q. Why a poetry book for women, since you are a man?


Ultimately it is a poetry book for people who love poetry, especially rhyming poetry, as only one of the 60 poems therein is written in free verse.

Many of the poems, admittedly, deal with love, lost love, unrequited infatuation, and passionate yearning, but I think you might be surprised at the number of guys who can relate to such feelings, even though societal convention has trained many of us to believe it is unmanly for a dude to admit to having a gentle nature and a sensitive soul...

Still, this is an insightful question, as I honestly have to admit that the cover and interior layout were most definitely designed to appeal to women. This came about from creating
a marketing plan, which ultimately led us to focusing in on a specific demographic. To make a long story short, I came to realize that I was receiving much more positive feedback from women than men for my poetry, and so we decided to package the book as something to appeal to said target demo. Women.


Q. What other genres do you write?


I spent most of the 1990's writing/co-writing screenplays and teleplays.

Over the past eight years I have had a strong interest in short fiction, especially fantasy, horror, and science fiction, and have had about 60 short stories published in various online and print publications.

Very recently I created a shared-world action/horror anthology titled "Sha'Daa: Tales of the Apocalypse" (containing the work of myself and 14 other writers) which has just been picked up by Cyberwizard Productions for future publication.


Q. What is your favorite genre to read?


Most of my life I preferred reading sci-fi and fantasy stories, but in recent years have found myself enjoying the reading of published poetry.


Q. Autumn Blush is a beautiful book, who created the cover?


Credit for that rests solely on the shoulders of my sister, Helen H. Harrison. She is a self-employed graphic artist who works under the name of YaYe Design. Autumn Blush is published via YaYe Books (an imprint of YaYe Design).

The lovely image of the young woman standing beside a tree, however, is a digital photograph of an original oil painting created by renown Maryland Portrait Artist (and close personal friend of mine) Cedric Baldwin Egeli.

And, for a little juicy inside info, the model in that painting is a talented artist named Sarah Wardell, who is admittedly the same "Sarah" who appears in some of the poems in Autumn Blush.


Q. One can see from your website that there is one with the pink cover
and then a red one, why the difference, are there two books?


Autumn Blush is a hardcover with a dust jacket. The pink cover with title and byline is the dust jacket. The dark red cover with the gold foil title is the actual book itself (in faux leather). So, basically, they're the same book.


Q. Where can your poetry book Autumn Blush be bought?


Though there are some technical problems that have held up current online sales, the book will soon be available for purchase at Amazon.com and SteelMoonPublishing.us

In the meantime, interested poetry lovers can purchase copies directly from me by e-mailing me at shadaa1@mac.com

Tell me how many books you want and what your snail-mail address is, and I will give you a street address to mail either a certified check or money order to. Once I have received the payment I will send out an "autographed" copy of Autumn Blush via First Class U.S. Mail.
Purchase, shipping, and handling total out at $20.00 even.