Today on the blog we’re joined by Melanie Hamrick, debut author of First Position, which is published by Mills & Boon on 22 June 2023! First Position follows Sylvie, a ballerina at the American National Ballet who will do whatever it takes to get to the top of her profession. But then she meets Alessandro, and a passionate and all-consuming relationship soon sparks Sylvie’s sexual awakening, and has her questioning what she will do to satiate her desire…
We were delighted to sit down with Melanie Hamrick to talk all things First Position and hear how Melanie’s career as a ballerina inspired the book! Read on to find out more.
Don’t forget to pre-order First Position, out 22 June, and enter our competition to win one of five Fenty lip bundles worth over £50!
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Hi Melanie, thanks so much for joining us on the Mills & Boon blog! We’re so excited about your forthcoming book, First Position. First Position features a fictional ballet company, and shows the dark side of the world of ballet as well as the ambition and discipline required to succeed. As a ballerina, how did you find writing about this world?
I really enjoyed writing about this world! I know it so well and was excited to bring the reader in! What I enjoyed most was that it’s fiction, and I loved the process of mixing fantasy with real life. I love the combination of drawing on my experience and then using my imagination. I also felt it was important to get across a real granular sense of detail about how it feels to be a professional dancer – repeating a movement again and again to get it perfect, the smell of bodies; the rawness, the pain, the elation and the exhaustion and the omnipresent hierarchy because every dancer is aware of his or her position in a dance company. It is a truly unique and fascinating world and often it is when you have distance – as you do as a writer – you see it so much more clearly.
Regarding the ‘dark side’, you have to remember that being a dancer is not a job, it’s a passion. Ballet is about passion and with that passion comes moments of incredible beauty and wonder but also – as with any passion – pain, frustration and darkness. As a writer that was what I really wanted to explore. It gave me the perfect opportunity to use my imagination and weave what I hope is an intriguing plot within which to set characters who themselves have both darkness, light and passion within them.
Did you draw inspiration from your own time as a professional dancer?
One hundred percent! I was a professional ballerina for sixteen year’s so the book is definitely influenced by that time from my own experience to my friends and just being a witness to the world itself. Every child in school is always advised to write what they know – there is nothing I know more about than the world of the dancer.
First Position is also a very sexy book! What was your favourite thing about writing the intimacy between the characters? Was there anything about writing the sex scenes that you struggled with, or found difficult?
Sex scenes are, in a way, like a pas de deux in ballet. Some pas de deuxs, which is a dance for two people, are more intense than others. You’re touching your partner physically and sometimes intimately and responding to their touch back. As dancers we are so in tune with our bodies and movements. I really enjoyed writing the intimate scenes they felt like I was choreographing pas de deuxs between dancers. At least that was my approach! Often writers say they struggle with sex scenes but I think – because of that sense of choreography – I actually found them quite easy to write. Obviously it was a little embarrassing to know that my mother would be reading them but she’s very supportive! I think the sex scenes are the ones that my friends comment on the most!
First Position is your debut novel – how have you found your publishing experience so far? Any highlights?
It’s been so exciting! And a bit surreal! It’s also been very emotional for me because I worked really hard on the book and it is my first venture as a writer. So to have so much positive support and feedback from the publishers is out of this world – however to say I’m not a little nervous would be a lie. Definitely a highlight is whenever I hear that someone has enjoyed reading the book!
If First Position were a movie, who would play the lead roles of Sylvie and Alessandro?
Great question! And a difficult one! I do have a vague idea, but I prefer not to say as I don’t want to influence any images for readers. If I say before someone reads the book it could really affect their experience instead of using their imagination of how they think the character looks. I hope that makes sense!
What advice would you give to first-time authors?
I would say firstly trust your instincts! And secondly just get writing. It’s easy to want to make every line perfect but try not to get stuck on that and if you’re stuck on one section, I think it’s ok to jump to another section. And then go back to that part at another time with a fresh outlook.
Can you tell us what your daily writing routine looks like?
I like to go back and read a bit of what I worked on the day before to get my head in the game. Sometimes I edit a bit of that and then I feel ready to get started writing. Personally, how much I write and at what time of the day depends on my creative mood and schedule. I usually feel good and focused after lunch or late in the evening pre or post dinner. Because of my years working at the ballet with shows at night it’s a bit ingrained in me to work later in the day.
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything new?
I am! Book two is in the works and I’m hoping to call it Second Position!
