A. M. Dunnewin

The Inspirations, Ugly Truths, and Things That Make You Go “Huh?” for Under A Melting Sun

E is for EVANS

Happy Easter, everyone! 😀 Although it would be easy to say that E is for Easter, on here it stands for Evans. Luke Evans.  😉 If that name doesn’t ring any bells or you’ve missed most of my #TeaserTuesdays, then let me culture you.

Luke Evans is an actor whose making a name for himself by landing some amazing roles. He was Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit movies, Dracula in Dracula Untold, bad guy Owen Shaw in Fast & Furious 6, the Detective and second lead to John Cusack’s character in The Raven, and is set to star as Gaston in the live action version of Beauty and the Beast. The first time I saw Luke was his itty bitty scene in Clash of the Titans, and you better believe I replayed his 10 second scene repeatedly AND looked for any extended versions on YouTube. The next movie I saw of his was Tamara Drewe, and by then I was smitten. In fact, its the way he played the character in Tamara Drewe that inspired me to write Reese’s part in Under A Melting Sun.

Reese is the main character of the story, and is really the anchor to the chaos that swarms around him. As the summary states, he’s been left behind by Arthur to fend for their research alone, and although Arthur does eventually come back, Reese’s outlook on life in the beginning is pretty snarky. He is literally the guy who has the least amount of fucks to give because he just doesn’t care anymore. His research is shot, he wants to go home, and he’s soon surrounded by an obnoxious competitor, a rather irresponsible colleague, and a girl he’s just met but is oddly attracted to. Although he becomes the mediator between his people and the tribe, in the first part of the story he could give no fucks on what happens as long as he get’s to go home sooner than later. As he states in his journal, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

The thing about Reese is that he’s relatable and honest, in his own way. He tries to stay rational in front of people which gives him a silent brooding appeal, but in his journal you see the raw sarcasm and anger that makes him realistic. Anyone else do this? I’m guilty as charged. I tend to linger in the background, staying quiet and acting like an adult while I think to myself, “Just wait until I write about you later, motherfucker.” You can call it passive aggressive all you want, but I call it responsible. Anyone remember the movie Bambi? Thumper had it right: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.” Sometimes you need to speak out, and sometimes you don’t. A lion doesn’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep. This is all Reese’s mentality, until shit starts hitting the fan and he can’t hold himself back anymore. It’s because of the way Reese grows as a character and can be very expressive without having to say too much that made Luke the perfect muse for him.

Why it may deter you: If  you’re somehow not a fan of Luke Evans, then picturing Reese as someone different may be a little difficult. As a “hats off” to Luke, I made Reese a Welsh anthropologist in order to capture more of Luke’s charm, so good luck getting over the accent that’s noted in the book. To some, it may not be so charming. Also, if you aren’t a fan of snarkiness, then you may want to take the first half of the story with a grain of salt. Although he has good reasons to be, not everyone likes that approach in a character. He isn’t overly obnoxious in his rants (and to be honest it makes him so much more entertaining), but that doesn’t mean everyone is going to love him for it.

Why it may not deter you:  Because he’s the main character, Reese has to be entertaining and believable, which is something all us readers like to gravitate to. What’s the point of reading if it doesn’t makes us feel like we’re part of the story? Given the situations, this character is going to be pissy and a little upset. However, not all men act their feelings (as well all know), which is why Reese doesn’t reveal too much in front of the other characters. He is still human so he has to vent somewhere, and the best place for him is in his journal. As for Luke being the muse, if you’re a Luketeer needing a read, you’ll want to give this book a try. 😉