Jenna Jaxon talks about Two Heroes, One Book from her newest release - Time Enough to Love #newrelease

Two Heroes, One Book

When I was writing my very first romance novel, I started in an organized manner with a detailed story outline.  I still have that outline saved and it is amazing how different it is from the book that was finally written.  And those changes are all due to one character who decided he wanted to be a hero.
My story was about a knight, Sir Geoffrey Longford, who was betrothed to Lady Alyse de Courcy, whom he had never met. They are both courtiers in the service of Princess Joanna of England. Geoffrey falls in love with Alyse and therefore vows he will win her heart before they are married. Pretty straightforward. 
Then my muse whispers, “You need more conflict.” So I create a best friend for Geoffrey, Thomas Knowlton, Lord Braeton, with whom the 17 year old heroine is infatuated.  Nice addition to the conflict. And Thomas is a fun, secondary character who will be part of the courtiers of the court, but not much more. He will only be in the first third of the book.
Then, just after what I call in my head, Book One, ends and Geoffrey is called home, I realize I need someone to bring Alyse a message from Geoffrey.  The next thing I know, Thomas is waving his hand and saying, “I’ll do it.” And in that moment, the entire rest of the outline was thrown out. Because I suddenly re-envisioned the whole novel as a love triangle brought about by the treachery and ambition of Geoffrey’s father. That became Book Two.
But now I had a big conflict of my own, because I had two heroes, Geoffrey and Thomas.  And Book Three is the story of who gets the girl and why and how.  It was incredibly hard to write.  I had two very different but very likeable heroes who both love the heroine and whom the heroine loves.  If that sounds familiar, it’s a common trope in romance.  The most popular one in recent memory has to be The Twilight Saga.
So I now have Team Geoffrey and Team Thomas.  And who the hell gets the girl? 
Geoffrey is the big, brooding, bruiser of a knight, whose major character flaw is jealousy over Alyse’s attitude toward Thomas.  Thomas is suave, the playboy of the medieval world type, much more the wit, whose jealousy surfaces, but who manages to control it.  His major flaw is his jaded attitude toward everyone and everything.
This all made the book harder to write because while there is an HEA as there must be, it is not a ménage a trois.  So someone has to lose the girl.  Jacob did not get Bella.  And in Beleaguered, someone will get the girl and someone will not.  Who will it be?  Only time, and the book, will tell.


Time Enough to Love
When Lady Alyse de Courcy is betrothed to Sir Geoffrey Longford, she has no choice but to make the best of a bad bargain. The hulking knight is far from her ideal man, and although he does possess some wit and charm, he is no match for the sinfully sensual man she secretly admires, Thomas, Earl of Braeton, her betrothed’s best friend.  From the first, Sir Geoffrey finds himself smitten by Lady Alyse, and, despite her infatuation with his friend, vows to win her love. When Geoffrey puts his mind to wooing Alyse, he is delighted to find her succumbing to his seduction. But when cruel circumstances separate them, Geoffrey must watch helplessly as Thomas steps in to protect Alyse—and falls in love with her himself.As the three courtiers accompany Princess Joanna to her wedding in Spain, they run headlong into the Black Plague. With her world plunged into chaos, Alyse struggles with her feelings for both the men she loves. But which love will survive?
 
TIME ENOUGH TO LOVE EXCERPTGeoffrey hurried on with a suggestion. “’Twould be the work of a few moments for me to teach it you, my lady.” It would have to serve. She shot a look over her shoulder at her husband, who nodded and laughed with the princess though his eyes were trained on her. Best get on with it then. The sooner ’twas done, the better. “Your skill at dancing is such that you would certainly learn the steps with but slight instruction from me.” Geoffrey leaned so close his voice, against her ear made her jump and recall herself. She stepped back and looked at him.His practiced courtier’s smile flickered at her, and she caught something deeper shining in his eyes that she fought not to see. Her heart stuttered a beat.Her body flushed with the anticipation of dancing with him again even as misgivings swirled in her mind. No good would come of this dance, but Thomas watched closely to see that she acted cordially to Geoffrey. Would that it was an act. With a sense of heavy foreboding, she extended her hand to him. “Very well, Sir Geoffrey. What must I do first?”He placed her hand atop his arm and led her to their place in the circle of dancers then grasped her hand to pull her around to face him. The moment his hand touched her skin, a streak of fire shot through her. Her mouth went dry, and her gaze flew to his face. Surely he felt that as well? He stared back, his eyes mirroring all too clearly the blaze that coursed up her arm. Damn Geoffrey Longford.In a daze, she looked around at the other dancers, expecting them to stare accusingly at her. As if they could see this sinful feeling that tore at her soul. At a loss for how to act, she raised her gaze to beseech Geoffrey. “What do we do now?” ’Twas an apt question for, God forgive her, at the touch of Geoffrey’s hand, all thought of her husband had fled. She was back on the deck of the Phillipa, facing him once more. Loving him once more.Geoffrey cleared his throat, his face flushed, and said simply, “Follow me.” Then they were twirling around the circle, hands clasped, arms touching intimately, He seemed to brand her wherever he touched. The figure reversed, and her other side was scorched as if a red-hot blade seared her. Her gaze locked onto Geoffrey’s, and the music, the dancers, the Great Hall and all its inhabitants melted away until all that was left was the whisper of his breath in her ear and the heat of his body pressed close against her. He leaned in closer to whisper, “I must lift you now.” Before she could grasp that staggering news, his arm went around her waist and he lifted her, twirling them around full circle. She panted, blood pounding in her temples, roaring in her ears. They continued to dance, but she moved as though she were a doll made of rags, her legs barely able to stand. Her world narrowed to the single source of light and life that was the man who held her in his arms again. The man whose love she could no longer deny. Despite the agony of the betrayal, in the core of her being she knew neither the vows she had spoken to Thomas nor the passion they had enjoyed in his bed would ever match the intensity of love and belonging she shared with Geoffrey. As soon compare a candle’s flame to the sun.


Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ACF9L98?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
ARe:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-timeenoughtolove-1964202-161.html
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Jenna Jaxon is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance.  She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager.  A romantic herself, she has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise.  She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories. She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets.  When not reading or writing, she indulges her passion for the theatre, working with local theatres as a director.  She often feels she is directing her characters on their own private stage. Jenna is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America as well as President of Chesapeake Romance Writers, her local chapter of RWA. She has equated her writing to an addiction to chocolate because once she starts she just can’t stop.
Find Jenna Jaxon online:BLOG:  https://jennajaxon.wordpress.com/TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Jenna_JaxonFACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Jaxon/146857578723570


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