Dear Jeannie

This is about the heroine Layla Sheppard who fell in love with my hero, Jaxon Morrison. Layla was an only child who struggled with her weight for most of her life. Her mother was a domineering woman who told her how to dress, how to speak, whom to date and so on. Her mother was the one who demanded she become a plus-size model, because ‘at least she has a pretty face,’ in spite of the fact that Layla dreamed of opening her own soap making business. She became quite successful as a model, but her make-up and fancy clothes were masks to hide how insecure she was about her looks and weight. Much to Layla and her mother’s surprise, she was able to garner the interest of a rich, good looking (but very superficial) man. Despite her doubts and under the strong urging of her mother, she accepted his marriage proposal.

When the story started, Layla and Jaxon met at the airport on their way to NY (she was on her way to meet her fiancé and his family). She had a strong physical reaction to him (the story opened in her pov).

She had no idea what was wrong with her, and was very frightened to find out the causes of her symptoms. Eventually she went to the medical center and her physician diagnosed her with alopecia. Her fiancé went MIA as a result.

Here are some issues I'm trying to sort out in my mind:

1.When her fiancé’s went MIA, will she be reluctant or willing to go on a date with Jaxon (she will go, but I’m wondering what happened before she got there)?

2.Will she hide the fact she’s losing her hair, even though by that time she knew what Jaxon did for a living and could probably advise her about which wigs are suitable for her?

3.Will she consider taking back her fiancé if he came crawling back to her? Or will she brush him off?

4.How will she react to her mother when her mother tells her to go back to her fiancé? Will she at least consider going back to him? Or will she refuse outright (in other words, no second chance for him)?

5.Would she want to try to re-define people’s perception of beauty and challenge the model agency to accept that bald is beautiful too, or will she prefer to pursue her goals and start the business she dreamed of, or will she do both?

I await your advice.

Sincerely

Writer in the Tropics

Dear Jeannie

I briefly spoke to you about Jaxon’s brother Blake Morrison a few weeks’ ago, (your response helped me tremendously). Jaxon was the product of his English mother and his married American father.

The Backstory – Jaxon’s parents met and had a fling when his American father, Bill, went to England to conduct some business. Unbeknownst to Jaxon’s mother, Bill was married. At eighteen, Jaxon learned he not only had six siblings, but also one of them was just six months older than he was. This meant both his mother and Blake’s mother were pregnant around the same time. When Jaxon was nineteen his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and she passed on about a year later. This was the catalyst for him to launch a career in wig designing and owning his own company, Hair For You.

Jaxon makes a brief appearance in Book 1 of the series which is scheduled for release in late October. In that story, he decided to make the trek to NY to his brother’s (Caleb) wedding. It’s the first time all the siblings meet.

There are a few issues I’m grappling with:

1. Jaxon’s relationship with his siblings, particularly Blake – Blake had been somewhat hostile to him, but as a result of a car accident which nearly ended his life, he became more introspective and came to the conclusion that he’d treated Jaxon unfairly. Will Jaxon still have residual resentment towards Blake?

2.Jaxon’s relationship with his father Bill – How will they interact with each other? Will there be any hopes of reconciliation or a father-son bond for the first time? After all, it’s the first time Jaxon and Bill are on the same soil.

3. His previous relationships with women- I'm wondering what kind of women Jaxon would be drawn to when it comes to romantic involvement. Will he shy away from investing his heart to a woman? Will he be contented with a physical/superficial kind of relationship only? What will he fear the most? Losing a woman he loves? Feeling he's not capable of loving someone? Feeling unlovable?

4.His relationship with the heroine Layla – When Jaxon met Layla, he thought she wore a wig for aesthetic purposes (and he doesn’t have a problem with that). Then one day he noticed her hairline (Layla’s hair started dropping off in clumps from the middle of her head, and later to other parts including her hairline). Should Jaxon question her about it? Will he fear she’s possibly undergoing chemo and radiotherapy and relive his experiences with his mother? How will he treat/interact/deal with Layla when she tells him she has alopecia?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely

Writer in the Tropics

Dear Jeanine

Thank you for clarifying how Blake would deal with the heroine i.e. "cling to the woman in his life to help him get through these difficult events."

Blake's mother only found out about his father's infidelity when he was 18. So she had to deal with being diagnosed with cancer, her husband's indiscretion and the fact that he had another son. She lost her battle with cancer about a year later.

But what if his mother was diagnosed with cancer and he learned that he had a half brother, Jaxon, who was just 6 months younger than him around the same time? And what if it was around the same time when he and the heroine Sloane (who were best friends, both secretly harboring romantic/loving feelings for each other) were in separate states furthering their education?

Now (14 years later) Blake is back in town with one goal in mind (to woo Sloane, and win her)? Would he still cling to Sloane when Jaxon comes to the US and they meet each other for the first time? Even though Blake (and Jaxon) are now 32, Blake only knew about Jaxon's existence 14 years ago.

I'm looking forward to your feedback.

Sincerely

Author in the Tropics

Almost a Twin

Dear Jeannie

My character is Blake. Now for the first 18 years of his life he knew he was the last of 6 kids. However, two things profoundly affected him in his 18th year: his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and he learned that his father had another son who was born of a different woman. What makes it worse is that Blake is just 6 months older than this brother Jaxon, who was born and raised in England.

Blake's mother eventually succumbed to the disease a year later, and his relationship with his father deteriorated, to the point that they barely spoke to each other. One point of contention between Blake and his father was that Blake believed his mother lost the battle with cancer so quickly because of her husband's betrayal.

How would these issues affect the way Blake deals with the woman he's in love with, and what would his feelings be for the half brother, Jaxon, whom he never really knew. How do you think Blake would react when he meets Jaxon for the first time?

Sincerely

Author in the tropics