Interview: Change of Plans by Addison Albright

Addison Albright is visiting today to talk about her new release, please give her a warm welcome!

Thank you so much, Ally, for having me here on your wonderful blog today! (Hello Addison, thank you so much for visiting!) Hello, Ally’s lovely readers! I’ve got a new release out—my first in over a year—and I appreciate the opportunity to share a little bit about my story.

First of all, I should point out that this story completes a trilogy. I carefully inserted enough background information so that a random reader picking it up would not be completely lost, so the story can stand alone, but it is definitely not written as a standalone.

Since my new novella, Change of Plans, contains a few of my favorite tropes, I’ve written a trio of guest posts for fellow JMS Books writer-friend’s blogs, each highlighting one of those tropes. Today let’s discuss Arranged Marriage.

Hard to say why I love the Arranged Marriage trope in stories when the idea horrifies me in real life. I suppose it’s because, at least in romance stories, it’s pretty much guaranteed to work out. It’s often paired with enemies-to-lovers, which can also be fun, although I’ve yet to dabble in that trope myself.

In the Plans Trilogy, the arranged marriage between naïve young Prince Marcelo of Sheburat and Efren, the crown prince of Zioneven is only enemies-to-lovers in a very superficial way. The two of them were unacquainted before their unexpected and sudden wedding ceremony in book one. Their marriage took place only because The Contingency Plan was activated in a treaty between realms that were former enemies. So they had no personal enmity for each other.

After getting over his initial shock and accepting that his life is about to be turned upside down, Marcelo is reasonable, responsible, and hopeful of a happy future. So the story avoids the oft-seen MC running from his marriage (or even sabotaging or otherwise fighting it), and instead we have our MC working through his doubts and fears in what is ultimately a meet-cute novelette that spawned a trilogy.

Our heroes run into danger on their way to Efren’s homeland in the novella, The Best-Laid Plans, then the Arranged Marriage trope comes into play again in my new novella, Change of Plans, when the princes are dosed with a mind-wiping toxin and Marcelo must once again come to terms with the fact he’s already established in an arranged marriage that he’s forgotten, while at the same time solving the mystery of what’s behind this fresh attack as well as the drama in the earlier stories.

What are some of your favorite Arranged Marriage stories? Why do you enjoy them?

Look for my discussion on the Hurt/Comfort trope on Nell Iris’s blog back on July 17, and look for my upcoming discussion on the Memory Loss trope on Ofelia Grand’s blog on August 13.

Excerpt

(From Chapter 8)

Marcelo, present day

Why, oh why, with all that was going on, was Marcelo finding it so difficult to focus on anything other than Efren’s fingers as he manipulated his utensils? And Efren’s mouth as he opened it to take bites then slowly chew?

Deliberately slowly chew his food, if Marcelo wasn’t mistaken.

Had Marcelo been obvious in his observations? Were Efren’s actions in response to Marcelo’s interest? Or had Efren purposely drawn Marcelo’s attention in the first place?

Or was Marcelo reading too much into Efren’s simple movements?

Marcelo swallowed a bite of his own and told himself the reason he was so distracted was because the royal family had ceased to talk about the drama going on in the castle since it was their policy not to discuss politics at the table, and there was nothing more to do other than baselessly speculate until they gained more intelligence from the people out making inquiries anyway. Attending to the everyday chitchat between Rolland, Merewina, and Tristan as they attempted to maintain a sense of normalcy didn’t take too much concentration.

Sure, that was all it was. Marcelo’s newfound obsession with another man’s hands and eating process had nothing at all to do with memory flashes of Efren’s unshaven skin rasping tantalizingly around Marcelo’s mouth when they’d kissed in the not-dream. Marcelo stilled his hand that had started toward his mouth to rub a phantom tingle and suppressed a self-depreciating snort.

“You are each enamored with the other.” Once again, Erich’s words echoed through Marcelo’s mind, and despite everyone’s assurances that Marcelo had previously conducted himself in some kind of brave, heroic manner, regret churned in his belly that he hadn’t had the courage to open his eyes during that kiss.

Or better, to have tossed caution to the wind and embraced the moment…and Efren.

But to be fair to himself, not being able to ascertain how he’d come to be in a stranger’s arms in an unknown place was what had been so terrifying, rather than the situation itself. Surely thinking one had somehow lost their mind would be spine-chilling to most.

When Merewina’s ill-disguised snicker broke his reverie, Marcelo’s fork slipped from his fingers and landed with a clink that seemed unnaturally loud.

“Really, Efren,” she said, “it’s all I can do not to break all semblance of decorum to toss a sticky bun at you.”

“Do I want to know why?” The deepening lines around Efren’s eyes answered his own question. If Marcelo was reading his husband correctly, he already knew why, yet had no objection to hearing his sister’s explanation.

Marcelo turned his gaze to Merewina.

Her eyes narrowed at her brother. “You are utterly merciless.”

Efren’s eyes widened theatrically. “Me?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You are shameless, teasing poor Marcelo like that.”

Marcelo’s face warmed. Yet a thrill coursed through his veins. He’d been right about Efren’s actions, and just as Erich had said, this handsome and powerful man was also drawn to him.

Efren’s lips quirked into a smile that curled Marcelo’s toes. “Dear sister, I assure you”—he winked at Marcelo—“I’m detecting no displeasure from my lovely young husband.”

Marcelo’s cheeks had to be flaming red, they felt so hot, but he held Efren’s gaze, and his own lips twitched into a sheepish grin.