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And They Lived Happily Ever After
How many times have you read a fairy tale or child’s story that ended with those words? I’m guessing it’s a lot because my parents read them to me, and I read them to my children. In an adult book, the author may not use those exact words, but the meaning is exactly the same. All the issues are solved, and everyone is happy.
I recently read a book I enjoyed very much. I told everyone how good it was, but then I came to the end. It ended BADLY. If it hadn’t been on my Nook I would have thrown it away. I guess I could have deleted it, but I don’t know how. I promised I’d never read another word that author wrote. Then, I found out there was a sequel so I was happy. That author was going to get another chance to redeem herself.
So why do people long for a happy ending? Why do they get so upset if books don’t end with happily ever after?
I think that first of all, most folks are fighting some kind of battle in their lives. Maybe they’re in a relationship that went bad, and they’ve lost the one they love. Whether it was by divorce, death, or just walking away, it tears a huge hole in someone’s heart. Maybe the problem is health-related. Someone has to accept that there are now limitations placed on them. Have you ever dealt with unemployment? How do you feed your children with no paycheck? A happy ending gives us hope that tomorrow things will be better. We can believe that ‘this too shall pass.’
Remember what happened at the end of Gone With the Wind? Scarlett lost Rhett and collapsed in tears, but then she decided to go home to Tara where she can think of a way to get Rhett back. Human beings are designed to hope.
I also think that happy endings possibly satisfy our craving for justice. In the real world, things don’t always end happily. Children are abused, the missing teen is never found, or our possessions are stolen. It satisfies our hearts for bad guys to get what’s coming to them.
Do my books end with a happily ever after? You bet they do. I put my heroes and heroines through a lot, but you can rest easy in the knowledge that things will be okay in the end. Readers, what about you? Do you insist on a happily ever after? Why do you think people want happy endings? Leave a comment and tell me what you think.
Summary:
iesel Wolf has a secret, a dangerous secret she’ll go to any lengths to conceal. When she’s paired in a charity game with sexy marshal Andy Bryce, a man with secrets of his own, her carefully constructed world comes crashing down, and Liesel’s on a collision course with her past.
Excerpt:
The minute the blue Mustang came to a halt, the valet hurried to open the car door for the newcomer. A pair of long, shapely legs unfolded from the car. Andy’s mouth went dry as his eyes traveled from her legs to her face. He had discovered a goddess. An overworked cliché perhaps, but he knew of no other words to describe her.
The goddess had Titian hair which begged him to run his fingers through it, freeing those glorious curls. Even from where he stood, her eyes glowed with an emerald fire. Her skin looked as if it would put satin to shame. As he stared at her mouth, a bolt of fire stabbed him right below his belt. He could only imagine how it might feel to kiss and taste those lush, red lips.
She sashayed up to the porch and held out her hand to Melton. “Good evening, Thomas.”
Melton was having a hard time getting his voice under control, but he finally stuttered, “Welcome, L… Li… Liesel. It’s great to finally meet you in person. This is your partner, Andy Bryce. Andy’s a United States Marshal.”
The light left her face. She shot Andy a look of what he swore was dislike, even though they’d never met. “Oh, but I thought you said the mayor was my partner.”
Melton nodded. “He was. But something came up, and his brother’s filling in for him.”
She didn’t want to be his partner. Andy knew it as surely as he knew his own name. He wondered if she had heard about… Yeah, she could have. The story made most of the big papers. The Marshals had trained him to read people, so he knew Ms. Wolf didn’t like him.
Author Bio:
Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina. She holds a Master’s Degree in Personnel Services from Clemson University and is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary sorority for women educators. She is also a member of Romance Writer’s of America and EPIC authors. Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love Contest and was published in 2004 by Oak Tree Books. At present she teaches high school social studies.
LINKS:
website: http://www.elainecantrell.com
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Buy links: http://www.http://www.astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662245&mode=product&product=11343720
http://www.amazon.com/Never-Trust-Pretty-Wolf-ebook/dp/B0088346GK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339027299&sr=1-1
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