Got an email from a reader who said my book GILDED TIME left her in tears. She re-read the ending three times and it brought tears to her eyes. The book does not have a sad ending but I knew what she meant. Damn, I did my job. I'd purposefully left the storyline with an open ending. I stopped following the characters, let them walk off the scene, let the reader walk off wondering what would happen next.
A lot of writers do this. The hard part is to create characters the reader doesn't want to leave.
She asked if there would be a sequel and I wrote back I didn't think so. Everything I wanted to say was in the book. I told her to let her mind take the characters wherever she wanted them to go.
Took a moment to look back at some of my other books and realized how many of them ended similarly, like BATTLE KISS, USS RELENTLESS and especially DEATH ANGELS.
Series novels come with an automatic more to come. Unless the writer gets tired of following the main character around and writing his/her adventures. Haven't reached that point with any of my series characters. Yet.
It's all a process. SleuthSayers blogs have lots of advice, lots of suggestions on how to write. Some excellent information. Y'all who are new to following us, go back and read some of them.
For now, well, have a Happy New Year.
GILDED TIME a novel of the Gilded Age by O'Neil De Noux. Here is a sneak preview of the audiobook narrated by Gabriel Jose Perez. The narration is dynamite. The novel is already available as a trade paperback and eBook at amazon dot com.
LINK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz-q8Biz1k4That's all for now,
www.oneildenoux.com
A Happy New Year to you and yours, and may all your resolutions come true.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, O'Neil!
ReplyDeleteWhat a compliment, O'Neil, that your story moved a reader to that extent. Well done.
ReplyDeleteAnd happy New Year!