I sent off the last five chapters of my second book a few days ago to go through their first edit. I labored a while over the end of the book hoping to get it just right. I think the ending of a book is more difficult than the beginning, or the middle. The end of the story is like the Amen at the close of a prayer. A good ending will resonate long after the story is finished. It can leave the reader with a lasting impression even if all the threads aren’t neatly tied.
Personally, I am most satisfied, I must confess, when it’s a happy ending even if everything is not perfect. It lets me imagine it that way. I also like being able to fill in the blanks and consider the possibility of another story with the same characters I’ve come to love.
Carl Sagan said, “Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.” At best I guess, I want to create a little magic that entertains you and to which you breathe a smile at its end.