Happily Ever After

Dear Maggie,

Why do all the couples in your stories have a happily-ever-after ending? It doesn’t happen like that in the real world.

Sincerely,

Skeptical in Seattle

Dear Skeptical,

Any of us who’ve been through a bad breakup know things don’t always end well for real life lovers. But one of the nice things about writing romance is that we can give our starring couple a happily-ever-after. In fact, readers expect it. Some fiction genres have hard and fast rules, and in romance writing, this is one of them.

Of course, we don’t have to make things easy for them. Putting the romantic leads through the ringer, so to speak, is part of the fun. Throwing up roadblocks along the way creates dramatic tension and keeps readers turning the page. When you add an element of suspense, like I have for the TSI series, the danger and intrigue forms much of the backdrop, ratchets up the tension, and helps drive the plot.

For any romance novel, the main characters have to earn their happily-ever-after, but they definitely get to have one. In my opinion, it’s one of the best parts of the story!

In other news…

This is the last day to buy Lost and Found, book 3 in the Tactical Solutions International series, for only $0.99! It’s the third book, but can absolutely be read as a stand alone.

This is also the last week to enter the Goodreads Giveaway and win a copy of Sing for Me. Meet Jake and Fiona and see where it all began for the TSI team.

We’re pretty sad around here right now. We had to say goodbye to our beloved black lab, Gabby, on Friday. We thought we had more time with her, but it wasn’t to be. I will be writing a tribute to her in my Monday Musings next week. If you’d like to follow me there and learn more about my work as Tabitha, you can check it out and sign up here: www.tabithalordauthor.com.

Do you have a question for me? Send it to maggie@msmaggieclare.com, and I’ll answer it here on the blog!