The End

Dear Maggie,

Do all your books have a happily-ever-after ending for the main characters?

Sincerely,

Sappy in Sarasota

Dear Sappy,

One of the rules of romance writing is the happily-ever-after ending. Readers are willing to go along for the ride, suffer misunderstandings, endure loss, hurt, and drama as long as they know the happy ending they crave will be the pay-off. It a quality I really love about the romance genre.

As a writer of romantic suspense, I tend to put my characters through the ringer before they get to ride off into the sunset. Each one of my books features some dark elements. In Moving Target, the main male character, Teagan Tate, witnesses a cartel hit and is gravely injured in the opening scene. Talk about dark! His female counterpart, Maria Ruiz, has witnessed her fair share of violence in her life as a former Marine. And both characters have traumatic elements from their past that impact their present.

When I add traumatic elements to my stories, I try to do it with great care. While I give all my couples their well-deserved happily-ever-after, I also try to show that their trauma has far-reaching consequences. Love helps heal, certainly, but it doesn’t erase everything. If I’m trying to write my characters authentically, this is something I have to consider.

In my stories, I’m doling out fantasy for sure, but if I don’t find the right balance between fantasy and authenticity, readers will be left wanting. I pay special attention to this balance when writing the ending of a story. I want to write a happy, yet satisfying ending. I hope readers will find that to be the case with each of the Tactical Solutions International books.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I’ll be at The Big E on Friday, September 30th signing books from both the TSI and the HORIZON series. Find me in the Rhode Island building in our ‘book nook’ all day long!