Today we have first timer Karina Cooper on the blog. She is wrapping up her Dark Mission series and is here today to talk to us about loose ends. Take it away Karina!
Loose Ends That Matter
With One for the Wicked wrapping up the Dark Mission narrative, I’ve been asked a lot about how I feel ending the series. Some have wondered if I’d ended of my own free will, or if Avon requested the end. To the latter, I want to say that I had a very deliberate “end” in mind when I started the series—no more than 6 books max, but likely 5. Don’t worry, nothing got cut!
Ending a series is always a bittersweet moment, but I’m not here to talk about that. I’ve covered that six ways over and then some! Instead, I’ll talk about the things I didn’t resolve.
Of course, I can’t talk about that without talking about the things I did. Because it’s a romance, and because I believe in my couples, I can assure you that I bring resolution to every couple we’ve met along the way. Silas and Jessie (working through over- protective urges), Naomi and Phin (my most worrisome couple!), Caleb and Juliet (oddly enough, my most secure), Simon and Parker (he’s in a bad way at the end of Sacrifice the Wicked, I know) and, yes, even Jonas and Danny (who, if you recall, weren’t completely committed as they worked through Jonas’ hangups).
We’ll see how it all resolves, but I don’t leave those kinds of threads hanging. When I spend so much time involved with people, nothing frustrates me more than a lack of closure—one way or another. Instead, I like to leave a certain ambiguous future. The loose threads I enjoy most are the ones that lead off to a feeling—like hope or optimism, or terrible dread—but who don’t outline what happens after the curtain falls. If the bad guy is brought down, what happens after? Are you the sort to imagine a happily ever after, or do you look at all the obstacles left behind? Do you believe in redemption, or in consequences?
I do this because while I believe that couples should get together in a romance, I love leaving a certain amount of “lack of control” in their lives. Sure, they may commit to one another, but can they handle what comes next? That kind of intrigue fascinates me, and I’ll totally admit to leaving a little bit of that behind when I finished One for the Wicked.
What’s your favorite ending? Do you like it all wrapped up neatly, with every detail laid out for you, or do you like to make up some of the details yourself? Are you the type to dwell on an ending, or is it over once you close the book?
I do like that you wrapped up each couples endings nicely, can’t have a budding romance left hanging! That said, I do like when an ending leaves a little open to the imagination. You want to believe there is more, that their lives wont stop even though the last book has been written.