“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” ~Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert was a science fiction writer best known for his books, Dune and its five sequels. So he did keep going with those stories for a good long while. Here’s another quote along the same line.
“A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” ~Graham Greene
A writer or a reader can get to those final words in a story and take a moment to look back at the characters and events or look ahead and think about what might happen next to the people in the story. I believe many of my readers do that because I often get messages or comments about how the reader would like for me to write another story about my same characters to let them know what was going to happen next. But even when I have written additional books about the same characters (Heart of Hollyhill books; Rosey Corner books; Hidden Springs Mysteries), I’ve intended to end each story in a good place where you the reader can be glad you chose to follow my story trail to an end before you close my book.
So, as I thought about finally finding the end of my work in progress, I started thinking about those last lines. People sometimes share first lines of books, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anybody share last lines. So this could be a first! I’ve picked out some of the best last lines in my books. They don’t really give away the story except to show I do like a happy ending. Some of you might remember the stories when you read the last lines. If so, I hope that makes you smile. Others of you may not have read the books yet and I hope these last lines might make you want to pick the book up and start at the beginning with that first line.
Victor wouldn’t have been a bit surprised to see angels dancing right along beside her as they walked down the road toward home. ~Angel Sister
It was so good to come home to love. ~Love Comes Home
Love was the only anchor they needed. ~Murder Is No Accident
The lights flashed brighter than ever and sirens rang in his ears. This time it definitely had to be the kiss. ~Murder Comes by Mail
One step at a time. One day at a time. As long as she prayed believing. ~River to Redemption
They were going to make good music together. ~These Healing Hills
It was as it was meant to be. All cannot be Shakers. ~Last line of Sister Sophrena’s journal entry in The Gifted
Pray anyway. And so she did. With a glad and thankful heart. ~Carlyn in The Innocent
Such are the blessings of being a beloved child of God. ~The Refuge
All those last lines are set in print so no changing any of those. However, the last sentence in my work in progress, An Appalachian Summer, may very well be changed a dozen times. In fact, I just rewrote it when I went over to copy it for this post, and I’m already thinking a little more editing might help. 🙂
Adventure awaited as they began living their own happily ever after story. ~An Appalachian Summer
GIVEAWAY TIME!!
To celebrate finding those elusive words “the end,” I’m giving away a book, maybe two. We’ll make this contest quick and have the deadline Saturday, June 15, 2019 at midnight EST. I’ll pick a winner by random number and announce the winner next Sunday, June 16th. Winner can have her or his choice of one of my books along with a grab bag book by a different author. To enter you must be at least 18 years old and all you have to do to throw your name in my givewaway hat is leave a comment on this post or on whatever I post on Wednesday. If you comment on both posts, you’ll get two entries. Easy enough.
To enter this time you can tell me which ending sentence here you like best and that might make you want to read the story that comes before that last sentence.
Comments 58
It was fun to read the last sentences. I’ve read some of those books, but not all yet.
Author
I hope you’ll give some more of them a try, Margaret, when you get a chance. Glad you enjoyed reading the last lines. I had fun picking out the ones I thought were best and that didn’t give away anything about the story except that it ended well. I like my books to end well – both those I write and those I read.
I like the sentence it was so good to come home to love. It might be because I am anxious to read that book.
Author
Have you read the first two Rosey Corner books, Heather? Angel Sister and Small Town Girl? I really enjoy writing about my Merritt family and friends in Rosey Corner. My main character in Christmas at Harmony Hill was named Heather. Such a beautiful name that whispers off your tongue.
I like the ending of The Refuge best.
Author
It is a line that can warm your heart, Ola. And it is good to be a beloved child of God.
I love the the ending sentence in your latest book! And the title has me wanting to read it! Can’t wait to read it and see if you leave it just the way it is.
Author
It will be a while before that last sentence is out there for readers’ eyes. About a year. But glad you liked the one I’m giving a try right now. I appreciate you wanting to read the story, Joy.
I liked the the words to River To Redemption with These Healing Hills a close second. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of your books that I have read, but have some catching up to do since I just found you about one year ago. Looking forward to your new book, love books set in Appalachia!
Author
Glad you’ve enjoyed some of my books. If you read These Healing Hills you know it had that Appalachian setting too. The one I’m working on has more Frontier Nursing history but it isn’t a sequel. The good thing about trying to catch up with some of the earlier books I’ve written, sometimes they can be at attractive prices.
My favorite is the one from The Refuge. Loved this book and looking forward to your next one …I love the stories of Appalachia …..they take me back home to the hills of KY !
Author
I’m so glad you like the last sentence in The Refuge, Nancy. I did hope it would leave a good feeling for the reader when thinking not only about my character, Darcie, but about his or her own life.
Glad you are ready for another mountain story too. I’m sticking in Appalachia for a while now with another mountain story coming after this one I’m working on now.
“Take me back home to the hills of KY” sounds like a great line in a song or maybe a last line in some novel. 🙂
Which ending sentence I like best?! You do make it difficult. I enjoy all kinds of well-crafted words, especially those that point the reader toward heaven.
As a musician, I relate to ‘make good music together’ from Those Healing Hills. But I’m also challenged by the ending words from The Innocent: ‘Pray anyway. And so she did. With a glad and thankful heart.’
Thank you for being a faithful pen through which our heavenly Father speaks to us in whatever situation we may be.
Author
I like your ending sentence there, Jolene. What a very nice thing to tell me! I’m feeling so encouraged by all of your great comments, that I’ll be ready to pitch back in on this new story to make it readable. (I hope.)
As a musician, it might make you laugh to know that right before this last line in These Healing Hills, the characters were singing “Froggie Goes a Courting.” LOL. But hope you’ll give one of those stories a try – if you haven’t already read them – and find out how I came to those last lines.
They are all good endings but I’m leaning toward “Such are the blessings of being a beloved child of God” with a close second being “Adventure awaited as they began living their own happily ever after story.”
Thank you for sharing these and for the opportunity to have my name ‘thrown in the hat’ to receive one of your books.
May God bless you with more and more wonderful words threaded together with love, integrity and a sense of humor. :o)
Author
Thank you so much, Connie, for that prayer. I do feel blessed when the Lord helps me pull a story out of my imagination. I appreciate you mentioned a sense of humor. I’ve always wanted to write something that would make people laugh, but I think I’m more the make them smile writer and not a laugh out loud one. But smiles are good. A few tears aren’t bad either, but I don’t want tears at the end. That’s when a smile is nice.
Hi Ann, I really like the last sentence from The Innocent. “Pray anyway. And so she did. With a glad and thankful heart.” Certainly wonderful advice for all of us but it certainly does make me wonder about the story that came before because this is one of your books that I haven’t read.
By the way, I do like the last line that you currently have for your WIP.
Blessings!
Connie
Author
Glad that sentence has you wondering about my boo, The Innocent, Connie. I really liked that story. It stars a dog named Asher. 🙂 Well, at least he plays a part. Plus, that “pray anyway” is threaded throughout the story as advice her mother gave her when she was a girl. I seem to focus of the power of prayer in many of my books. That and forgiveness are often my faith themes in the stories. Not as much for the current work in progress. But I’m glad you’re thumbs up on the last sentence of An Appalachian Summer.
I like the last line from The Refuge and it is on my to read list.
Author
I like being on your to read list, Donna. And it is a blessing to be a beloved child of God.
I’m having a very hard time choosing just one ending phrase,they all make me wonder about the story and make me want to read the whole stories.
Author
Well then, Lisa, I have done my job as a writer. While the first sentence is the one people usually talk about grabbing a reader and making said reader want to read the next line and on and on, I’m glad my last lines make you curious about the story. Makes me smile to have readers like you anxious to read my books.
It was so good to come home to love…Love Comes Home
Author
Thanks, Mary. You are with Jan on that one. If you read my response to her, you’ll see how that line came to be.
The one from River to Redemption….I love them all though and looking forward to the next one!
Author
Ah yes, Lisa. Let us pray believing. That was my faith thread throughout the story and what I hope would make readers truly admire Louis.
I would choose, Victor wouldn’t have been a bit surprised to see angels dancing right along beside her as they walked down the road toward home. ~Angel Sister
Author
Yes, Lucy. I certainly hope that brings a good scene in front of a reader’s eyes when he or she reads that last sentence. It does me. I’m seeing those angels dancing with Kate.
Mine would have to be “It was so good to come home to love”. I absolutely loved the Angel Sisters series!! I think that one line speaks to everyone when we think of that one place we consider home. At least it does for me. I am currently reading the Shaker series and enjoying every single book so far!
I am looking forward to the Refuge and basically any and all books you write! Please don’t stop writing!!
Author
Jan, thank you for those encouraging words for me on a dreary Monday morning. I’m so glad you enjoyed my Rosey Corner stories. My editor once told me I wrote to title. In other words whatever my title is for a story becomes some sort of thread through the story. She was telling me that once when she didn’t like the title I’d picked for a story. 🙂 But that was okay, and she is right. So I’m sure I wrote that last line about coming home to love after I knew the title of the book was going to be Love Comes Home. So much of writing is about connecting one character to another and one scene to the next and in this case that last sentence to the title. I hope you’ll enjoy The Refuge when you have a chance to read the story.
Ann, of course I would choose the last line from the Hidden Springs books. I really enjoyed all your books but I am partial to suspense.
Wishing you a very good week ahead.
Sincerely
Gail
Author
Glad you like those Hidden Springs last lines and stories, Gail. Maybe I’ll gt to write another suspenseful mystery one of these days.
I liked the one in The Refuge…”Such are the blessings of being a beloved child of God.” And I also loved the first line in that book too…”You can’t cheat death.” That story snatched me up and held on throughout the book!
I usually read the first paragraph or so of a book before I decide if it’s going to be my next adventure. So far I’ve enjoyed all the adventures you’ve led me on with your stories. And I’m eagerly anticipating the next one. Those Appalachian journeys are the best! 🙂
Author
Well, that’s just the best, Lavon, that you liked the first and the last sentence in my recent story. I liked that first line too. I had that first line long before I actually started writing the story. That was one of the reasons I had to let Darcie’s viewpoint be first person. I wrote most of my young adult books in first person. I like writing that way.
My favorite ending of the ones listed today is “They were going to make good music together.” (from These Healing Hills) I loved some of the others too about coming home to love.
Author
Ah, Suzanne, you like those promises of happy endings the way I do.
Ann, I am so glad to see you are hard at work on another book.
If it is written by you and set in Appalachia, well, it just couldn’t get any better! Can’t wait!
Author
I’m hoping to make it a story readers will enjoy, Nancy.
I like this one best.Victor wouldn’t have been a bit surprised to see angels dancing right along beside her as they walked down the road toward home.
Author
Angel Sister is a story of my heart, Nancy, since I used so many of Mom’s memory to bring the background to life. And that sentence seemed to wrap up the story well.