I'm A Happy Ending Kind Of Gal...

By: Grace Greene

Congratulations to "Laurie", the winner in Grace's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

When a book has exactly the right ending the reader always knows.  They close the cover (or hit the off button) with a glow of satisfaction. I'm a happy ending kind of gal, but not everyone's idea of 'happy' is the same.

Are there shades of happiness? What about an ending that may leave unanswered questions about the future, but offers promise and hope? Is that the difference between a 'happy ending' and the famous HEA – the 'happily ever after' ending? 

I like the promises (and the consequent risk of the promises not being fulfilled) and the remaining ‘what-ifs’. I want to believe the characters I love may come back in other novels, perhaps as primary, or even as secondary characters. So, are unanswered questions acceptable? Yes, I think so, but not the primary plot questions – those must be answered for the integrity of the story – but questions pertaining to the characters’ futures?  Yes. I think this is true of stand-alone novels as well as series and sequels.  

Speaking of sequels, BEACH WINDS, a sequel to BEACH RENTAL, is due out in November 2013.  

In my most recent release, A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER, there is a happy ending, but not necessarily an HEA ending. Here’s an excerpt:

Chapter One

Rachel Sevier stared at the monstrous stone house, and its rows of blank, dirty windows stared back.

She’d driven from Baltimore to Virginia, to this area called Goochland. After leaving the interstate, there’d been a pocket of shiny new construction—a small shopping center and houses—but that snippet of civilization was quickly gone and then she was deep in the woods.

Jeremy had given her directions: drive until the trees crowd in close and the road looks like it’s about to end, then keep driving. She had.

Wynnedower Mansion, built of gray stone and mellow wood, looked out of place, as if a giant hand had plucked it from the gently rolling hills of England, dropped it into this clearing, and left it to rot amid honeysuckle vines and Virginia creeper.

Not quite what she’d expected. To her, the word ‘mansion’ meant something a little more upscale. 

Gnats swarmed in the humidity. Rachel shooed them away. Hers was the only car here, and there was no one else, including Jeremy, anywhere in sight.

Several weeks ago, with graduation barely behind him, he’d told her he was taking a job at Wynnedower as a caretaker. He already had a real job in Richmond and was supposed to be preparing for graduate studies, but he wanted to be independent. It’s a great deal, Rachel, he’d said.No rent in exchange for part-time caretaking.

Caretaking? Really? She adored her baby brother, six-foot-two, golden-haired and smart—so different from her own appearance that no one believed they were related until they saw their eyes. There was no mistaking their unusual eye color. But handsome or not, he wasn’t trained in security and had no handyman skills. The worst of it was he’d stopped returning her calls two weeks ago, right after he told her he’d met a girl. He’d said it in that special way in which girl didn’t just mean girl—it meant everything bright and shiny and worth living for.

Grace will be giving away a digital or print copy of A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER (winner's choice) to one lucky person leaving a comment or email entry.

Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST July 26th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com with a subject title of JCR GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway. PRINT books are eligible for US residents only, all others will be digital.