Bittersweet But Happy Ending

With: Terri Osburn

Congratulations to Leslie W., the winner in Terri's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

I've often heard readers lament that their least favorite thing about a great book is that it ends. That's how I feel about my Anchor Island series. I always knew it would end someday, but I’m really going to miss having these people living in my head.

Okay, to be fair, they'll likely continue to live in my head. Joe, Beth, Lucas, Sid, Randy, Will, Sam, and Callie (plus the rest of the islanders) have become a major part of my life. Heck, they changed my life. You don't forget friends like that.

So MORE TO GIVE, which released this week, is the final installment in the series, and I wanted to make sure readers felt satisfied with how this one would ride off into the literary sunset. In the end, I went with my gut, and I think it worked out the way it was meant to be. (Incidentally, MEANT TO BE is the first book in the series.)

There is a fine line that all authors must walk, especially those writing a series. For the story to ring true and carry a piece of our hearts, we write it for ourselves. Trying to please everyone is always an effort in futility, but that doesn't mean we don't care what the reader will think. So for me, I had to ask "Am I up to the challenge of getting it right?" (Ironically, UP TO THE CHALLENGE is the title of the second book in the series. I don't know how these are getting in here.)

So how did I end the series, you ask? Well, you'll have to read the book to find that out. But since the island was such an important part, and the hero and heroine of book 4, Sam Edwards and Callie Henderson, aren't life-long residents of Anchor, the best way to go seemed like showing that in the end, they were home to stay. (Did I mention HOME TO STAY is the title of the third book in the series? *insert sly smile here*)

But in truth, it was hard to write The End on this one. I love these characters, and I love this island. Perhaps someday I'll get an idea and write a novella or two that takes us back to this charming place. Until then, I hope you'll enjoy reading this final edition, and that the ending makes you sigh and smile and feel quite satisfied with how it all turned out.

MORE TO GIVE

Callie Henderson had to fight to put her tragic past behind her, but now the up-and-coming player in the hospitality industry is well on her way to happiness. She has her sights set on the lead renovation position at the Sunset Harbor Inn—an inn that just happens to be owned by Sam Edwards, the man who comforted her in her grief and gave her one night of passion before walking away.

Sam is searching for someone who can turn his quaint inn into a premier boutique hotel. He just never expected that someone to be the one woman who knows his deepest secrets. But he needs Callie, and Callie needs the job. Throw in a talking parrot with a cracker addiction, some uncooperative islanders, and enough sexual sparks to light a beachside bonfire, and they’ve got their work cut out for them…

More to Give is a story of heartbreak and healing, of facing the past…and having the courage to believe in a future.

Now I want to know your favorite book (or movie) endings. What happy ending stuck with you? Or did one stay with you because it wasn't so happy at all?

Giveaway:

One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of MORE TO GIVE, along with an I Heart Romance Novels tote bag, and other fun book swag. Good luck!

Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Nov. 13th. 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.