Hey, folks.
The cats are sleeping. Or playing. Possibly threatening to take over the world. As such, you get the general creator today. I’m going to start off with a warning that this includes a rant. Frankly, it’s starting with the rant.
Last night, someone decided to come onto the blog and lectured me about how I could “do better” about “cliffhangers” and that I am doing all of my readers a disservice through daring to use a plot mechanism type that all writers should forever ban from their writing toolkit.
To which I replied no, readers have zero rights to dictate who writers write their books. Period. If you don’t like how I write my books, sweet baby Jesus in a bucket chompin’ on crackers, go find someone you DO like to read. I like variety. Every single book I write will use different mechanisms. Sometimes, you’ll get something similar to another book. I do what the book needs. That’s it, that’s all. Every time I end a book, I am thinking about where the next book will begin, where I’m going with the series as a whole, and so on and so forth.
Just! Because! You! Don’t! Appreciate! A! Mechanism! Doesn’t! Mean! Authors! Shouldn’t! Use! It!
Generally, my books are HEA/HFN. (Happily ever after or happily for now) You know where the characters are, you understand they’re safe and sound… and while there may be something imminent lurking on the horizon, you’re GENERALLY left wishing the next book was here now because you want to continue reading the story, but you are NOT left with an anxiety attack because you don’t know if a character is going to live or die.
If you don’t like this, that’s OKAY. Go read an author you will like. Hell, most of my readers are loyal unto death on ONE series and one series alone. And never shall they stray. (This is common. It’s okay. I have Royal States readers who will never jump and try a Bernadette book. I have Mag Rom Com readers who won’t ever try a Royal States book. I have Fox Witch readers who will never try a Witch & Wolf book. It’s OKAY!! It really is. Like what you want to like, even if it means you only like three books I wrote and won’t try the others.)
But I will not allow some random reader I didn’t ask to dictate what I may or may not write. End of story. You can dislike a book. You can dislike mechanisms I decide to use. These things aren’t to your taste? That’s great. That’s fine. It’s okay. You’re never supposed to like EVERYTHING I write. I write a whole variety of things. Just because YOU don’t like it doesn’t mean others also dislike it. Me not bending to YOUR whim doesn’t mean anything other than I am not bending to your whim.
If I didn’t hire you or ask you to give me feedback on how to improve my books, I’m not accepting feedback on how to improve my books. You may mean well, but I have a typo form for a reason, and I go and check the typo form every time I go to run an update on a specific book. If I see that book has reported errors, I go fix those errors. I don’t like errors.
My choice to end a book a certain way is not an error, and it does not need to be improved SOLELY because you would have preferred a different ending to that book.
Nowhere in my typo form, the current place I allow feedback (to me directly) on my books, is there a box asking if you approved of how I ended a book.
If you don’t like how I ended a book, feel free to go convince other readers they shouldn’t read the book in reviews. That’s all on you. But… there is a boundary. I am not here to write the exact book you want me to write. I work hard on my books, and I’m working to tell a specific story. You don’t have to like or appreciate the story I’m trying to tell.
Obviously, I prefer if people liked my books enough to go leave a good review (especially to counter the readers who DO slam my books because they’re upset I didn’t write the book they wanted to read) but that’s a different discussion point altogether.
But at no point are you entitled to the point you can come tell me how to write them.
I am the one who ultimately pays out of my pocket to write and prepare my books for publication. As such… I get to decide how I end my books, not you, the reader. Of course, I’d rather people feel happy about having read my book. But I am not spending 300+ hours per book and holding them back (and being unable to pay my bills) just so you can read the whole thing at one time.
I don’t get paid an hourly wage for writing books. I have to hope that the book sells. If it doesn’t, the $5,000 or so in investment I put into the book, just to get it onto your kindle, kinda goes to waste. If in audiobook, the additional $2,000 to $5,000 needed to get it brought into production in that format. (Yes, audiobooks generally cost me a minimum of $2,000 to produce.)
I love writing books… but I do not love the entitlement that seems to be infesting readers right now.
Let’s assume I get paid minimum wage. $15 an hour where I live. It takes me, on average, 300 hours to write, edit, and do all the other things required to get the book to market. It costs, on average, a minimum $1,000 for cover art, and $1,000 for editorial. There are other expenses, which can add up REALLY quickly. But let’s just assume $2k for cover and edits.
I’m out $6,500 to bring a book to the market, holding my breath and casting a wish hoping people like it enough to pay for it. I have to pay that long before I receive a single penny for the work.
I ask for $5.99, on average, for a book. That means I get between $3.80 to $4.20 per copy… much less if it’s a library copy, but I do that on purpose because I want libraries to remain accessible. This is a mere sliver of the investment, heartache, and so on I invest in the book.
Honestly, I kind of cry when readers think $2.99 is too expensive for a book the author bled hours upon hours upon hours of their lives into.
But, here’s the thing: readers have one entitlement, and that’s the choice to spend their money as they please.
Don’t like how I write books? Go give your hard-earned dollars to another author. Please. Pay them. If you don’t like my books or how I write them, I don’t want you to fling money at me. I don’t WANT people buying my books if they’re not going to LIKE them. You worked hard for that money, and you absolutely SHOULD spend it on things that make you happy.
But $5.99 does not buy you access into my creative process, period. It NEVER buys access into ANY author’s process, unless they say, “Pay me this, and I will give you this access.”
My patreons get some access in the form of polls where they decide what type of story I’ll write for them next. They asked for a mythological beasties “short story” I am working on. I’m working on scene two of what is inevitably going to become a novel, I’m sure. Why is it going to become a novel?
I fucking like the lead characters too damned much, and good luck to me reining them in before 10k. Or 50k, even. Whatever. It is what it is. (Maybe I can do it, maybbbeee I can do it… but do I want to?)
A huge shout out to my patreons, though–you folks are absolutely amazing, and I fucking appreciate you. Patreon is basically the only source of “reliable” income I have. (And it fluctuates, but it exists because the readers just want me to write.) Am I 100% good about posting on patreon with news and stuff? Nooooo. I’ll try to do better. I got distracted with the Sekrit Projekt.
Even if you pop on Patreon and figure out the Sekrit Projekt, I will still deny, deny, deny. Please don’t make me deny. (Please.)
But seriously, having access to authors does not mean you get to let your entitlement show… and telling an author that they should never do this thing you dislike is showing your entitlement.
I am a human being who works hard on my books… and I promise you, I wrote that book precisely how I meant to write my book.
And you disliking the mechanism means nothing to me. You’re not the audience for that book. That book ended that way for a reason, and it usually has to do with where I’m going in the next book.
And sometimes, that reason may involve with “Fuck this book and the horse in rode in on.”
Fortunately for everyone, I put the “rocks fall, everybody dies” endings in a cut folder and rewrite the ending to be appropriate for what actually needs to happen, even when writing the book is hard.
Sigh.
So, onto the news.
Silent Stalker comes out in March.
Plaidypus comes out in May.
Dirty Deeds 2 comes out in June.
Sekrit Novella Projekt will be revealed sometime in the year 2022.
Sekrit Me releases something by the end of the year. Patrons know the secret, but I will forever deny, deny, deny.
Here are your clues if you’re not in Patreon:
1: All of my pen names share this one thing in common. Think about the book industry and how you know you might like a certain type of book. I will be even nice and give you a clue: Four words, three words start with P.
If you’re not sure, look over some of my books, on Amazon or Goodreads, VERY carefully. Once you figure out the secret code, search for the four word secret handshake. One thing will not be like the other thing. If you spot the matching Secret Handshake, Congratulations, you have found it!
2: Female Sekrit Me, Speculative (fantasy/science fiction) genre.
3: Sweet. It’s sweet. Everything about it is just sweet.
Good luck on your hunt. I will NOT be confirming it anywhere outside of patreon, and even on patreon, you can ask me and I will DENY. Deny, deny, deny. All there is is DENIAL.
I’m tired, and I have a bunch of work to do before I can quit for the night, so I’m going back to work. Have a good day, y’all.
I love ALL your books, under ALL your names and have been known to buy them before buying chocolate……
Awww, thank you. That’s a pretty huge sacrifice… I mean, chocolate!
I’m the same. Honestly, I click pre-order (for the ones I can) or purchase (for the ones without) before I ever read the blurb because I haven’t ever found one I dislike.
All your books under various names are an auto buy for me too – and if I like one less than another, that’s on me as the reader, not on you as the author (often depends on my mood at the time) – and yes, they are better than chocolate 😉
I read all your books. Like them all some more than others.
I mean, I’m the author, and I *definitely* like some more than others… that one, though. Just… screw that one book. Hahahha
I’ve only recently found you, so I haven’t made my way through ALL of your books yet, but I’m going to get there. Even the books that aren’t my favorite are worth the price and the read. I’m sorry that readers’ entitlement is harshing your buzz, but I think you said it very well: your books are YOUR books, not ours. They’re your creation. We just get to appreciate them. And beg for more (at least I’m begging for me cuz awesome books). I’ve gotten the majority of the Blain books now, delved into Franklin and Copperfield is on the horizon, as well as joining Patreon, because I will be very sad if you no longer write, regardless of the series. I hope that the support you receive outweighs the trolls!
Oh, I’m more stubborn than the average goat, so I don’t see myself stopping writing unless I just genuinely stop enjoying writing. I don’t see myself publishing forever, but my plan is to wrap everything that’s started before that comes. It’ll be something I plan for well in advance, and even then… I’d probably keep on writing, and if I write a book I just think is amazing and stands alone, I might publish it for the joy of it anyway. But that’s hopefully a long damned time away.
Yay! I would be very sad if I wasn’t able to get my fix. I am so looking forward to the books coming out this year!
Love your rant! You are right, if they don’t like your style find another writer. Better yet, if they know so much about it, why are they not writing books. No I don’t read all your books. But I do like the ones I do read.
Keep up the great word work!
I genuinely find it *very* strange when someone reads ALL of my books. Hell, even I don’t love all my books, and I WROTE them! Some where just… uhm… soul stabbing. And I just don’t love those as much as the ones that spark joy. But I wrote them and they’re miiiine.
Thank you!!
And yes, if they’re not happy with the books I’ve written, they can go write their own books and write the perfect (for them) book. Surely, since they’re giving unasked for advice, it can’t be THAT hard to write a book? (Cough hack cough yeah it’s hard.)
RJ Blain (and all your pseudonyms), I am very sorry – and angry – that you have to deal with people who are so entitled and self-centred. You articulated the well-deserved rebuke to the “critic” very clearly. You also continue to provide a lot of joy and escape to those of us who truly appreciate your work. I want to say thank you because what you do IS hard (and most of us cannot do it) but you do it very well. My greatest fear is that these self-proclaimed critics will wear you down and cause you to decide the effort is too much so you stop writing completely. Please ignore the ignoramuses as best you can, take care of yourself and write at the pace that is supportable. Your real fans will wait and be glad of any stories you do release. Thank you for your efforts and your talent.
Mostly, it was just really annoying this person thought s/he could just… dictate what I should and shouldn’t write based solely on their personal tastes. It seems they (I don’t know or care if male or female or other, truth be told) assume that because they don’t like this thing and some author from a very long time ago didn’t finish a series, every other author will also not finish a series? honestly, it’s a weird thing to wave their entitlement banner about.
Especially when I didn’t ask for their assistance in writing my books… like, I got this. I’m good. There are plenty people just fine with how I write my books. LOL. And I’m writing for those people… and for me.
I kinda totally write what I want to read.
Some people have no commen sense. It’s simple if dont like a book dont read it but remember if just not your cup of tea someone else loves it.You are a great writer. I love several
Of your books. I was told if cant say nothing nice don’t say it. Keep following your heart.
I’d probably be a much nicer person if I could consistently just say nothing if I can’t say something nice, but then people come to me and try to piss in my cheerios, and the rowdy tomboy in me just comes up going oh yeah you wanna play? I’m now at the stage of old enough where my general reaction to stuff like this is “I don’t fucking think so.” (Hah… oops.)
Just wanted to say your books (I think I’ve gotten them all at this point) have gotten me through rough freaking times with the humor and entertainment value. Even my least favorite of your books is still damn well written and entertaining. My boyfriend knows to just leave me alone whether I’m cackling or crying or just refusing to move until I finish.
Thank you for the wonderful worlds, characters, and stories you bring us.
I’m really glad they bring joy and an escape! I have a series (by another author) that does this for me, but right now, just one… so I save them for the REALLY bad days, since I can’t reread the same thing TOO often!)
You’re welcome.
For the record, I have liked all of your books that I have read, especially the Royal States, but really like them all. I have a Bernadette to try, but haven’t gotten to it yet. Thank you for sharing your stories.
I reread, but normally after some time. The last year or two, I’ve reread your books, especially the RomCom, Bernadette, & Copperfields at least 5 times all the way through, cackling and sporfling all the way. Thank you for the fun stories.
Sporfling is now one of my favorite words. I don’t know what it is, but it sounds fun and probably snort-laugh-giggling, which is amazeballs.
while I haven’t read anywhere close to all your books, those I have read/started are absolute keepers. while I’m generally very frugal • no, make that cheap • I’ll pay fullprice for your books. fwiw, I started on the Rom Com types and have branched off into the Royal States — they’ve all improved my life • well, disposition, at least •
thank-you for your truly hard work, many of us Absolutely. Appreciate. it
Be well, stay safe (damn virus!)
Thank you, and you stay safe as well. :3
I am so very sorry that someone chose to abuse you and your work. I LOVE your worlds! I am humbled by the work that you and other authors put into your worlds so that I can escape from the yuck that is real life lately.
You have every right to write how you want and to end a book how you want! I’m sorry some people are horrible.
Blessed be and I will look forward to the next world you build! Thank you
Along time ago I was complaining to a very good friend who was also a book dragon about something regarding an author, and she gave me the most succinct slap down that I think might do you some service in this situation. She said to me, “Authors are not your bitch.” She went on to say, “They will do as they please at the pace they please. Your only job as a reader of their stories is to say ‘Thank you, more please, or this one wasn’t for me.’”To any and all I say again – Authors are not your bitch. Say thank you or SFU.
Please tell your friend I adore her.
Here name was Elaine. To my children: Evil Aunt Elaine. She was glorious and kind in a sarcastic way. Dispensing truth and knowledge like an aura. I met her at Waldon Books in the Brea Mall where she worked Sundays so as to exploit the 50% employee discount. I was 21. She was 31. The story of the next 22 years is long and brilliant, full of books and museums, laughter and heartbreak. She was gone at 53. I’ve had six hard years without my best friend. When she died her library contained 10,347 books/media all cataloged by genre/ author. I did say dragon did I not. And don’t get me started on the art! There was so much we’d rotate what was on the walls with the season or the month!
I see that you quoted her. Good. Share that bitch out. Keep her alive.
Thank you.
Yeah, good quotes should be repeated often.
While true that there are a couple series of yours that I don’t follow, those that I do have placed you in the ranks of authors I re-read. 🙂
I’ve only read the bulk of the Blain novels, but it makes me wonder whether the evil-troll knows what a cliffhanger is? I read the next book because I like the characters and want to know what happens next, or who you’ll introduce next, but I’ve never felt the books I had a “ha, you have to read the next book or you’ll NEVER know the ending” ending. Those books frustrate me, but because I have learned to pretend I am an adult ( and who knows, maybe the evil-troll is capable of learning, too), I can … wait for it … binge buy books or wait for a box set. It’s not rocket science. The sense of entitlement that someone must have to feel they can tell you how to create … Wow, just wow. My Mama raised me better than that.
I like to think most mamas raise most people better than that… oy.
I’m just gonna continue enjoying all the various series and universes you create, under any name you choose to do. So far you have only one book I’ve not been able to figure out, but that is ME, not you. I will keep it and take a run at it every once in a while to see if I can understand it better. Meanwhile, you are not abusing any different writing mechanisms. I have another author who has written a cliffhanger that is unresolved more than 20 years later! That leaves me a bit frustrated, but there is no way I’m gonna complain to her about it. She will either write it or not. Her choice. You have continually chosen to give us more of your heart and soul, and I know that there are many like me who really appreciate you. Thank you!
If you genuinely don’t ‘get’ the book, I don’t mind you sliding into messages and asking for some help pointing in the right direction. Witch & Wolf is typically fairly sneaky, as I was in a ‘make the words a puzzle’ mood when I wrote them, so there are a lot of little one liners that make a fairly big difference… several books later. (Oopsy…) But yeah, I don’t mind things like that being brought up as a Q&A, etc. If you do it as part of a Q&A, I’ll flag the answer as a spoiler. I’m due to do a Q&A on the page soon.
I’m having no problems with Witch & Wolf. I usually get most of the one liners ?! The one I have problems getting is the Dawn of Dae. Having troubles wrapping my head around macaroni and cheese, and not yet able to slip into the heroine’s brain.
I’ll get it eventually…
The macaroni and cheese is just a dae with a very unique form and communication method. That’s it, that’s all.
Gotta agree with everyone else – no idea why anyone would think your endings are cliffhangers. Maybe because typically the weddings haven’t taken place yet by the ends of your books? I don’t know, and quite frankly, I’m happy to skip out on anything else once the characters have reached their own understanding of what’s what between them. Anything else is just minor details. I enjoy how you relate a story, I love that your books have snarky, mischievous humor, and downright adore that everyone is getting exactly what they have worked to get.
I confess I’m terrible at trying to figure out what you mean with your clues to the Sekrit Project and your Sekrit self, but I’ll just enjoy it when you decide to reveal all.
:whispers: Publisher. Think publisher. :very soft whisper: Pubblliisshhherrrrr.
What the hell? They are your books delightfully written in your styles! Nobody has a right to complain about this just enjoy the book as is or get stuffed and go and whine about someone else!
I pre-order most of your books without even looking at the price because I know I will enjoy them. I am currently going through all your audio books as I am knitting a complicated Aran cardigan…your angels are having a fine time when things go well but the devil keeps twisting my cables the wrong way!! Blood on the carpet so I will switch to Bernadette for a bit.
Take care and thank you xx
Zooterkins! Do you mean to say that I can’t dictate what your next book is about, how it progresses, and what the ending is?
I am shocked; shocked.
sarc/off
Truth is, I can get a bit miffed reading comments about what is wished for. The books will be what they will be, and I’ve just got to line up and pay for the next one. (I’ve got Silent Stalker & Plaidypus on pre-order.)
As an aside, if the twisted thing I use as a sense of humor ever gets loose and I post a spoiler for something not published, or even written, it’s my ESP acting. That’s Extremely Strange Perceptions.
Hi: This is the first time I’m leaving a comment, after many years of reading your books, under all your different identities.
I love all of your books. Some more than others( i.e.,The Magical romantic comedies, The Royal States, the” Karma”books and the Bernadette Franklins).
I also like the the first Zodiac book, and wish you would write another soon.
I am expecting to be able to resume Zodiacs next year… assuming people continue to chill re: plague.
I love your work, and buy everything, including audio books Consider it all good value. Please keep writing for all those people who appreciate your hard work. I am English so too polite to say what I think of those other idiots.
Hmmm, It never occurred to me to tell an author how to do their job. I can see how constant criticism can wear you down. Hopefully, the positive comments you get from most of us will keep you writing the stuff we love!! from cliff hangers to happy endings. I say keep on writing and ignore the nasties.
My only problem with cliffhangers, no matter who the author is, is when the author never finishes the book series (for whatever reason). Okay, one author died so we’ll never get the finished series but another author just decided to not write more in that series. But it’s not up to me to chastise an author. Find an author they like. But if the complaint is going to be about cliffhangers, don’t watch tv series or get attached to a book series because you’ll never be happy.
I found the Mag Rom Coms first and didn’t think I’d like the Royal Stares. Now that’s my favorite series. I got bogged down in the Witch and Wolf series, but might return to it eventually. The Bernadette books are fun. I like the Fox Witch series better than the Vigilante Magical Librarians, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the VMLs. I reread your books more often than any others, including Ilona Andrews’ books. Just thought you’d like to know.
I LOVE your books. ALL OF THEM.
They are all very well written. The characters are well developed and the world building you do is very rich.
I eagerly await the next book, regardless of series.
Please keep doing what you do so well. ??
I don’t know about Patreon or secret codes, I just know that you are one of my favorite authors. People , in general, need to be more respectful of each other. The central theme of this entry is so true! If you don’t like a book or an author’s style, read someone else!! It’s not like there aren’t a million other choices out there. Having you have to take the time to remind people that the books you write are YOUR creations just takes you away from the actual creative process that provides the books that bring your readers so many hours of happiness! Thanks for persevering through these types of headaches. We love and appreciate you, your characters and their stories.
I totally agree with the basic premise of your rant, but I see the statement from that reader as a symptom of something all too common these days. People seem to think they have the right to mandate that everyone MUST believe and act the same way they do. Therefore, they have the right to tell everyone else what they are doing wrong and insist that they change their ways. This is why even families frequently have to refrain from discussing things that really often need to be discussed, because they are rightfully concerned that irreparable harm can be done to the family due to different beliefs. As to cliffhangers, I think of them as just another writing technique, no better or worse than others. In over 70 years of reading (I did start young!), I can think of only 2 series where I was upset about a cliffhanger that was not resolved, and only 1 was the deliberate choice of the author (the other one became seriously ill and did not survive–hardly his fault!). I must admit though that I would still like to know what happened with that one series!
I have all of your books under all of your names. I even have some in **both** Nook and Kindle format. Some I re-read more than others, but I think I have at least one favorite under each of your names. For proof I offer the fact that I’m re-reading Steel Heart and Cold Flame at the same time. 🙂
You do good endings and nice hints that the books world goes on. And give your book horde hope that we will meet favorite characters again.
(Currently relistening to ‘Hoofin It’)
love your books don’t care which type!!!!! I think I have all of them.
I thought you hired a PA to deal with this kind of shit?
No. My PA can’t handle the actual error reports Amazon receives from readers. She filters out things that come into my blog forms, but not directly to Amazon. That’s on my publisher account, that includes my tax information, so I do not give anyone access to it. I also don’t have PAs (or editors) handle finalization of corrections or formatting; I do that myself. I’m always the last person to handle the book before it goes to the public because I do not want anyone attacking my staff for my mistakes.
All the negative people can go bite themselves. I LOVE everything you write under any pen name keep up the incredible work!
+1
Now that I have my replaceNook and hence my access to my bookhoard back. {dragongrin} I’ve had the chance to reread all the older books as well as the ones I was forced to wait on. Your rant is spot on and that was not a cliffhanger. It was a pause forced by the naritive flow. Having your main character die or go raving insane followed by at least a year before any word of another tale in that world going to happen, now THAT’S a cliffhanger.
+elebenty
Hi There!
Yeah, I’m with the rest of the crew. You do a great job and no one has the right to rain on your parade. Here is a little something I saw on Facebook a couple days ago form another author. Just cracked me up.
From Ruth Ware: ” I just read an Amazon review (not for one of my books) that said “it feels like the author was just making it up as they went along” an I can’t stop laughing. Like, Dude, I hate to tell you this……”
Wow. HAHAHAHA!
Yeah, like… uhm… “got news for ya…” I DEFINITELY make a lot of shit up as I go. That’s the entire point! O.O
Totally agree with the rant. I have read all your books. And the ones I didn’t adore, just stay read once and down the road in a year or so I may read again.
What bugs me is when trolls read the entire book and then return it. That is BS!
I treat all my ebooks just like paper copies, they are MINE now! Even the tosser books I can’t finish. Though I may put them in the unhappy collection on my eReader, they are still part of my dragon hoard.
I have a blacklist/never buy again collection on my kindle/in my head. I’m going to work better at making sure I do actually move those books to that collection/list.
To be nice, Imma naming it the “Not my Cup of Tea” collection. To be nice.
Agreed! Lol
Book dragons do not return books! Lol
I’ve bought all your books and never once thought I wasted my time or money. Not once. Anywho, if a person wouldn’t go to a painter and say the blue bits out to be purple, the same holds true for literature. If there’s a story with a cliffhanger, it’s author’s choice because it’s their vision and art. If a story is humorous.(which I don’t think is at all fluff), it’s a blessing to readers like me who need a giggle and smile and thanks so much for that. So PHOOEY on armchair plot editors.
Only the kitties qualify as critics. And the price of you work is modest in relation to the creativity. You need to thrive and the cat’s have a fresh tuna filet from time to time.
First: “sweet baby Jesus in a bucket chompin’ on crackers” Bahahaha!!!! And why would he be in a bucket? Bahahaha!!!
Second: You are awesome. Your books are awesome. People are NOT. Well, most people. I do like some. A very few. hmmm…. :p
Third: I DID finish all the Witch & Wolf. YAY!!! Double YAY!!! And Karma’s second book had me bawling. BAWLING. SO many tears. SO. MANY. Had to go read a Mag Rom Com to staunch the flood (of course, a couple of them make me teary too…) But I loved them all.
Fourth and finally: You are awesome. Please ask the kitties to be benevolent dictators (but only for those that deserve it- not for the armchair editors, the kitties can do what they please with them) when they do take over.
Hugs!
I don’t get people. We watch TV shows that end the season in a cliffhanger and you don’t hear them raising a fuss about that. Every book that I have read from you with a “cliffhanger” is at a perfect point to stop. They make you want to find out more but have a feeling of conclusion. A perfect example of this was The House Lost at Sea. Yes, the story can be continued but if it does stops there (and I hope it doesn’t), you feel like you learned about the characters and have a connection to them. I am okay.
I will join your supporters and say “You do you!” If they don’t like what you write, go find another author!
Wait your books end in cliffhangers… I don’t see them ending in cliffhangers they just have HEA’s.. and I can’t wait to see who shows up in the next book for each series… I hate that people think they are entitled to tell anyone how to do their passion. I love that you write and it takes me to a wonderful new world.