How Endings Impact Your Readers

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

Several years ago, while shopping with friends at Sam’s Club, we milled around the book/DVD section. One of my friends picked up a movie and showed it to another friend in our group since it had one of her favorite actors in it. We had discussed this movie when the trailers were first shown, but none of us had seen it yet. The friend who adores this actor said she refused to watch the movie because she had talked with friends who had seen the movie and were disappointed in the ending—the lead character died in a shocking way. The friend who brought the movie to our attention asked if the movie was any good, despite the ending. The other friend and I spoke at the same time, "Doesn't matter."

Have you ever read the ending of the book to see if you’re going to like how the story is resolved? I admit to being a second-generation ending reader. Sometimes I really try hard, especially while reading suspense, not to skip ahead because I like to guess whom the villain is and if I’m right.

I want a promise of hope and a happily ever after. Since I'm investing my heart in a story and the characters, I want a heart-satisfying conclusion. 

Quite a few years ago, I watched a movie based on a novel written by a popular secular author who writes love stories—notice I did not say romances—yes, there is a difference. I loved the movie’s storyline and adored the characters until I watched the ending with horror. 

My heart had been ripped out!

I sobbed and not in a good way. If I had been reading the book, I would've flung it across the room. I was that angry! I vowed never to read that author's books or view his movies again. I will admit I broke that vow after a friend promised one of his movies did have an HEA ending.

Endings affect the way a reader enjoys a novel. Some readers like me want the fairy tale and happily ever after. Other readers want a satisfying conclusion as long as the story is good. Of course, the novel genre influences the ending, too.  

Romances need to have a happily ever after where boy and girl fall in love and commit to a future. Women’s fiction novels need to have a satisfying ending for the character’s story arc. Suspense and mystery novels should have a solved crime at the end. The villain isn’t always caught, especially if the novel is part of a series, but most often, all loose ends should be tied up neatly for the reader. Fantasy and sci-fi novels should have a satisfying resolution to fit the story premise. Basically, the reader needs to have an answer for the proposed story question at the beginning of the novel.

What about you? Do you read endings first? What kinds of endings upset you? For you writers, what genre do you write and how do you know when you’ve written a satisfying ending?

~*~

Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Rachelle Gardner, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. She is the Operations Manager for My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for almost thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and playing in her craft room with friends. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.

Mom Loves to Read - by Angel Moore

I fell in love with romance in the fourth grade. Robin Hood and Maid Marian’s happiness captured my young heart. I still remember the green library book with thick pages and the sweet teacher who assigned the book report.

But my mother was the biggest influence over my love of reading. Every morning before she left the house, she’d sit on the side of the bed and read her Bible. She graciously gave me that Bible several years ago. I can’t look at it without thinking of her love of Jesus and His Word.

Mom also loved to read romance. Clean books with sweet heroines falling in love with rich men who rescued them from mundane lives and gave them an amazing happily-ever-after life.

I’d read Nancy Drew and Scholastic books while Mom read her romances. I loved it when I got old enough to read her books. From the time I was about twelve, I carried a novel to school with me every day. I’d finish my class work and then read. I loved to dive into a story about a Greek millionaire or a nurse on holiday in Holland who’d fall in love with a rich doctor. If the doctor held a fancy title and owned a mansion, all the better.

This love of reading still lasts. Mom brings a bag of books to me on every visit. Now that she’s retired, reading time is readily available. And she loves it.

Reading is a gift Mom shared with me. It makes us closer. I hope you’re sharing your love of inspirational fiction with your children and grandchildren. We all need a good story to help us escape sometimes – or a book that teaches us to dream.

The thing I love about writing inspirational fiction is that I can share my love of Jesus as I write stories of faith and hope.

Want to share your love of reading? Share the posts from this blog – and Facebook pages and posts from your favorite Love Inspired authors – on your social media.

Thanks for reading our blog today. Leave a comment below. All the Love Inspired authors love to hear from our readers.

Stop by my Facebook page for a giveaway at www.facebook.com/AngelMooreBooks. I’ll be giving away two copies of my latest Love Inspired Historical release, The Rightful Heir, over the weekend.

God bless you,

Angel Moore

Stories of Faith and Hope

Find all my latest news, plus links to my books and social media, at www.angelmoorebooks.com.

A Gospel Singer’s Daughter Marries a Preacher – by Angel Moore

In the spirit of true romance, I’ll tell you that I still remember my exact thought the first time I laid eyes on my husband.

My dad hired him to play the steel guitar on a Gospel album he was producing.

Bob was wearing a light blue windbreaker, hip-hugger jeans, and a chicken-yellow shirt. Around his neck was a wooden cross on a leather cord. I’ll never forget his black hair and Beatle bangs.

He’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

That was my reaction. And from that day on, he was sealed in my heart as the cutest thing ever. Oh, did I mention that I was eight years old? He has no memory of this moment.

Years later he came to work full time for my dad and became a close family friend. He was there to comfort me when a high school crush broke my heart, and he helped me understand things in Scripture that were new to me. He prayed for our family when we were in need. He was a true friend.

God was preparing him to be a minister, and I was learning to trust this man with my heart. Neither of us were aware of what God was doing at the time.

He eventually moved on from the job with my dad and one day, when he showed up for a visit, my mom suggested that he take me to dinner. (I love my mom.) That was our first date. On our second date, after knowing each other for years – and knowing in my heart that he was the only man for me – I proposed.

It took some convincing, but he said, “Yes.”

I found my lifelong love in the kitchen of my childhood home. My dad brought him home, and years later my mother set us up on our first date.

Thirty-eight years of marriage and counting, and we’re still the best of friends. He makes me laugh. He’s a loyal man who loves God and me. I couldn’t have asked for more. I’ll always believe God planted that childhood memory of our meeting in my heart. I wouldn’t know why until years later, but I’m so glad He did.

I’ve even got a son who looks just like him. I call them my two-for-one-special from God.

My husband taught me everything I know about happily ever after. I am blessed.

Thanks for stopping by to read my true love story.

God bless you,

Angel Moore
Stories of Faith & Hope

Check out The Rightful Heir, my newest Love Inspired Historical book.

Find the latest news, plus links to my books and social media, at www.angelmoorebooks.com.

How I Met Your Father--Lenora Worth

For the next few Fridays, some of the Ladies are going to share about how they met their significant others. We are writing these in a fun way. Kind of like a love story ...... . Here's mine:


"Can Lenora come out and play?"

She stared at the blue eyed boy standing on the other side of the screen door, her heart jumping and bumping in the same way it did when she used to ride her rocky horse. Only she was older now, six years old and in first grade. She'd heard about this one though.

His grandparents lived right across the hedge from the little cottage her sister and brother-in-law rented. The grandparents actually owned this little house. And she got to spend the night with her older sister a lot--in town. It was always fun but now, things had gotten really interesting.

He was cute, snaggle-teeth and all. And he wanted to play with her.

"Ya'll want to get in the pool?" Her sister motioned to the round bright blue kiddie pool she'd bought just so Lenora could have some fun and cool off while wearing her frilly pink bikini.

"Yes," Lenora said, determination overtaking caution.

Soon, she and Don were out in the pool, frolicking and enjoying popsicles. Popscicles were easy to eat in the pool. She could wash off the sticky melted stuff and dive right back to having fun with Don.


That was the best summer ever. They played in the pool and on the porch and even at his grandparent's house. But then he had to move away and she went back to being a boring farm girl.

He came back in middle-school and tried to throw Lenora in the big public pool, but when he found out she wasn't a swimmer, he became her protector and wouldn't let anyone else throw her in. Her hero.  But he left yet again, the Army brat.

Then he showed up in high school and she looked up to see him walking across campus, the fall leaves parting as he crashed over them in worn jeans and a gold-colored corduroy jacket.

Lenora turned to her best friend. "That's the man I'm gonna marry."

This time, he stayed and they've been playing together for forty-two years and have two grown children. And he is still her protector and her hero.

Happily Ever After How-to

Hi, Winnie Griggs here.

I read an article recently that purported to have identified 10 steps to forming a personal happily-ever-after in a marriage. As I read over the steps I thought that they had application to how our fictional characters find their happily-ever-afters as well. 

So here are those 10 steps and my writerly thoughts about each.

Step 1. Carve out time for each other.
It’s important that we show that no matter what else is going on in their lives, our hero and heroine make the effort to set aside time for each other.

Step 2. Conversely, spend some time away from each other.
At the same time, our hero and heroine are individuals and need time to pursue their personal interests. Being overly-clingy or needy is not attractive.

Step 3. Look for opportunities to make little romantic gestures.
Who doesn’t like a hero who isn’t afraid to show his romantic side? Small things like picking wildflowers, sending thoughtful notes, leaving small gifts of sweets or quirky but meaningful tokens, are guaranteed to endear him to both the heroine and the reader.

Step 4. Always fight fair.
Arguments happen, but no one likes to read about a hero and heroine who engage in vitriolic or insulting bickering, or who take cheap shots at each other.

Step 5. Take a genuine interest in the interests of your partner.
Having our hero and heroine introduce each other to their favorite pastimes or guilty pleasures is a good way to show growing attraction.

Step 6. Truly listen to your partner.
Here’s where you can focus on some of the differences between men’s and women’s communication styles. A woman is much more likely to express feelings and emotions than a man is. A man is not going to be entirely comfortable with either receiving or providing this kind of expression. Show he cares for her by having him really listen. Show she cares for him by having her read between the lines those things he can’t say.

Step 7. Accept your partner for who they are.
By the time your hero and heroine approach their happily ever after, they should understand that love means accepting the other for who they are at the core of their being, and not be trying to old them into someone different.

Step 8. Express your commitment to each other.
It’s not enough to feel love for one another, at some point the hero and heroine have to express the feelings to each other. And the way they act toward each other needs to reflect it as well. No more wandering eyes for either of them!

Step 9. Trust in each other.
Once they’ve reached the point of commitment, our hero and heroine should implicitly trust in the character of the other, even when all evidence points to the contrary.

Step 10. View your partner as your best friend.
This is the "for better or worse, in sickness and in health" part. Our hero and heroine should enjoy each other’s company and take pleasure in making the other happy, regardless of their circumstances.

So there you have it.  Do you agree with these or disagree? And do you have any steps you’d add to the list?