It has occurred to me that there’s an aspect of my “novelette” Shade of Evil which may make some people wonder. The ending is unusual. I have no desire to write any spoilers here, and I think that I can safely avoid that.
I make no attempt to tie up all the “loose ends”! The story ends as it should. The unfinished elements, however, reflect the fact that the lives of the characters go on, unobserved by us. I’ll admit that it may seem strange to have a book end like this, but then Life isn’t tidy. People, with their stories, come into our lives, spend a little time there, and then pass on. The rest of their stories become unknown, even those stories we were an intrinsic part of, for a while. We may, at some later time discover how the stories turned out. We may even reconnect with those same people. If we do that, it may surprise us to discover that the story has still not ended. To write a tale that has similar loose ends isn’t to deliberately leave open the option for further tales attached to it, it’s simply a reflection of how Life actually works.
Loose ends are, in fact, popular with some readers. They allow the reader to imagine their own developments. Fans of particular books will eagerly seize loose ends and follow them in the form of fan fiction, whether the author approves or not. Other readers hate them, and if you are one of these, then I apologise, but I have no intention of changing anything! If you are truly eager to discover where certain lines lead, why not drop me a line and say so? Who knows, while I have no plans for a sequel at this time, I may just be persuaded to write one…
~ Steve
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