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Mickey J Corrigan On Happy Endings #Giveaway


 Please welcome author Mickey J Corrigan. She's talking about Happy Endings today. And there are Giveaways! One Kindle copy giveaway of REALLIFE RUM to one commenter!
 
 
Visit Mickey at:
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The Perfect Ending

I'm so sick of happy endings I could scream. Why do we want to read books that are so unlike real life? I for one find it refreshing to read a novel that ends badly. With a death, or a bloody ugly divorce. Jail time, unemployment, loneliness, or a dull life in the suburbs. Because those are the real endings to our stories, aren't they?
Why must female characters always end up being rescued by a modern day Prince Charming? Some rich, handsome, successful man who will stay by her side no matter what? My life hasn't turned out like that. Why would I want to read about some chick who gets everything? Does she deserve it more than I do? I think not.
My favorite movies feature anti-heroines who are out for themselves. They may get the guy, then they toss him away. They don't need rescuing, thank you. They know what they want and that is a full independent life. A lover on occasion. But not as the final chapter to their exciting life story.
Movies like that a rare delight. Novels along these lines are equally hard to find.
When I began writing genre romance I had to change the endings for all of my stories. Each time, I had to rewrite my plot so that the protagonist ended up happy, cozy in the arms of her man. I didn't want to end my stories this way, but no publisher would touch them if my protagonist rode off into the sunset by herself.
One publisher rejected one of my stories with a gruff warning. She said to omit a scene in which an unhappily married woman has a brief and torrid affair with a married neighbor. She told me, "Readers hate women who cheat. They won't like your character."
Well then, we readers are missing out on the depth of real life experience if we refuse to read about women who cheat. Or lie. Or take men for all they're worth, then split. I mean, women do this sort of thing. Why wouldn't we want to read about fictional women who are imperfect? Conniving? Selfish? Or just plain bad?
In my new novella RealLife Rum, the protagonist is not what she seems. She wants what she wants. The epilogue is, in my opinion, not necessary to the story. The HEA is there, but I'd rather it weren't.
I'd love to know what you think.

RealLife Rum
Book #4 in The Hard Stuff series
from The Wild Rose Press
January 28, 2015



A good rum can mix well with anything.

Marina Winston's like a daiquiri: cold and sweet and a bit tart. Now her life has suddenly turned bitter.

RealLife Rum asks the kind of questions you might ponder after a little too much time spent at your favorite tropical bar. Such as: Who determines your destiny? The gods or the gods of money?
Marina Winston is about to find out. She's been invited by a stranger to Dusky Beach, Florida, and will meet her destiny there. Her fate involves RealLife Shares, a spy who loves her, a pink pistol, and a handsome police officer with eyes like an Alaskan dog. Also a hedge fund owned by a mysterious multimillionaire and a blatant murder. All this has something to do with Marina, but she has no idea what.
 
Officer Handsome interrogates her—and turns her on. To Marina, the cool cop represents the chance to demonstrate her freedom of choice. And Marina is determined to choose her own destiny.
 

23 comments:

  1. Susan Flett Swiderski5 March 2015 at 11:49

    I must confess: I like happy endings. But I also like gritty realistic stories that may or may not end up the way I'd like them to end. The only ending that turns me off entirely is the one that lets an unscrupulous character get away with doing all kinds of dastardly deeds without any consequences.

    Your books sounds wonderful! I definitely like "different." Good luck with it.

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  2. Liza5 March 2015 at 12:49

    I don't have to have a happy ending, but I do need a story to leave me with the idea that there is potential or hope for happiness. Otherwise, it's too grim. Real life IS hard. Others may disagree, but I read for a kind of escape. If the book is too stressful, I move on.

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  3. Connie5 March 2015 at 12:49

    I like happy endings, perhaps because it seems there are so few in real life. Most of the time I read because I want to escape real life for a while. Having said, that, I like variety too, and don't mind books based in reality once a while. Thank you for commenting on my blog. Best of luck to you with your book! :)

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  4. tree5 March 2015 at 12:57

    I like happy endings too. But I'm okay with a bad ending, so long as the bulk of the story is not bad. I've got to have more of a balance with happy.

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    Replies
    1. Mickey6 March 2015 at 14:43

      I know what you mean. You don't want it to be ALL dark.

      Delete
  5. Joanne5 March 2015 at 13:04

    I think we are so accustomed to happy endings in novels that it would be a shock to not have one. I think that's what made Gone Girl so intriguing - you knew those folks would stay miserable. I'm fine with a not so happy ending because my mind would fill in the rest. Or think of Gone With the Wind back in the day - it left it open - would Rhett come back? or not? Good post

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  6. Unknown5 March 2015 at 13:21

    It must be hard for you to write all these romances that end HEA if you don't like that. I love moral characters (I'd hate a married character cheating - I'd have no respect for man or woman who did that) and I like HEA, but in genre not romance. In genre, the girl can be independent and doesn't need saving. She's smart, tough, and doesn't need a man to "complete" her.

    Wishing you success on your new book!

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  7. Unknown5 March 2015 at 17:38

    I like happy endings but I think it's mostly because in life, we are let down so many times that we need to escape from reality.
    I do understand where your writing is coming from and would totally love to see how your characters differ from other romances. It's nice to read about happy endings but then again, maybe it's not so bad to relate to the harsh realities within our own lives.

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  8. Karen Lange5 March 2015 at 19:05

    Nas, thanks for introducing us to Mickey! Appreciate her thoughts on endings. It does make me think about my writing. As a reader, depending on the book, I do prefer happy endings because that's the kind of entertainment I am looking for in that instance. I will pass on the giveaway this time around. My TBR pile is beyond tall.

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  9. Mickey6 March 2015 at 04:24

    VERY interesting comments. Escapism is so important and identifying with a protagonist can be too. But sometimes it's fun to follow along as a character's life heads south. Gone Girl is indeed a great example. Thanks for the feedback!! Food for thought.

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  10. Sherry Ellis6 March 2015 at 11:16

    I think it would be refreshing to have a book that doesn't have a happy ending. If publishers don't want that, then publish it yourself.

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    Replies
    1. Mickey6 March 2015 at 14:42

      I think about doing that but I love working with my publishers.Not sure I want to do indie.

      Delete
  11. Sherry Ellis6 March 2015 at 11:16

    I think it would be refreshing to have a book that doesn't have a happy ending. If publishers don't want that, then publish it yourself.

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  12. Cherie Reich7 March 2015 at 09:16

    I don't think books need happy endings, but I think for a romance to be labeled as a romance, it needs to have the happily ever after or happy for now ending. That's what romance readers expect and would be unhappy if they didn't get their HEA/HFN ending. Of course, if you called your book women's fiction or just contemporary without the romance, then you can totally have unhappy endings. :)

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    Replies
    1. Mickey8 March 2015 at 06:31

      I know what you're saying but why do all fictional romances have to end so well? Doesn't this set us up for disappointment in real life?

      Delete
  13. Empty Nest Insider8 March 2015 at 00:30

    I also like happy endings, but sometimes they're just not realistic. If a story is well written with multi-dimensional characters, then it's open to more interesting possibilities. Much success with your new book, Mickey!

    Julie

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  14. Anonymous8 March 2015 at 08:14

    I care about realism. Characters should have flaws. I don't mind unhappy endings.

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  15. Anonymous8 March 2015 at 08:22

    Happy or sad, I've always had trouble writing endings. Probably because I like my characters too much to say goodbye.

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    Replies
    1. Mickey9 March 2015 at 12:09

      I agree with that! It's hard to let them go.

      Delete
  16. DMS8 March 2015 at 09:05

    I like things to be sort of wrapped up at the end of a book, but I don't necessarily need a happy ending. I need one when it feels right for the characters and their story. Sometimes (often) in life a relationship ends and another starts. I do like to read about real characters, with real flaws.

    So interesting to hear from Mickey! Best of luck!
    ~Jess

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  17. Optimistic Existentialist11 March 2015 at 05:22

    I confess to being a sucker for happy endings :)

    ReplyDelete

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