A Matter of Heart by Heather Lyons: Release Day and Guest Post!

Hey everyone, 

Today I'm excited to have Heather Lyons back on the blog. In case you missed it, you can check out her Authors Tell All skinny dipping post here. Today is the release day for A MATTER OF HEART, and she's got a post on cliffhangers.

Cliffhangers—They leave us hangin’ (in a good way—no, really!).

As both a voracious reader as well as a writer, one thing that I’ve noticed over the years that’s sure to rile up fans is a cliffhanger ending. Personally, I’ve agonized over such when I’ve encountered them in stories. How, I’ve raged both silently and out loud to my poor husband afterwards, can the author do this to me? I must have answers! How can they just leave me like this for MONTHS (or, worse yet, a year to years!)?

SPOILER ALERT, WILL ROBINSON. MILD SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!

The answer is: not easily. Or, at least that’s my perspective having just utilized this timeworn literary plot device myself. When writing A Matter of Heart, the second book in my urban fantasy/romance Fate series, I knew that certain things had to happen to carry the story and the characters forward. But, in order to do that, I ended up having to enact something that has personally left me distraught and annoyed toward authors for years: I left my own readers with a cliffhanger-ish ending. It wasn’t done lightly. I didn’t cackle when I got to the end, rubbing my hands together like a villainous authoress. Instead, I came to the decision after much careful consideration on what would be the most authentic ending I could craft for this story. And even still, I’ve already heard from dear readers rightly demanding some ‘splaining on my end.

END OF MILD SPOILERS!

Why is it we have such strong reactions to cliffhangers? Is it just that the unknown is unnerving, especially when answers do not come quickly? I watched another author get roasted earlier in the year when they left their book with a cliffhanger ending, even though the next book in the series is less than a year away. Some readers were incensed, and it made me wonder if we, as readers, feel that we are owed the answers we want right away. There’s always that old-age adage that says good things come to those who wait, but anyone who has ever read a cliffhanger ending knows that that’s a whole lotta bull because ANSWERS ARE NEEDED and they’re needed NOW or it will drive a person insane with the What Ifs and the How Comes.

And yet, for all of our self-righteous anger (which, as I’ve admitted above, I partake in myself as a reader!), the truth is . . . those cliffhanger endings ensure we come back to find out the answers we crave. It’s truly a rare book (or movie) that I’d consider abandoning because I’m too upset to go on. Instead, I’ll vent, I’ll stalk the ‘net for spoilers, hints, clues—anything I can get my hands on, and then when the book comes out, I’ll dig right back in because I won’t be able to help myself. There are answers that must be found, and I’ve waited long enough, thank you very much.

Because in the end, I think we all sort of love to hate cliffhangers. After all, they give us that bit opportunity to live a little longer in the worlds we inhabit in books as we obsess over just what it is we must know.

The End

. . . or is it?

No longer in high school, Chloe Lilywhite is now living and working in Annar, the Magicals' city-state plane of existence. Since moving, she's joined the Council, gone on missions with the Guard, moved into her own apartment, and enrolled at the University of Annar. Plus, she's happily engaged to be married to Jonah Whitecomb, the literal man from her dreams, not to mention her Connection. While she still struggles with aspects of her craft, Chloe feels like she's finally coming into her own, especially after a difficult year that had her questioning nearly everything in her life.

After a brutal attack by the Elders, her life is turned upside down once more. Accusations fly throughout the Council and Guard, forcing Chloe to confront her worst fears about what's she's capable of as a Creator. And then there's the matter of Kellan Whitecomb, Jonah's twin brother and Chloe's ex, who resurfaces after disappearing months before. Although Chloe chose Jonah, and despite their best efforts, the two find it hard to stay away from one another.

But no matter what Fate throws at her, Chloe is determined to take charge of her life, even as it begins to spiral out of control.

A MATTER OF HEART is book 2 in the Fate Series, a mature Young Adult/New Adult fantasy.

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