Angry with Authors

I read a book this last weekend that I really enjoyed, until the last line.

Ug.

There was so much conflict, so much struggle, so much longing and hope for something better. There were epic battles, HUGE sacrifices, and pain... And all of that would have been worth it, except for that darn last line.

I think about that sometimes, about life and goals and how we strive and hope for an ultimate outcome. We may even fight and sacrifice for that outcome, but it all comes down to that last line. Do we eventually give up? Do we hold strong until the very end?

Source

POST AMENDED: At the request of several readers, I will share that the last line was a cliff hanger. Yes, cliffhanger. I know some of us feel that's okay, and sometimes it is...but not in the very last sentence of the book. You have to give the reader some warning. And seriously, if you're going to kill half (or more) of the cast to accomplish something, don't leave your readers feeling like all the victory was stolen by the last line. Yes, I said STOLEN. *sigh* Rant over. 

Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 

Last week, Jay Noel shared SHADOW WARRIOR with us, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win one of his ebooks.  

Jay's game: 

1. Jay had a near-death experience in his 20's.
2. His biggest fear is being poked in the eye.
3. He went skydiving on his 40th birthday. 

And the lie is:

#3. Jay did not go skydiving for his 40th birthday. 

Way to guess those of you who got it right! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Diane Carlisle!

Congrats Diane! 

And now to today's feature:

A junction between the worlds erupts.

The Gold Rush trickles to a fool’s quest and a string of stagecoach heists. In 1888, Earl Blacke makes a new start to become a better man. He escapes into the mountains, heading north. In the wilds of Oregon, a rift inside an ancient volcano opens, sending him into the future, into the present day. It also shaves thirty years off his age, thirty years to live over and atone for what he’s done.

Starting over is hard to do. In current day New York City, Daelin Long’s dream job at a publishing house goes the way of the dinosaurs her sister chases. With no money and nowhere else to go, Daelin accepts the librarian position in her sister’s dinky town in the middle of Oregon. Nestled inside ancient volcanic peaks, the town of Settler holds onto many secrets. Residents roam the streets with weirdly fashioned devices, and odd lights pulse in the night skies. People whisper of a phantom outlaw and start dying, murdered and missing their heads. Worse, Daelin’s sister is missing, and Daelin doesn’t know who to trust.

Earl knows more than he’s saying. He shares a notorious history with the phantom, one he’ll see remains buried. Keeping Daelin’s sister’s secrets is his only chance at redemption, and the only way to keep this world safe.

MARY PAX ~ M. Pax is author of the series, The Backworlds, The Rifters, and has other novels and several short stories published. Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons to her, and she blames Oregon for that, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers, teaching the public about the stars and the galaxy. A Bachelors of Science in Journalism, she had former lives in marketing and television before settling down to write. 

You might stumble across Mary while on a picnic out in the wilds of Oregon or at a lunch gathering with her writer gal pals, munching on brie.

Mary gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win BOTH eBook's: The Rifters, and The Initiate--before release. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, August 26th, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on August 27th.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Mary stood behind Kurt Vonnegut once in line at a newstand. They spoke for hours in the gardens of Dag Hammerskjold smoking Shermans. 
2. She went on a ghost hunt in the Caribbean. On Nevis there’s a tale about a woeful bride who had a fateful wedding day.
3. On the first date with her husband unit, she hit his car. She was pretty sure there’d be no second date. Fooled her!

Which is the lie? Do you have a secret goal you're pushing toward? Have you ever given up on something and then wished you hadn't? What do you think of time rifts?