Writers spend a lot of time on their opening paragraphs, and rightly so. Then we stand on the corner, displaying our wares under a streetlamp, waiting for a reader (or agent, or editor) to drive by. When they slow down, or stop at a red light, we boldly slink out to the curb, holding the first manuscript page of our novel up to the car window, pointing to that first seductive sentence, the alluring opening paragraph, the irresistible hook that will charm them into opening the passenger door and inviting us in. Hooker and hookee, together at last in a kind of erotic literary eHarmony dream.

But—and I apologize if you wanted me to pursue this dream further—what about the final paragraph of the novel?

You’ve seen the movie … would you buy the book? Here to examine that question, and others, is our guest blogger, Honolulu writer (and reader and moviegoer) Sally Sorenson. Welcome, Sally!

“You’ve seen the movie; would you buy the book? Did Clark Gable uttering Rhett Butler’s classic “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” leave you satisfied—that ending said it all—or, like millions of romance junkies over the decades, did you want a sequel? After all, tomorrow was another day.