Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Hookers and Hangers Blogfest Day 2




Thanks for all the comments on my hookers! Today I get to share a few "hangers" with you...the last lines of a chapter that make it impossible for a reader to put down your book. 


Here are a few last lines from Remake. I'm afraid they aren't much better than the hookers of a couple days ago, even though you guys were too kind and said a lot of nice things anyway. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to see who else is participating here.


1. I know I'll never forget the spine-chilling sound of that woman's scream.

2. "Those aren't clouds," he says, standing up to adjust the sails of the canoe. "It's smoke."

3. I drop the fabric from my ear, screaming--and the blunt end of Bron's gun flies to my face.


Today I want to know if you have ever thrown a book across the room after reading The End. For me, I can think of two: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (which is in no way a reflection of the awesomeness of that series, just my frustrations with the ending of that first book) and The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (which not only is over 800 pages long but the last book of a series and is definitely an indication of my frustrations with a sucktastic ending to a very long time investment).

37 comments:

Kyra Lennon said...

Whoa. All of these are incredible!

Clare said...

Whoa, those were some intense hangers. Hard to pick a favourite, as each one would make me want to read the next chapter.

Dani said...

Those Hangers are fantastic! I'm so interested in what the is about!

Karen Baldwin said...

You got me at number 2, though all are great.

Stina said...

Awesome hangers!!! And I know what you mean about those two books. I also had the same problem with book #3 of the Vampire Academy series. My "Noooooooo!" could be heard down the street. :D

Suzi said...

Holy tension. I wouldn't put your story down after any of them. Great job!

F said...

Again, I love them all! I think the second one is my favourite, purely because it's such an epic line, and it really seems to set up for a dramatic sequence of events or something along those lines in the next chapter. Great job, Ilima, and thanks for sharing!

Amanda Olivieri said...

Wow, these are great. I really love all of them, but the last one is my favorite. I'd definitely stay up late to see what happens next :)

Tobi Summers said...

Well, I certainly wouldn't stop reading with any of those! I can't pick a favorite; they're all awesome!

L.G. Keltner said...

These do a wonderful job of making me want to know more. As a fellow writer, I know how hard we can be on ourselves, but these really are very good.

Jeannette said...

I like your hangers very much. And to answer your question about reader frustration, there have been a lot for me, especially lately. Doesn't it seem like a HUGE setup for the next book is the "in" way of ending a story nowadays? I actually did it for my book, but it's angered me so much in other stories that I've realized my ending is due for a huge rewrite. And I read The Sweet Far Thing as a standalone (didn't read the ones before), and I totally feel your pain!

Emily R. King said...

Riveting, Ilima! I'd read on. :)

I felt the same way about The Sweet Far Thing. It turned me off all her books. Won't read them. Nope. Still mad.

Gossip_Grl said...

Nice endings. Very intense hangers. Enjoyed reading them.

Lynn(e) Schmidt said...

I love the smoke, and the gun endings. And yes to your thrown a book. It wasn't quite the end, but it was the ending of Before. I threw my book when I read what happened in Looking for Alaska. Then called my friend sobbing. His response? "Well, at least it's only a book, right?"

Kimberly Gabriel said...

Ooh! These are very good! I want to read this!

Martin Willoughby said...

Great last lines. The second one reminds me of the part of Star Wars when Obi-Wan says, that's not a moon.

Rachel Schieffelbein said...

Wow, those were great! I'd have to keep reading into the next chapters!

1000th.monkey said...

I really like the first two, but the third one (I think) loses some of the impact because of the passive wording at the end. The second one is definitely my favourite :) ...it's rarely a good sign when you see smoke...

Nancy Thompson said...

What are you talking about? I think they're all damn good!

Rachel said...

I don't remember throwing a book across the room, but I definitely got irritated with the ending of the Hunger Games trilogy.

Thanks for the follow! right back atcha! ;)

Krista McLaughlin said...

Wow. The first one gives me goosebumps. I've thrown a book across the room - Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. It was so terrible it deserved to be thrown. Oh well.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

All were good. #2 is my favorite.

Robyn Campbell said...

Oh man! These are sweet!!!!!!! Everyone of them. I was supposed to be in this blogfest, but my sis-in-law passed away. Thanks for the follow. Returning the favor. Lovely to know ya. *waves peace sign* (Love your name.)

Hope Roberson said...

WOW! WOW! WOW! Perfection! Each one even surpasses the one before (hard to believe that's possible). Excellent hangers Ilima :)

Deana said...

Talk about mine? Your number three is killer...literally and figuratively:):)

Jenny S. Morris said...

These have SO much tension. And the last one really makes me want to read on. Great job~!!

Thanks for doing this with us!

Mark Murata said...

#1 is a good sentence. Or, you might try something like "The woman's scream corkscrewed my spine." It depends on the context.

For #2, you might try something more abrupt, like "He stands and trims(?) the sails of the canoe."

#3 sounds great!

Unknown said...

All three are great! But I especially love #1. :)

Kathryn Purdie said...

Ooh, all fabulous, once again. #2 and #3 are fabulous for page-turning effect, and #1 looks like a great final reflection of the awesomeness that was that chapter (cuz I got to read it, of course!).

I totally get your pain with The Sweet Far Thing. I didn't feel that way with City of Bones because I knew the ending just couldn't possibly be true or the end relationship of those two characters. I almost felt a book-throwing urge upon reading the end of Cold Mountain, which was a fabulous, but upset me tons at the time. Never actually chucked a book, though. :-)

Robin said...

You have nothing to be ashamed of with those hangers; they are all good. Seriously. I can't choose one. They all make me want to read on....

Cassie Mae said...

Your book totally sounds like it'll give me nightmares, but like the good ones. The ones when I have to wake up and finish reading so I know what happens! Awesome!

Nick Wilford said...

What are you talking about, these hangers are immense! Hard to choose a fave, but #1 really imprints the feeling of the narrator, and #2 brings a real sense of danger. Amazing job!

Trisha said...

You clearly know just how to end a chapter on a dramatic note! These are all really good. I think my favourite is the 3rd, as it's clearly the most action-packed :) The others are good for other reasons though.

Peggy Eddleman said...

Fabulous hangers! My favorite is the smoke one. So ominous!

jaybird said...

I've been away, and had to go catch up on all your hookers, which I have to agree- are all great. But I am happy to report after reading your hangers, they are all great too!

As far as books I threw across the room-not so much because I was mad at the ending, but because I was scared as all get out. I was young, and snuck a copy of Stephen King's Salem Lot into my room at night. Knowing me, and how much of a total chicken shit I am, should clue you in as to how well that all went down...

My first voyage/intro to vampires, had me sleeping with the lights on for months after that!

Ink in the Book said...

Hanger #1 sounded spine-chilling. I'm sure it scared the pants off me and if I had this book in my hand to read, it would quickly see me turning the page.
Sorry I'm so late commenting. But there were a LOT of people in the this blog hop! I'll be trying to keep up with your writing as I follow your posting now:)

Kelley Lynn said...

I've never thrown a book across a room. Though I might just want to try to see how that would feel :)

I really like #2. Curious what the smoke means for them.