I remember the first time I saw these three letters. It was in context stating how it was necessary to have HEA. Still, I was puzzled. What was this foreign acronym? After a few more sentences into the paragraph, it dawned on me that it stood for happily ever after. What? I never wrote for happily ever after. If anything, I always wrote about destruction, death, and despair. But, in order to write for this particular contest, it had to be a HEA kind of story. I remember telling my mother about this new concept. She said, “who wants to read about sad things? Life is too depressing as it is.” Point well stated.
So, I’m happy to report I’ve been two years clean of writing about all that’s sad in the world. I once had the misconception that in order to make a point, to stand out, and to have the reader feel something, it had to have a sad ending. Not true at all. Endings can be happy, in fact, they should be happy. Who needs to be depressed, anyway?
My first book to be published is about a girl who’s trapped in a mundane marriage. Sad? Kind of, but I take you through her journey to see if happily ever after does exist for her. Of course to get there, she’ll have to pass through some destruction, death, and despair. Just a little, I promise. Who said I was completely cured? But, at least you know it has to have an HEA.
