Goodbye. Farewell. Amen.
Goodbye, Farewell, Amen.
The thing with endings is that they are just that - endings. There is nothing after that. Why would there be? It’s the end.
We’ve thought about that a lot recently while we work on the final Alan and Frankie book. What kind of ending are we looking for? The happy ending where everyone’s dreams come true. The tragic ending which involve permanent endings or the frustrating ending which leaves more questions than answers.
The answer is simple – at least it is for us –the ending is the one most suited to the characters and their story.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog shortly after the final episode of ‘Line of Duty’ was broadcast. The motivation behind the post stemmed from the reaction of fans, rather than critics, to how the series concluded.
This type of response has recently resurfaced with the release of the ‘Peaky Blinders’ film. The reality is that bringing any series to a close—be it a television series, a film franchise, or a collection of novels—is a task that will inevitably leave some viewers or readers dissatisfied.
Fans, in particular, are those who have invested deeply in the story and its characters, making it almost impossible to craft an ending that pleases everyone.
Without giving too much away, we can confirm that the ending for Alan and Frankie does not involve either of them falling into a waterfall whilst fighting their nemesis. It won’t involve a “Butch and Sundance’ gunfight, and they certainly won’t be sitting in a coach which is balancing precariously over a cliff edge. (Hang on …..)
‘Getting it right’ is one of the reasons that this one has taken so long to write (that and there are six other books to market at the same time). There are a number of loose ends buried across six previous books to tie up and even if they don’t drive the plot of this one, we like to think that the answer is there.
Whilst we don’t have a publication date to share yet, we are getting closer. I said to Ed only a couple of days ago that if people left me alone for a few weeks I would have it finished by the middle of May. (the chances of being left alone are fairly slim but we push on regardless).
Over the next few months, we aim to keep you updated on the book’s progress together with other Alan and Frankie related topics. Expect to see an Alan and Frankie soundtrack to accompany all the books, Ed and I discussing our favourite bits, the moments we laughed at so much when we planned them out and one particular character whose name would send us into fits of giggles.
Until next time let me leave you with two words that have recently been committed to the page.
‘Grandad’s Shoes.’
(If you’re interested and hadn’t realised, the title ; Goodbye. Farewell and Amen, is the title of one of the finest final episodes of any TV series ever)