Cliffhangers: A Guest Post by Jen Calonita

The Isle of Ever adventures continue in the exhilarating new story from Jen Calonita. After a curse threatens her friends, Benny must uncover a lost treasure before the Isle disappears. Read on for an exclusive essay from Jen on writing The Curse Breaker.

I was nine when my dad took me to see Return of the Jedi opening night at a movie theater on Long Island. I can distinctly remember holding his hand and listening to everyone lined up with us discussing what they thought was going to happen after that cliffhanger in The Empire Strikes Back. The rebels had been betrayed! Han Solo was frozen in carbonite! And Luke Skywalker lost his hand and learned the truth about his family. “I am your father,” Darth Vader told Luke and it felt like the entire world had a collective jaw drop.

That’s what I have always loved about a cliffhanger—a good one brings fans together and makes you all the more excited about what comes next. While I’ve always loved cliffhangers, I’ve never attempted to write one into one of my books till the Isle of Ever series came along (The Curse Breaker, part two, comes out March 10^th). When I first envisioned this middle grade mystery/adventure series about a girl who finds out she must find a mysterious island that exists on no maps to collect an inheritance, the story was so big, I knew I couldn’t fit it in one book. I wanted to write a story that had readers racing to decode clues, solve riddles and unravel the mystery behind a cursed pirate treasure and an island that appears and disappears over time. And I wanted to drop a few big bombshells along the way. With so much going on, I didn’t see how there wouldn’t be a cliffhanger at the end of book one. But I was also nervous about reaction. Would readers be mad at me?

My editor and I discussed the issue at length. How much do we reveal and what do we hold back for The Curse Breaker? What’s the best way to end a story that leaves readers satisfied but anxious for the next installment? What surprises should be revealed in each book? In truth, the ending of Isle of Ever actually had a huge bombshell that now comes in The Curse Breaker. You’ll find out what it is soon enough….

When Isle of Ever first started going out to reviewers, I held my breath. Then the emails and texts from early readers started rolling in. “Nooo!!!”  “How could you do this to me?” And the most popular, and my personal favorite: “When do we get the next book?” When I saw that, I knew a cliffhanger was the right choice for this series.

I’m excited to see what readers think of this next chapter in Benny, Evelyn and Captain Kimble’s story, but I will warn you: There is a part three of Isle of Ever. Another cliffhanger is coming, and I can promise you one thing: It’s a good one.