This one-two jab is literally out of this world

Blazing Reader,

I'm a big fan of stories that end with a one-two jab. I did this with Much Ado About Corona. When you thought the story was concluded, I added another twist. I've done an even better one-two jab at the end of All the Humans Are Sleeping.

Before my father was married, he had a housekeeper who always served two desserts. A slice of pie followed by something else. He gained a fair bit of weight under her care. That's what a story concluding with a one-two jab is like.

Fortunately, an extra plot twist at the end of a story doesn't affect your BMI like pie and pudding.

A fictional commercial circulating the net, offering four years of cryogenic freeze to those upset at Trump's election victory, has such a brilliant one-two jab ending. The short skit has a mildly satisfying and expected ending... but follows with a second ending (an epilogue, if you will), which is unexpected (well, I guess I ruined that part for you — try to forget it's coming) and literally out of this world.

You can watch it here: https://x.com/justin_hart/status/1856722404996755526

Stay sane and read great books,

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber at: https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/