It happens every time.  As I am writing the final scenes of my book, I feel the melancholy rolling in. I know that I must say good-bye to my characters and it’s always a bittersweet parting.  Anyone who writes knows that you don’t just think of your characters when you’re actually writing.  You think of them while you drift off to sleep, while you’re supposed to be working at your day job, and while your husband is telling you that the grout on the bathroom floor is cracking.  Your characters are talking to you all of the time; you created them, now you can’t shut them up.  They are your friends, your enemies, your lovers.  Then comes the moment when you must end the story and say good-bye.  I’ve said before that I often pull one of my books off of a shelf just for a visit.  There are characters I like more than others, but they are all my babies.  As I put the finishing touches on my newest novel, I must take a deep breath and prepare myself for the inevitable good-byes.