Why you should NEVER write a cliffhanger ending to a novel

I am addicted to the Ariana Franklin "Mistress of the Art of Death" series.  Sure there are HUGE plot holes and characters act in ways that make you wonder where their senses went, but overall the books are beautifully paced and compelling.

I just finished my last one " aAMurderous Procession" which ended with Rowley Picot clinging to life and everyone trying to get out of Italy.   I went to the LAPL catalog to reserve the next one, only to find there IS no next one and never will be!  The author, Diana Norman, DIED in 2011.   SHOOT! ( well, that's NOT what I said, but you get the gist of it.)   NOOOOOOO!!!!!  Now we will never know what happens.  Did she leave notes?   Did she get someone who might finish the series?  We NEED one more novel to clear everything up and tie up the loose ends.

In the interest of keeping my sanity, I humbly offer the following summary of what takes place in the next novel:

After a long sea voyage, Adelia realizes that Rowley is a whiny brat who will never ever accept that Adelia has brains and should be allowed to use them.  She dumps him in favor of  The O'Donnell, who loves the fact that she can think for herself and actually encourages her.  He loves her for who she is, not who he wants her to be.  They go back to England and take up residence in the house that Emma built for Adelia.  He does not give up his seafaring ways and the relationship works just fine for them.  She continues her practice, now with her father and mother who move into the castle with Emma.  No one is murdered but a few annoying clerics from earlier novels fall in the mud.  A lot.

Adelia and Rowley's daughter Allie grows up and married Emma's son Phillip ( aka "Pippi") .As a lady of the manor, she is allowed to pursue her interest in animals and is often called upon to asssist with sick livestock, which helps her community.  No one thinks it's odd, they are just grateful to her for her skill.

Ulf becomes a knight, after spending some time sailing with The O'Donnell. Rutger teaches him everything he knows about being a knight. He manages to avoid getting sent on Crusade with Richard the Lionheart, but settles in nicely to protect Emma and Rutger's land.  He marries Boggart and they have a lot of children.

Mansur and Gyltha settle down to domestic bliss.  The townspeople, thinking Mansur is a eunuch don't mind the arrangement at all.

There. I feel better now.  I really hope there is a draft of the final novel somewhere in her papers, but everything I read says no.  This will have to do, I suppose.

Note to authors everywhere, if you are going to end your novel on a cliffhanger, do the decent thing and leave some notes for someone else to complete the tale!