What's In A Name?

Thanks to everyone who helped me brainstorm titles a couple weeks ago. We came up with some great ideas. I submitted the list to my editor for their monthly pow-wow to determine all the names for the April releases. I had no idea when it would actually take place. Earlier this week, my editor sent me a note that said they'd picked a title, but she couldn't tell me until marketing approved it.

Torture!

I mean, really. I'm no marketing expert, but it really is hard to write this book, create this baby, then just hand it over for someone else to decide what to call it and what it's going to look like. They know better. Really. And what they came up with is as good as or maybe even better than anything I sent in. But the waiting is so painful!

Yesterday, I made a joke on Twitter that I hoped the hurricaine missed them for their sake, but that I also hoped it wouldn't hold up the marketing approval of my title because it was killing me to wait. She then informated me Marketing is in Canada, so I shouldn't worry. And then, a few hours later, I got an email with the results. I almost couldn't open the email. What if it was horrible?

Then it was great. I was so relieved. I actually have an old book under the bed with this name, so it has to be a great title. So, without further ado.... drumroll... My first book is called....

WHAT LIES BENEATH!

What do you think? I like it. I think it works with the lies and the dual personalities of my heroine. All sorts of things going on beneath the surface. Just perfect.

SP

Name That Book

I bet for a second you thought this was going to be some kind of trivia game where I ask questions and you guess the book. Sorry, no games today, although that might be fun at some point.

What I literally need is a name for my book. The one I was using during the submission process doesn't fit with the line's new title scheme, which is more single title, less Millionaire's Virgin Mistress. Which I'm good with. But, I have to submit a list of title suggestions to my editor by Tuesday. So I need help. I've come up with a couple and friends have suggested a few. I've listed them below. I have also included a short blurb of the story to give you an idea of the book so you can help me come up with some more choices.

Adrienne Lockhart put everything into her dream of being a Manhattan fashion designer. When she fails and closes up her shop, her life comes crashing down. Literally. When she wakes up in the hospital, she has no memory of who she is or what happened, but the ID bracelet on her wrist says "Cynthia Dempsey" and the handsome, but distant, newspaper CEO by her bedside says he's her fiancé .

Will tried to work it out with Cynthia, but he discovers information that gives him no choice but to call off the wedding. Later that day, he learns her plane crashed and she's survived, but is seriously injured. She has amnesia and doesn't remember they broke up, so he returns to her bedside as the concerned fiancé until she recovers. The woman he finds there looks like Cynthia, but her personality has changed radically. He's drawn to her like never before and begins to wonder if they've been given another try to work things out.

As Will and Adrienne are drawn together in a second chance at love, secrets from Cynthia's past threaten to tear them apart. When she realizes she's not who everyone thinks she is, how can she tell everyone, including the man she's come to love, the truth? And will he believe her?

So, there you go. Here's the list of what I've gotten so far. I've played on the second chance theme, engagement, newspaper, design/fashion, memory loss, crash/accident, etc. I need to narrow it down to about ten, so let me know which ones you like the best and throw out any ideas. I need all the help I can get. :)

Accidentally in Love
Crash Into Love/Me

Crash and Yearn
Taking Chances
A Second Chance at Love
To Love Again
Once More With Feeling

Against All Odds
Fashionably Seductive/Desirable
A/His Perfect Fit
Love/Romance/Desire/Passion by Design
Designs on His Fianceé
Tailor-Made for Love/Romance/Each Other
Front Page Seduction
Engaged in Seduction
Unforgettable
Forgotten Desires
Remember Me
The Memory of His Touch/Kiss
Facing the Past
A Time to Remember
Taking Chances
A Matter of Trust
The Way We Weren't
Under His Skin
Another Woman’s Life/Lover/Mistake

What's your favorite? Got any other ideas?

SP

How Important Are They Really?

I am currently stuck in title land. This is where I search for the perfect word and/or phrase to describe my book. It's sorta like naming your child. Actually, it's harder than naming your child. With my girls I picked out a name that both Zilla and I liked and when the girls popped out it just seemed to fit. It was perfect. With a title the problem is the book is already there, fully formed, and nothing seems quite right.

I suppose there is the possibility that I'm trying to hard - that I want it to be perfect and sometimes things just aren't. There's also the distinct possibility that I suck at titles. They're tricky things. Sometimes I get to keep the title I turn the book in under. Sometimes I get to have some input on what we change it to. And sometimes my editor tells me what my title's going to be. While I like the input, I'll admit that if I'm struggling I'm usually okay with them telling me what it's going to be. There are smarter people than I in the marketing department and they know what they're doing. I'd be stupid not to let them do their jobs. Their goal and mine are the same - sell my book.

But this does bring me to my original question. How important are titles. Really? I mean do you buy a book just because it has a fantabulous title? I might pick a book up because of a title but ultimately the back cover copy has to grab my attention before I'll buy.

So do you pick up a book in the store based on a title? Is there a title that sticks out in your mind? Something that was funny or evocative? One you really remember even after the fact? If you're a writer, do you have a favorite title? Have you ever gotten to keep your titles or does your publisher always choose them for you?

Instigator

An Early Christmas Present

This year I got an early Christmas present - a title and release date. YAY!! Whispers in the Dark will be an August 08 Harlequin Blaze release.

Everyone keeps telling me that things are going to move quickly now. Art fact sheets. Line edits. Getting my cover. Seeing my book on the shelf. My first signing. And I know it will. 8 months is going to fly. Part of me just can't wait. And part of me is scared out of my skull.

What if my grandmother reads the book and hates it? (not that she'd probably say anything...) What if my mom reads the book and loves it? I don't mind her buying it but somehow that's a line I think maybe shouldn't be crossed, like the unacknowledged fact that your parents must have had sex in order for you to exist.

I've heard several times that selling your first book doesn't solve everything. You exchange one set of problems for another. I think in most cases you can substitute the word problem for fears. Each time I sent a submission out I was afraid - afraid it wouldn't be good enough, afraid to get feedback that would hurt, afraid that someone would say I should just quit while I was ahead. Those fears are gone, replaced by new ones. What if I get a bad review? What if I get prison mail? What if I can't do it again?

So no, the problems and fears don't go away they just morph and change. But this week none of that matters because I have a release date :-)

What are you anticipating?

Instigator

P.S. The winner of PM's handy-dandy booklight is Chelle! Please email the Playground Monitor to arrange to get your prize.