A Title by Any Other Name

Me at mariposaPat here, writing from Yosemite's Mariposa Grove:

Quantum asked how the wenches choose their titles and are they as important as the covers? (Quantum wins a book of mine and is still in the pot for the rest of the wenches, because it’s a fun question)

Whether we like it or not, book titles are important. Do you ever receive newsletters like Bookbub or EarlyBird advertising book sales? I’m picking through a recent one, and I apologize to any authors I might offend, but I pulled these titles off one sales sheet: Ballad of the Sad Café, The Revelation Room, Arkansas, Shadow of Ashland—what kind of books do you think these titles represent? Would you reach for any of them? I’d jump on Ballad of the Sad Café, and if I were bored or desperate, I might look into the Revelation Room, but the others, big yawn. THAT’s why titles are important—they persuade readers to snatch a book off the shelf and dive in.

Our weary brains have to process a lot of information every day. We’re constantly bombarded with ads, social media, newsletters, bookstore shelves, friend recommendations, the list of information sources is endless. For us to hear a Rice_LessonsinEnchantment_800x1200message about a book, the title or cover has to jump out at us, hit us over the head, and shout Buy Me. So yeah, I’d say the title is almost as important as the cover.

A really good title tells us the book’s genre, excites interest, says “this is the kind of book you want to read.” What does Arkansas tell you? That it’s a history maybe? The cover isn’t any help. The publisher is relying on you to skip title and cover and read the blurb about “’sly, self-knowing, and hilarious’ novellas of escape and exile.” Yeah, I didn’t get that either.

So when a publisher titles a book, they’re looking at marketing. Speaking from a writer’s POV, I want to see an accurate portrayal of the story. The two do not always go hand in hand. When I’m working on a book, I tend to slap a title on it like The Viscount’s Dilemma. Or maybe just Lydia the Librarian. I’m simple-minded and like the obvious. I suspect most readers would look at my makeshift titles and think Regency Romance. They’d be wrong, although not by a whole lot. I do have a Regency sensibility, but I’m currently writing Victorian Romance with a paranormal twist. So my work-in-process titles don’t make the final cut. The book may be about a viscount and his problems, but the title has to appeal to readers who like Victorian romance and psychics. If they think it’s a sweet Regency, I’ve not only lost my intended audience, but I’ve disappointed a readership who expected a new Regency. Errors like that can kill an author’s sales.

PatRice_IndigoMoon4So how do we settle on a title? Difficultly, very difficultly. When I was working with a traditional publisher, I’d set up lists of romantic adjectives and nouns that applied to my book and might appeal to my readers. I’d work through the list, sending my editor titles like “Blue Moon,” or “Romantic Nights,” and work my way through the list, “Blue Nights, Romantic Moon. . .” You get the picture. Eventually, I’d end up with Indigo Moon and voila, my editor would jump with joy. (Actually, I got that title on the first try, but that’s the only one ever.)

Now that I’m working with a cooperative of other authors, title hunting can become extremely. . . entertaining. We may all be professionals, but fantasy authors go for fantasy titles and The Magic Camera just won’t cut it in romance. And straight romance authors might want The Viscount’s Hot Dreams. Or we can lump it all together and go with Magical Hot Dreams.  I’m the one who gets the final choice, and since I don’t write hot, any sexy titles are nixed. I have to be aware that while The Viscount’s Dilemma  is exactly what the book is about, it won’t sell my book to readers who are waiting for my next Magical Malcolm book, but neither will hot dreams and magic cameras.

I still have lists of adjectives and nouns to jog my thought processes. Since the current books are part of the School of Pencil-1891732_1280Magic series, I’d like to relate them to “school” while being romantic and give a hint of magic. Try that sometime. (Please, send me all titles you think might cover those requirements! I’m desperate. I still have three more books to go.) So I have lists of “school” words: teacher, academy, class, governess, and I have lists of “magic” words: illusion, enchantment, charm, and lists of “romantic” words: dreams, enticing, wicked. And then I have to pull them all together to fit the subject of the book. Uh huh, that’s happening.

But somehow I pulled together the first three books in the series: Lessons in Enchantment,

Rice_ABewitchingGoverness_600x900A Bewitching Governess, An Illusion of Love—so, yeah, I gave up the “school” connection on that third one. It didn’t help that the heroine is actually a photographer and not a teacher. Try working “photographer” into a romantic magical title! But “illusion” fits the magical category and “love” certainly says romance.

Before I reached those titles, however, I spent hours putting together ideas, showing them to the authors in my co-op, brainstorming ideas with other wenches, pounding my head against the desk. . . Titles may be partially creative, but left-brained marketing techniques are a substantial part of the whole, and that’s painful. I don’t naturally think like that. This is where traditional publishers have an advantage—they have trained marketing people and statistics on hand to say “Love” was a bestselling word in 3 out of 10 of their last titles, and “Illusion” fared well in 3 out of 5 of our paranormal series. . .Rice_AnIllusionofLove 600x900

And yes, publishers have people on staff whose purpose is to come up with those titles you love to hate—and they haven’t even read the book. So I guess I do have some advantage. I at least know what the book is about. Otherwise I might just go to Amazon, find the top-selling titles in the genres I’m marketing, and start a new list of nouns and adjectives.

An Illusion of Love is up for pre-order and will be out on July 21st. I’m working on the three books that will be released next year. The temporary title I mentioned above, Lydia the Librarian, is one of next year’s books. Another is currently passing as The Earl’s Medallion. Neither of those titles will make the cut. If you were a marketing department that has never read the book, what words would you suggest that would fit my parameters—school related/ romance/ psychic/ Victorian?

Do you have any favorite title stories? Have you ever bought a book for the title? (I started a life-long love of Terry Pratchett when I snatched up Wyrd Sisters.)

Rice_Imperfect Rebel600x900And just in case you’re interested, one of my contemporary romances, Imperfect Rebel, will be free through July 22 at all retailers. It’s funny and sad and best of all, free. And it’s on its second title already—the first was Almost Perfect, which fit the book much better but didn’t work for the series.

230 thoughts on “A Title by Any Other Name”

  1. What a great post! I always wondered how a book gets a title. It sounds like it’s as challenging as writing the book itself. I recently read a book and the title did not match the book,I think I would have created a more interesting, attention grabbing title. 😊

    Reply
  2. What a great post! I always wondered how a book gets a title. It sounds like it’s as challenging as writing the book itself. I recently read a book and the title did not match the book,I think I would have created a more interesting, attention grabbing title. 😊

    Reply
  3. What a great post! I always wondered how a book gets a title. It sounds like it’s as challenging as writing the book itself. I recently read a book and the title did not match the book,I think I would have created a more interesting, attention grabbing title. 😊

    Reply
  4. What a great post! I always wondered how a book gets a title. It sounds like it’s as challenging as writing the book itself. I recently read a book and the title did not match the book,I think I would have created a more interesting, attention grabbing title. 😊

    Reply
  5. What a great post! I always wondered how a book gets a title. It sounds like it’s as challenging as writing the book itself. I recently read a book and the title did not match the book,I think I would have created a more interesting, attention grabbing title. 😊

    Reply
  6. Pat, I hear you on temporary titles, but I tend to get attached to mine and my editors always hate them, so a while back, for my mysteries, I just started calling them Liss #11 or Mikki #3 and then, as you do, coming up with lists of possible titles. P.S. My current editor and my agent come up with some pretty hilarious ones during the process, since puns are popular in cozy titles.

    Reply
  7. Pat, I hear you on temporary titles, but I tend to get attached to mine and my editors always hate them, so a while back, for my mysteries, I just started calling them Liss #11 or Mikki #3 and then, as you do, coming up with lists of possible titles. P.S. My current editor and my agent come up with some pretty hilarious ones during the process, since puns are popular in cozy titles.

    Reply
  8. Pat, I hear you on temporary titles, but I tend to get attached to mine and my editors always hate them, so a while back, for my mysteries, I just started calling them Liss #11 or Mikki #3 and then, as you do, coming up with lists of possible titles. P.S. My current editor and my agent come up with some pretty hilarious ones during the process, since puns are popular in cozy titles.

    Reply
  9. Pat, I hear you on temporary titles, but I tend to get attached to mine and my editors always hate them, so a while back, for my mysteries, I just started calling them Liss #11 or Mikki #3 and then, as you do, coming up with lists of possible titles. P.S. My current editor and my agent come up with some pretty hilarious ones during the process, since puns are popular in cozy titles.

    Reply
  10. Pat, I hear you on temporary titles, but I tend to get attached to mine and my editors always hate them, so a while back, for my mysteries, I just started calling them Liss #11 or Mikki #3 and then, as you do, coming up with lists of possible titles. P.S. My current editor and my agent come up with some pretty hilarious ones during the process, since puns are popular in cozy titles.

    Reply
  11. Well I mostly buy by author. i do find new authors, but mostly by recommendation (from other authors or from family and friends) so I don’t pay much attention to titles. But I know I’m in the minority in this.
    What I DO use titles for is to help me remember specific books. “What was that book about incest and murder?” doesn’t help me find it and Linda Howard’s titlle “Shades of Twilight wasn’t much help either. But most titles do help me find the proper book. So I do indeed appreciate the trouble authors go to in finding the appropriate titlle for each book they produce.

    Reply
  12. Well I mostly buy by author. i do find new authors, but mostly by recommendation (from other authors or from family and friends) so I don’t pay much attention to titles. But I know I’m in the minority in this.
    What I DO use titles for is to help me remember specific books. “What was that book about incest and murder?” doesn’t help me find it and Linda Howard’s titlle “Shades of Twilight wasn’t much help either. But most titles do help me find the proper book. So I do indeed appreciate the trouble authors go to in finding the appropriate titlle for each book they produce.

    Reply
  13. Well I mostly buy by author. i do find new authors, but mostly by recommendation (from other authors or from family and friends) so I don’t pay much attention to titles. But I know I’m in the minority in this.
    What I DO use titles for is to help me remember specific books. “What was that book about incest and murder?” doesn’t help me find it and Linda Howard’s titlle “Shades of Twilight wasn’t much help either. But most titles do help me find the proper book. So I do indeed appreciate the trouble authors go to in finding the appropriate titlle for each book they produce.

    Reply
  14. Well I mostly buy by author. i do find new authors, but mostly by recommendation (from other authors or from family and friends) so I don’t pay much attention to titles. But I know I’m in the minority in this.
    What I DO use titles for is to help me remember specific books. “What was that book about incest and murder?” doesn’t help me find it and Linda Howard’s titlle “Shades of Twilight wasn’t much help either. But most titles do help me find the proper book. So I do indeed appreciate the trouble authors go to in finding the appropriate titlle for each book they produce.

    Reply
  15. Well I mostly buy by author. i do find new authors, but mostly by recommendation (from other authors or from family and friends) so I don’t pay much attention to titles. But I know I’m in the minority in this.
    What I DO use titles for is to help me remember specific books. “What was that book about incest and murder?” doesn’t help me find it and Linda Howard’s titlle “Shades of Twilight wasn’t much help either. But most titles do help me find the proper book. So I do indeed appreciate the trouble authors go to in finding the appropriate titlle for each book they produce.

    Reply
  16. The most important thing on a cover is the name of an author one loves, but if the author is unknown, cover art and title both become really important. Yes, trying to get so many nuances into three words or so is HARD! Even harder for books that cross genre lines. It is never easy. It never GETS easier! And yet we persist. *G*

    Reply
  17. The most important thing on a cover is the name of an author one loves, but if the author is unknown, cover art and title both become really important. Yes, trying to get so many nuances into three words or so is HARD! Even harder for books that cross genre lines. It is never easy. It never GETS easier! And yet we persist. *G*

    Reply
  18. The most important thing on a cover is the name of an author one loves, but if the author is unknown, cover art and title both become really important. Yes, trying to get so many nuances into three words or so is HARD! Even harder for books that cross genre lines. It is never easy. It never GETS easier! And yet we persist. *G*

    Reply
  19. The most important thing on a cover is the name of an author one loves, but if the author is unknown, cover art and title both become really important. Yes, trying to get so many nuances into three words or so is HARD! Even harder for books that cross genre lines. It is never easy. It never GETS easier! And yet we persist. *G*

    Reply
  20. The most important thing on a cover is the name of an author one loves, but if the author is unknown, cover art and title both become really important. Yes, trying to get so many nuances into three words or so is HARD! Even harder for books that cross genre lines. It is never easy. It never GETS easier! And yet we persist. *G*

    Reply
  21. Hi Pat! I absolutely adore brainstorming titles! If I were naming Lydia the Librarian, I’d probably call it “By Magic Bound”. The Earl’s Medallion is a tough one without a little more information though, lol.
    I first discovered your books when I bought Magic Man on impulse, because of the irresistible title and gorgeous cover with a running horse. Your acknowledgements in that series mention the help you had with those titles! All very well chosen!

    Reply
  22. Hi Pat! I absolutely adore brainstorming titles! If I were naming Lydia the Librarian, I’d probably call it “By Magic Bound”. The Earl’s Medallion is a tough one without a little more information though, lol.
    I first discovered your books when I bought Magic Man on impulse, because of the irresistible title and gorgeous cover with a running horse. Your acknowledgements in that series mention the help you had with those titles! All very well chosen!

    Reply
  23. Hi Pat! I absolutely adore brainstorming titles! If I were naming Lydia the Librarian, I’d probably call it “By Magic Bound”. The Earl’s Medallion is a tough one without a little more information though, lol.
    I first discovered your books when I bought Magic Man on impulse, because of the irresistible title and gorgeous cover with a running horse. Your acknowledgements in that series mention the help you had with those titles! All very well chosen!

    Reply
  24. Hi Pat! I absolutely adore brainstorming titles! If I were naming Lydia the Librarian, I’d probably call it “By Magic Bound”. The Earl’s Medallion is a tough one without a little more information though, lol.
    I first discovered your books when I bought Magic Man on impulse, because of the irresistible title and gorgeous cover with a running horse. Your acknowledgements in that series mention the help you had with those titles! All very well chosen!

    Reply
  25. Hi Pat! I absolutely adore brainstorming titles! If I were naming Lydia the Librarian, I’d probably call it “By Magic Bound”. The Earl’s Medallion is a tough one without a little more information though, lol.
    I first discovered your books when I bought Magic Man on impulse, because of the irresistible title and gorgeous cover with a running horse. Your acknowledgements in that series mention the help you had with those titles! All very well chosen!

    Reply
  26. Titles are important. But more than that I look at the blurb. If the H/H are enticing, it lands in my shopping cart. “Once a Soldier” was my fist MJP book that introduced me to the wonderful world of WenchWerks. I had just finished Mary Balogh’s Survivor Series and was looking for a wounded H/H. The title did catch me, the yellow cover was awesome, the blurb hooked me into putting it in my shopping cart (I bought it at a grocery store.) Will and Athena convinced me I had to seek out the rest of the MJP’s books.
    I’ve been writing since childhood, but in the last few years I’ve been writing seriously in the hopes of publishing someday. Titles I’ve thought of seem to generate themselves after I’ve written and something the H/H says replaces my working title.
    “Revolutionary Romance” was replaced by “Soldier’s Heart.” “Sea Story” became “Captain’s Duty,” “Medieval Tale” became “The Secret of Strathcairn.” (That one might change yet again as my heroine recovers from nearly freezing to death and her steel begins to shine through. Her hero is a Knight loyal to a Norman King, but “The Gentle Knight,” “The Kind Knight” isn’t doing it for me.) I have a collection of noir writing exercises that fell under the collective title of “The Beatnik.” That name needs to be replaced as a story has evolved from a collection of smokey stories of people encountering a beatnik into a murder mystery. At least I’m good at writing the blurbs.

    Reply
  27. Titles are important. But more than that I look at the blurb. If the H/H are enticing, it lands in my shopping cart. “Once a Soldier” was my fist MJP book that introduced me to the wonderful world of WenchWerks. I had just finished Mary Balogh’s Survivor Series and was looking for a wounded H/H. The title did catch me, the yellow cover was awesome, the blurb hooked me into putting it in my shopping cart (I bought it at a grocery store.) Will and Athena convinced me I had to seek out the rest of the MJP’s books.
    I’ve been writing since childhood, but in the last few years I’ve been writing seriously in the hopes of publishing someday. Titles I’ve thought of seem to generate themselves after I’ve written and something the H/H says replaces my working title.
    “Revolutionary Romance” was replaced by “Soldier’s Heart.” “Sea Story” became “Captain’s Duty,” “Medieval Tale” became “The Secret of Strathcairn.” (That one might change yet again as my heroine recovers from nearly freezing to death and her steel begins to shine through. Her hero is a Knight loyal to a Norman King, but “The Gentle Knight,” “The Kind Knight” isn’t doing it for me.) I have a collection of noir writing exercises that fell under the collective title of “The Beatnik.” That name needs to be replaced as a story has evolved from a collection of smokey stories of people encountering a beatnik into a murder mystery. At least I’m good at writing the blurbs.

    Reply
  28. Titles are important. But more than that I look at the blurb. If the H/H are enticing, it lands in my shopping cart. “Once a Soldier” was my fist MJP book that introduced me to the wonderful world of WenchWerks. I had just finished Mary Balogh’s Survivor Series and was looking for a wounded H/H. The title did catch me, the yellow cover was awesome, the blurb hooked me into putting it in my shopping cart (I bought it at a grocery store.) Will and Athena convinced me I had to seek out the rest of the MJP’s books.
    I’ve been writing since childhood, but in the last few years I’ve been writing seriously in the hopes of publishing someday. Titles I’ve thought of seem to generate themselves after I’ve written and something the H/H says replaces my working title.
    “Revolutionary Romance” was replaced by “Soldier’s Heart.” “Sea Story” became “Captain’s Duty,” “Medieval Tale” became “The Secret of Strathcairn.” (That one might change yet again as my heroine recovers from nearly freezing to death and her steel begins to shine through. Her hero is a Knight loyal to a Norman King, but “The Gentle Knight,” “The Kind Knight” isn’t doing it for me.) I have a collection of noir writing exercises that fell under the collective title of “The Beatnik.” That name needs to be replaced as a story has evolved from a collection of smokey stories of people encountering a beatnik into a murder mystery. At least I’m good at writing the blurbs.

    Reply
  29. Titles are important. But more than that I look at the blurb. If the H/H are enticing, it lands in my shopping cart. “Once a Soldier” was my fist MJP book that introduced me to the wonderful world of WenchWerks. I had just finished Mary Balogh’s Survivor Series and was looking for a wounded H/H. The title did catch me, the yellow cover was awesome, the blurb hooked me into putting it in my shopping cart (I bought it at a grocery store.) Will and Athena convinced me I had to seek out the rest of the MJP’s books.
    I’ve been writing since childhood, but in the last few years I’ve been writing seriously in the hopes of publishing someday. Titles I’ve thought of seem to generate themselves after I’ve written and something the H/H says replaces my working title.
    “Revolutionary Romance” was replaced by “Soldier’s Heart.” “Sea Story” became “Captain’s Duty,” “Medieval Tale” became “The Secret of Strathcairn.” (That one might change yet again as my heroine recovers from nearly freezing to death and her steel begins to shine through. Her hero is a Knight loyal to a Norman King, but “The Gentle Knight,” “The Kind Knight” isn’t doing it for me.) I have a collection of noir writing exercises that fell under the collective title of “The Beatnik.” That name needs to be replaced as a story has evolved from a collection of smokey stories of people encountering a beatnik into a murder mystery. At least I’m good at writing the blurbs.

    Reply
  30. Titles are important. But more than that I look at the blurb. If the H/H are enticing, it lands in my shopping cart. “Once a Soldier” was my fist MJP book that introduced me to the wonderful world of WenchWerks. I had just finished Mary Balogh’s Survivor Series and was looking for a wounded H/H. The title did catch me, the yellow cover was awesome, the blurb hooked me into putting it in my shopping cart (I bought it at a grocery store.) Will and Athena convinced me I had to seek out the rest of the MJP’s books.
    I’ve been writing since childhood, but in the last few years I’ve been writing seriously in the hopes of publishing someday. Titles I’ve thought of seem to generate themselves after I’ve written and something the H/H says replaces my working title.
    “Revolutionary Romance” was replaced by “Soldier’s Heart.” “Sea Story” became “Captain’s Duty,” “Medieval Tale” became “The Secret of Strathcairn.” (That one might change yet again as my heroine recovers from nearly freezing to death and her steel begins to shine through. Her hero is a Knight loyal to a Norman King, but “The Gentle Knight,” “The Kind Knight” isn’t doing it for me.) I have a collection of noir writing exercises that fell under the collective title of “The Beatnik.” That name needs to be replaced as a story has evolved from a collection of smokey stories of people encountering a beatnik into a murder mystery. At least I’m good at writing the blurbs.

    Reply
  31. Pamela, I’ll send thanks to Will and Athena! The cover was Kensington’s and it’s great, but the title was mine.
    It’s interesting how your writing generates the title. I know some authors who can’t really write until they have a title they like. Books and titles are all part of the creative process–as are the characters’ names, as I’m sure you’ve discovered! (I agree that the gentle or kind knight might not generate the spark you want. “LADY OF ICE, KNIGHT OF FIRE…..)

    Reply
  32. Pamela, I’ll send thanks to Will and Athena! The cover was Kensington’s and it’s great, but the title was mine.
    It’s interesting how your writing generates the title. I know some authors who can’t really write until they have a title they like. Books and titles are all part of the creative process–as are the characters’ names, as I’m sure you’ve discovered! (I agree that the gentle or kind knight might not generate the spark you want. “LADY OF ICE, KNIGHT OF FIRE…..)

    Reply
  33. Pamela, I’ll send thanks to Will and Athena! The cover was Kensington’s and it’s great, but the title was mine.
    It’s interesting how your writing generates the title. I know some authors who can’t really write until they have a title they like. Books and titles are all part of the creative process–as are the characters’ names, as I’m sure you’ve discovered! (I agree that the gentle or kind knight might not generate the spark you want. “LADY OF ICE, KNIGHT OF FIRE…..)

    Reply
  34. Pamela, I’ll send thanks to Will and Athena! The cover was Kensington’s and it’s great, but the title was mine.
    It’s interesting how your writing generates the title. I know some authors who can’t really write until they have a title they like. Books and titles are all part of the creative process–as are the characters’ names, as I’m sure you’ve discovered! (I agree that the gentle or kind knight might not generate the spark you want. “LADY OF ICE, KNIGHT OF FIRE…..)

    Reply
  35. Pamela, I’ll send thanks to Will and Athena! The cover was Kensington’s and it’s great, but the title was mine.
    It’s interesting how your writing generates the title. I know some authors who can’t really write until they have a title they like. Books and titles are all part of the creative process–as are the characters’ names, as I’m sure you’ve discovered! (I agree that the gentle or kind knight might not generate the spark you want. “LADY OF ICE, KNIGHT OF FIRE…..)

    Reply
  36. Interesting ideas… The heroine’s sable hair has turned white from the shock she received from her cruel father turning her out on Midwinter Night. Her eyes are aquamarine. She can be positively glacial as she meets out justice. He’s a blonde Norman with amber eyes, your idea may work…Frozen Fire? I’m not sure the love scenes I write can justify the title. I tend to leave them behind closed doors. The readers imagination can be more powerful that the author’s words. WWMJPD?

    Reply
  37. Interesting ideas… The heroine’s sable hair has turned white from the shock she received from her cruel father turning her out on Midwinter Night. Her eyes are aquamarine. She can be positively glacial as she meets out justice. He’s a blonde Norman with amber eyes, your idea may work…Frozen Fire? I’m not sure the love scenes I write can justify the title. I tend to leave them behind closed doors. The readers imagination can be more powerful that the author’s words. WWMJPD?

    Reply
  38. Interesting ideas… The heroine’s sable hair has turned white from the shock she received from her cruel father turning her out on Midwinter Night. Her eyes are aquamarine. She can be positively glacial as she meets out justice. He’s a blonde Norman with amber eyes, your idea may work…Frozen Fire? I’m not sure the love scenes I write can justify the title. I tend to leave them behind closed doors. The readers imagination can be more powerful that the author’s words. WWMJPD?

    Reply
  39. Interesting ideas… The heroine’s sable hair has turned white from the shock she received from her cruel father turning her out on Midwinter Night. Her eyes are aquamarine. She can be positively glacial as she meets out justice. He’s a blonde Norman with amber eyes, your idea may work…Frozen Fire? I’m not sure the love scenes I write can justify the title. I tend to leave them behind closed doors. The readers imagination can be more powerful that the author’s words. WWMJPD?

    Reply
  40. Interesting ideas… The heroine’s sable hair has turned white from the shock she received from her cruel father turning her out on Midwinter Night. Her eyes are aquamarine. She can be positively glacial as she meets out justice. He’s a blonde Norman with amber eyes, your idea may work…Frozen Fire? I’m not sure the love scenes I write can justify the title. I tend to leave them behind closed doors. The readers imagination can be more powerful that the author’s words. WWMJPD?

    Reply
  41. MUSIC ON THE WATER a novella by Caroline Warfield. There are several of her books that I have not purchased yet. But I will probably buy that one because the title intrigued me.

    Reply
  42. MUSIC ON THE WATER a novella by Caroline Warfield. There are several of her books that I have not purchased yet. But I will probably buy that one because the title intrigued me.

    Reply
  43. MUSIC ON THE WATER a novella by Caroline Warfield. There are several of her books that I have not purchased yet. But I will probably buy that one because the title intrigued me.

    Reply
  44. MUSIC ON THE WATER a novella by Caroline Warfield. There are several of her books that I have not purchased yet. But I will probably buy that one because the title intrigued me.

    Reply
  45. MUSIC ON THE WATER a novella by Caroline Warfield. There are several of her books that I have not purchased yet. But I will probably buy that one because the title intrigued me.

    Reply
  46. What a fun post, Pat! Can I confess that I’d happily read The Magic Camera? I could imagine the words ‘develop’ or ‘image’ being used with a photographer heroine … Love Develops? The Image of Love?

    Reply
  47. What a fun post, Pat! Can I confess that I’d happily read The Magic Camera? I could imagine the words ‘develop’ or ‘image’ being used with a photographer heroine … Love Develops? The Image of Love?

    Reply
  48. What a fun post, Pat! Can I confess that I’d happily read The Magic Camera? I could imagine the words ‘develop’ or ‘image’ being used with a photographer heroine … Love Develops? The Image of Love?

    Reply
  49. What a fun post, Pat! Can I confess that I’d happily read The Magic Camera? I could imagine the words ‘develop’ or ‘image’ being used with a photographer heroine … Love Develops? The Image of Love?

    Reply
  50. What a fun post, Pat! Can I confess that I’d happily read The Magic Camera? I could imagine the words ‘develop’ or ‘image’ being used with a photographer heroine … Love Develops? The Image of Love?

    Reply
  51. I like all your titles, Pamela! How about changing the last one to “Knight of Strathcairn” or “Knight’s Secret”?

    Reply
  52. I like all your titles, Pamela! How about changing the last one to “Knight of Strathcairn” or “Knight’s Secret”?

    Reply
  53. I like all your titles, Pamela! How about changing the last one to “Knight of Strathcairn” or “Knight’s Secret”?

    Reply
  54. I like all your titles, Pamela! How about changing the last one to “Knight of Strathcairn” or “Knight’s Secret”?

    Reply
  55. I like all your titles, Pamela! How about changing the last one to “Knight of Strathcairn” or “Knight’s Secret”?

    Reply
  56. I love trying to come up with titles, especially for a series! I spend hours looking up suitable words and trying to tie them to a theme – it’s such fun! Sometimes it helps to look at poems. There are poetry websites where you can search for specific words like “moon” or something, and you get all the greatest poems on that subject. That was how I came up with one of my titles “The Silent Touch of Shadows” which seems to have been everyone’s favourite so far. I really like the titles you have so far, Pat – for some reason the medallion one made me think of the word “mesmerising” – would that work?

    Reply
  57. I love trying to come up with titles, especially for a series! I spend hours looking up suitable words and trying to tie them to a theme – it’s such fun! Sometimes it helps to look at poems. There are poetry websites where you can search for specific words like “moon” or something, and you get all the greatest poems on that subject. That was how I came up with one of my titles “The Silent Touch of Shadows” which seems to have been everyone’s favourite so far. I really like the titles you have so far, Pat – for some reason the medallion one made me think of the word “mesmerising” – would that work?

    Reply
  58. I love trying to come up with titles, especially for a series! I spend hours looking up suitable words and trying to tie them to a theme – it’s such fun! Sometimes it helps to look at poems. There are poetry websites where you can search for specific words like “moon” or something, and you get all the greatest poems on that subject. That was how I came up with one of my titles “The Silent Touch of Shadows” which seems to have been everyone’s favourite so far. I really like the titles you have so far, Pat – for some reason the medallion one made me think of the word “mesmerising” – would that work?

    Reply
  59. I love trying to come up with titles, especially for a series! I spend hours looking up suitable words and trying to tie them to a theme – it’s such fun! Sometimes it helps to look at poems. There are poetry websites where you can search for specific words like “moon” or something, and you get all the greatest poems on that subject. That was how I came up with one of my titles “The Silent Touch of Shadows” which seems to have been everyone’s favourite so far. I really like the titles you have so far, Pat – for some reason the medallion one made me think of the word “mesmerising” – would that work?

    Reply
  60. I love trying to come up with titles, especially for a series! I spend hours looking up suitable words and trying to tie them to a theme – it’s such fun! Sometimes it helps to look at poems. There are poetry websites where you can search for specific words like “moon” or something, and you get all the greatest poems on that subject. That was how I came up with one of my titles “The Silent Touch of Shadows” which seems to have been everyone’s favourite so far. I really like the titles you have so far, Pat – for some reason the medallion one made me think of the word “mesmerising” – would that work?

    Reply
  61. Thank you so much! I like the idea Christina, but he’s not from Strathcrain, the keep is her father’s. She is the one with the secret. She is Amalia Hawkins, Baroness of Braemoor which is an ancient barony. She’s a Saxon. Her father styles himself as the Baron as he was married to the previous baron’s daughter, he is pretty deep in a plot to overthrow the King. She keeps the secret that she is the heiress, so she is the Secret of Strathcairn. Sir Renollet (a family name from deep in my family history) has his own keep, where he takes her after he rescues her. She tells him of her title only after he marries her. His keep will became Braemoor. Braemoor will eventually become the Dukedom that most of my other stories will tie into. The Soldier is the Third Son, the Sailor the Second. I have plans to move this series through history from England in to America. You and Mary Jo are so sweet to pitch some ideas to me!

    Reply
  62. Thank you so much! I like the idea Christina, but he’s not from Strathcrain, the keep is her father’s. She is the one with the secret. She is Amalia Hawkins, Baroness of Braemoor which is an ancient barony. She’s a Saxon. Her father styles himself as the Baron as he was married to the previous baron’s daughter, he is pretty deep in a plot to overthrow the King. She keeps the secret that she is the heiress, so she is the Secret of Strathcairn. Sir Renollet (a family name from deep in my family history) has his own keep, where he takes her after he rescues her. She tells him of her title only after he marries her. His keep will became Braemoor. Braemoor will eventually become the Dukedom that most of my other stories will tie into. The Soldier is the Third Son, the Sailor the Second. I have plans to move this series through history from England in to America. You and Mary Jo are so sweet to pitch some ideas to me!

    Reply
  63. Thank you so much! I like the idea Christina, but he’s not from Strathcrain, the keep is her father’s. She is the one with the secret. She is Amalia Hawkins, Baroness of Braemoor which is an ancient barony. She’s a Saxon. Her father styles himself as the Baron as he was married to the previous baron’s daughter, he is pretty deep in a plot to overthrow the King. She keeps the secret that she is the heiress, so she is the Secret of Strathcairn. Sir Renollet (a family name from deep in my family history) has his own keep, where he takes her after he rescues her. She tells him of her title only after he marries her. His keep will became Braemoor. Braemoor will eventually become the Dukedom that most of my other stories will tie into. The Soldier is the Third Son, the Sailor the Second. I have plans to move this series through history from England in to America. You and Mary Jo are so sweet to pitch some ideas to me!

    Reply
  64. Thank you so much! I like the idea Christina, but he’s not from Strathcrain, the keep is her father’s. She is the one with the secret. She is Amalia Hawkins, Baroness of Braemoor which is an ancient barony. She’s a Saxon. Her father styles himself as the Baron as he was married to the previous baron’s daughter, he is pretty deep in a plot to overthrow the King. She keeps the secret that she is the heiress, so she is the Secret of Strathcairn. Sir Renollet (a family name from deep in my family history) has his own keep, where he takes her after he rescues her. She tells him of her title only after he marries her. His keep will became Braemoor. Braemoor will eventually become the Dukedom that most of my other stories will tie into. The Soldier is the Third Son, the Sailor the Second. I have plans to move this series through history from England in to America. You and Mary Jo are so sweet to pitch some ideas to me!

    Reply
  65. Thank you so much! I like the idea Christina, but he’s not from Strathcrain, the keep is her father’s. She is the one with the secret. She is Amalia Hawkins, Baroness of Braemoor which is an ancient barony. She’s a Saxon. Her father styles himself as the Baron as he was married to the previous baron’s daughter, he is pretty deep in a plot to overthrow the King. She keeps the secret that she is the heiress, so she is the Secret of Strathcairn. Sir Renollet (a family name from deep in my family history) has his own keep, where he takes her after he rescues her. She tells him of her title only after he marries her. His keep will became Braemoor. Braemoor will eventually become the Dukedom that most of my other stories will tie into. The Soldier is the Third Son, the Sailor the Second. I have plans to move this series through history from England in to America. You and Mary Jo are so sweet to pitch some ideas to me!

    Reply
  66. I’m definitely adding “mesmerising” to my word list but it’s a specific talent that doesn’t apply to this book but may in a future one! I used to do the poetry thing too, even included the poetry at the beginning, but then I got jaded.

    Reply
  67. I’m definitely adding “mesmerising” to my word list but it’s a specific talent that doesn’t apply to this book but may in a future one! I used to do the poetry thing too, even included the poetry at the beginning, but then I got jaded.

    Reply
  68. I’m definitely adding “mesmerising” to my word list but it’s a specific talent that doesn’t apply to this book but may in a future one! I used to do the poetry thing too, even included the poetry at the beginning, but then I got jaded.

    Reply
  69. I’m definitely adding “mesmerising” to my word list but it’s a specific talent that doesn’t apply to this book but may in a future one! I used to do the poetry thing too, even included the poetry at the beginning, but then I got jaded.

    Reply
  70. I’m definitely adding “mesmerising” to my word list but it’s a specific talent that doesn’t apply to this book but may in a future one! I used to do the poetry thing too, even included the poetry at the beginning, but then I got jaded.

    Reply
  71. I’m sure the right title will come to you – best of luck, Pamela! And I hope the book gets published soon, it sounds like a great story!

    Reply
  72. I’m sure the right title will come to you – best of luck, Pamela! And I hope the book gets published soon, it sounds like a great story!

    Reply
  73. I’m sure the right title will come to you – best of luck, Pamela! And I hope the book gets published soon, it sounds like a great story!

    Reply
  74. I’m sure the right title will come to you – best of luck, Pamela! And I hope the book gets published soon, it sounds like a great story!

    Reply
  75. I’m sure the right title will come to you – best of luck, Pamela! And I hope the book gets published soon, it sounds like a great story!

    Reply
  76. I saved all the ideas! They may not fit this one, but maybe another. As for soon? I’m still brainstorming and doing my sticky note outline on the back of my office door. It will be a while. I will have to remember the Word Wenches in the acknowledgements.

    Reply
  77. I saved all the ideas! They may not fit this one, but maybe another. As for soon? I’m still brainstorming and doing my sticky note outline on the back of my office door. It will be a while. I will have to remember the Word Wenches in the acknowledgements.

    Reply
  78. I saved all the ideas! They may not fit this one, but maybe another. As for soon? I’m still brainstorming and doing my sticky note outline on the back of my office door. It will be a while. I will have to remember the Word Wenches in the acknowledgements.

    Reply
  79. I saved all the ideas! They may not fit this one, but maybe another. As for soon? I’m still brainstorming and doing my sticky note outline on the back of my office door. It will be a while. I will have to remember the Word Wenches in the acknowledgements.

    Reply
  80. I saved all the ideas! They may not fit this one, but maybe another. As for soon? I’m still brainstorming and doing my sticky note outline on the back of my office door. It will be a while. I will have to remember the Word Wenches in the acknowledgements.

    Reply
  81. I thank you very much for this post. For me, titles are important. But, actually for me, the author is most important. If it is an author I know, I will look at the blurb as much as a title.
    For authors who are not familiar to me, then the title and the cover will be what draws my interest. If the blurb seems interesting, then I am drawn into the book.
    And I never realized how difficult it might be to find a good title. I reckon you cannot call any of them – The Book About a Man and Woman in the Regency Period in England and Scotland. Two People Who Fall in Love in Queen Victoria’s Reign and Live Happily Ever After – After Some Personal Issues are Settled.
    This is Off Topic. I don’t know if any of you know Karen Ranney has died. After she became ill, she died in June. She and I had become email and mail friends. I had written her a note and not received a response. So, I started looking on the internet and then called her publisher. (Can you tell that in the past I was a researcher at times?) Anyhow, I thought I would let you know because some of you may have been friends with her.
    Karen was a smart and funny woman. I will miss her.

    Reply
  82. I thank you very much for this post. For me, titles are important. But, actually for me, the author is most important. If it is an author I know, I will look at the blurb as much as a title.
    For authors who are not familiar to me, then the title and the cover will be what draws my interest. If the blurb seems interesting, then I am drawn into the book.
    And I never realized how difficult it might be to find a good title. I reckon you cannot call any of them – The Book About a Man and Woman in the Regency Period in England and Scotland. Two People Who Fall in Love in Queen Victoria’s Reign and Live Happily Ever After – After Some Personal Issues are Settled.
    This is Off Topic. I don’t know if any of you know Karen Ranney has died. After she became ill, she died in June. She and I had become email and mail friends. I had written her a note and not received a response. So, I started looking on the internet and then called her publisher. (Can you tell that in the past I was a researcher at times?) Anyhow, I thought I would let you know because some of you may have been friends with her.
    Karen was a smart and funny woman. I will miss her.

    Reply
  83. I thank you very much for this post. For me, titles are important. But, actually for me, the author is most important. If it is an author I know, I will look at the blurb as much as a title.
    For authors who are not familiar to me, then the title and the cover will be what draws my interest. If the blurb seems interesting, then I am drawn into the book.
    And I never realized how difficult it might be to find a good title. I reckon you cannot call any of them – The Book About a Man and Woman in the Regency Period in England and Scotland. Two People Who Fall in Love in Queen Victoria’s Reign and Live Happily Ever After – After Some Personal Issues are Settled.
    This is Off Topic. I don’t know if any of you know Karen Ranney has died. After she became ill, she died in June. She and I had become email and mail friends. I had written her a note and not received a response. So, I started looking on the internet and then called her publisher. (Can you tell that in the past I was a researcher at times?) Anyhow, I thought I would let you know because some of you may have been friends with her.
    Karen was a smart and funny woman. I will miss her.

    Reply
  84. I thank you very much for this post. For me, titles are important. But, actually for me, the author is most important. If it is an author I know, I will look at the blurb as much as a title.
    For authors who are not familiar to me, then the title and the cover will be what draws my interest. If the blurb seems interesting, then I am drawn into the book.
    And I never realized how difficult it might be to find a good title. I reckon you cannot call any of them – The Book About a Man and Woman in the Regency Period in England and Scotland. Two People Who Fall in Love in Queen Victoria’s Reign and Live Happily Ever After – After Some Personal Issues are Settled.
    This is Off Topic. I don’t know if any of you know Karen Ranney has died. After she became ill, she died in June. She and I had become email and mail friends. I had written her a note and not received a response. So, I started looking on the internet and then called her publisher. (Can you tell that in the past I was a researcher at times?) Anyhow, I thought I would let you know because some of you may have been friends with her.
    Karen was a smart and funny woman. I will miss her.

    Reply
  85. I thank you very much for this post. For me, titles are important. But, actually for me, the author is most important. If it is an author I know, I will look at the blurb as much as a title.
    For authors who are not familiar to me, then the title and the cover will be what draws my interest. If the blurb seems interesting, then I am drawn into the book.
    And I never realized how difficult it might be to find a good title. I reckon you cannot call any of them – The Book About a Man and Woman in the Regency Period in England and Scotland. Two People Who Fall in Love in Queen Victoria’s Reign and Live Happily Ever After – After Some Personal Issues are Settled.
    This is Off Topic. I don’t know if any of you know Karen Ranney has died. After she became ill, she died in June. She and I had become email and mail friends. I had written her a note and not received a response. So, I started looking on the internet and then called her publisher. (Can you tell that in the past I was a researcher at times?) Anyhow, I thought I would let you know because some of you may have been friends with her.
    Karen was a smart and funny woman. I will miss her.

    Reply
  86. OMG, hi Mary Jo! I love your books! I am so excited that you answered. You made my month! Sorry for fangirling. I like to wrote . Established romance authors are my heroes!

    Reply
  87. OMG, hi Mary Jo! I love your books! I am so excited that you answered. You made my month! Sorry for fangirling. I like to wrote . Established romance authors are my heroes!

    Reply
  88. OMG, hi Mary Jo! I love your books! I am so excited that you answered. You made my month! Sorry for fangirling. I like to wrote . Established romance authors are my heroes!

    Reply
  89. OMG, hi Mary Jo! I love your books! I am so excited that you answered. You made my month! Sorry for fangirling. I like to wrote . Established romance authors are my heroes!

    Reply
  90. OMG, hi Mary Jo! I love your books! I am so excited that you answered. You made my month! Sorry for fangirling. I like to wrote . Established romance authors are my heroes!

    Reply
  91. This question was prompted by my reading Lisa Kleypas’s ‘Mine till Midnight’. When reading/listening to fiction I sort of expect to recognize an event in the book that correlates strongly with the title and which I assume led to the choice of title. This becomes an additional amusement like trying to recognize the culprit in a whodunit. I often find such an event, for example in Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ the discovery that Annie is sensitive to music explains the title but for the Kleypas example I could find nothing obvious …. very frustrating but an absorbing novel nonetheless!
    I had no idea that authors go through such contortions in search of titles. My advice would be to finish the story then try to isolate a scene that has particular significance and summarize that as a title.

    Reply
  92. This question was prompted by my reading Lisa Kleypas’s ‘Mine till Midnight’. When reading/listening to fiction I sort of expect to recognize an event in the book that correlates strongly with the title and which I assume led to the choice of title. This becomes an additional amusement like trying to recognize the culprit in a whodunit. I often find such an event, for example in Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ the discovery that Annie is sensitive to music explains the title but for the Kleypas example I could find nothing obvious …. very frustrating but an absorbing novel nonetheless!
    I had no idea that authors go through such contortions in search of titles. My advice would be to finish the story then try to isolate a scene that has particular significance and summarize that as a title.

    Reply
  93. This question was prompted by my reading Lisa Kleypas’s ‘Mine till Midnight’. When reading/listening to fiction I sort of expect to recognize an event in the book that correlates strongly with the title and which I assume led to the choice of title. This becomes an additional amusement like trying to recognize the culprit in a whodunit. I often find such an event, for example in Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ the discovery that Annie is sensitive to music explains the title but for the Kleypas example I could find nothing obvious …. very frustrating but an absorbing novel nonetheless!
    I had no idea that authors go through such contortions in search of titles. My advice would be to finish the story then try to isolate a scene that has particular significance and summarize that as a title.

    Reply
  94. This question was prompted by my reading Lisa Kleypas’s ‘Mine till Midnight’. When reading/listening to fiction I sort of expect to recognize an event in the book that correlates strongly with the title and which I assume led to the choice of title. This becomes an additional amusement like trying to recognize the culprit in a whodunit. I often find such an event, for example in Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ the discovery that Annie is sensitive to music explains the title but for the Kleypas example I could find nothing obvious …. very frustrating but an absorbing novel nonetheless!
    I had no idea that authors go through such contortions in search of titles. My advice would be to finish the story then try to isolate a scene that has particular significance and summarize that as a title.

    Reply
  95. This question was prompted by my reading Lisa Kleypas’s ‘Mine till Midnight’. When reading/listening to fiction I sort of expect to recognize an event in the book that correlates strongly with the title and which I assume led to the choice of title. This becomes an additional amusement like trying to recognize the culprit in a whodunit. I often find such an event, for example in Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ the discovery that Annie is sensitive to music explains the title but for the Kleypas example I could find nothing obvious …. very frustrating but an absorbing novel nonetheless!
    I had no idea that authors go through such contortions in search of titles. My advice would be to finish the story then try to isolate a scene that has particular significance and summarize that as a title.

    Reply
  96. I read by Author rather than Title for the most part, so no matter what the title I will read the book if a favorite author writes it. However, since this health emergency I am reading many books by unfamiliar authors and clever titles get my attention. Humorous sounding ones, most of all. Since you Wenches are among my favorites, please keep writing and I will keep reading.

    Reply
  97. I read by Author rather than Title for the most part, so no matter what the title I will read the book if a favorite author writes it. However, since this health emergency I am reading many books by unfamiliar authors and clever titles get my attention. Humorous sounding ones, most of all. Since you Wenches are among my favorites, please keep writing and I will keep reading.

    Reply
  98. I read by Author rather than Title for the most part, so no matter what the title I will read the book if a favorite author writes it. However, since this health emergency I am reading many books by unfamiliar authors and clever titles get my attention. Humorous sounding ones, most of all. Since you Wenches are among my favorites, please keep writing and I will keep reading.

    Reply
  99. I read by Author rather than Title for the most part, so no matter what the title I will read the book if a favorite author writes it. However, since this health emergency I am reading many books by unfamiliar authors and clever titles get my attention. Humorous sounding ones, most of all. Since you Wenches are among my favorites, please keep writing and I will keep reading.

    Reply
  100. I read by Author rather than Title for the most part, so no matter what the title I will read the book if a favorite author writes it. However, since this health emergency I am reading many books by unfamiliar authors and clever titles get my attention. Humorous sounding ones, most of all. Since you Wenches are among my favorites, please keep writing and I will keep reading.

    Reply
  101. Hi Quantum, Great question! I was wondering the same thing. I read the same Kleypas book. Since I am not well versed in Romany Culture, I found “Mine Till Midnight” fascinating. I think the title came from Cam and Amelia’s first night together.

    Reply
  102. Hi Quantum, Great question! I was wondering the same thing. I read the same Kleypas book. Since I am not well versed in Romany Culture, I found “Mine Till Midnight” fascinating. I think the title came from Cam and Amelia’s first night together.

    Reply
  103. Hi Quantum, Great question! I was wondering the same thing. I read the same Kleypas book. Since I am not well versed in Romany Culture, I found “Mine Till Midnight” fascinating. I think the title came from Cam and Amelia’s first night together.

    Reply
  104. Hi Quantum, Great question! I was wondering the same thing. I read the same Kleypas book. Since I am not well versed in Romany Culture, I found “Mine Till Midnight” fascinating. I think the title came from Cam and Amelia’s first night together.

    Reply
  105. Hi Quantum, Great question! I was wondering the same thing. I read the same Kleypas book. Since I am not well versed in Romany Culture, I found “Mine Till Midnight” fascinating. I think the title came from Cam and Amelia’s first night together.

    Reply
  106. I don’t usually like titles that are plays on words; sometimes they’re too cute. But I really love the titles of Grace Calloway’s books which are based on cinema noir, spy and mystery movies. For instance “The Lady Who Came in From the Cold”, “The Duke Who Knew Too Much”, “M is for Marquess”, “The Widow Vanishes”, “The Viscount Always Knocks Twice”, etc.

    Reply
  107. I don’t usually like titles that are plays on words; sometimes they’re too cute. But I really love the titles of Grace Calloway’s books which are based on cinema noir, spy and mystery movies. For instance “The Lady Who Came in From the Cold”, “The Duke Who Knew Too Much”, “M is for Marquess”, “The Widow Vanishes”, “The Viscount Always Knocks Twice”, etc.

    Reply
  108. I don’t usually like titles that are plays on words; sometimes they’re too cute. But I really love the titles of Grace Calloway’s books which are based on cinema noir, spy and mystery movies. For instance “The Lady Who Came in From the Cold”, “The Duke Who Knew Too Much”, “M is for Marquess”, “The Widow Vanishes”, “The Viscount Always Knocks Twice”, etc.

    Reply
  109. I don’t usually like titles that are plays on words; sometimes they’re too cute. But I really love the titles of Grace Calloway’s books which are based on cinema noir, spy and mystery movies. For instance “The Lady Who Came in From the Cold”, “The Duke Who Knew Too Much”, “M is for Marquess”, “The Widow Vanishes”, “The Viscount Always Knocks Twice”, etc.

    Reply
  110. I don’t usually like titles that are plays on words; sometimes they’re too cute. But I really love the titles of Grace Calloway’s books which are based on cinema noir, spy and mystery movies. For instance “The Lady Who Came in From the Cold”, “The Duke Who Knew Too Much”, “M is for Marquess”, “The Widow Vanishes”, “The Viscount Always Knocks Twice”, etc.

    Reply
  111. Yes it is still probably my favorite book cover (and love story) ever. I could go on for pages about that! Lol but anyway.
    Can you elaborate a little on The Earl’s Medallion? How is it related to magic and schools? What is the heroine’s job?
    I would love to offer more title ideas if I could be of any help to you.

    Reply
  112. Yes it is still probably my favorite book cover (and love story) ever. I could go on for pages about that! Lol but anyway.
    Can you elaborate a little on The Earl’s Medallion? How is it related to magic and schools? What is the heroine’s job?
    I would love to offer more title ideas if I could be of any help to you.

    Reply
  113. Yes it is still probably my favorite book cover (and love story) ever. I could go on for pages about that! Lol but anyway.
    Can you elaborate a little on The Earl’s Medallion? How is it related to magic and schools? What is the heroine’s job?
    I would love to offer more title ideas if I could be of any help to you.

    Reply
  114. Yes it is still probably my favorite book cover (and love story) ever. I could go on for pages about that! Lol but anyway.
    Can you elaborate a little on The Earl’s Medallion? How is it related to magic and schools? What is the heroine’s job?
    I would love to offer more title ideas if I could be of any help to you.

    Reply
  115. Yes it is still probably my favorite book cover (and love story) ever. I could go on for pages about that! Lol but anyway.
    Can you elaborate a little on The Earl’s Medallion? How is it related to magic and schools? What is the heroine’s job?
    I would love to offer more title ideas if I could be of any help to you.

    Reply
  116. Nice article. The cover usually catches my eye either good or bad (bad if wearing a prom dress instead of period). The titles are so similar “The Duke’s…” that I actually can’t keep track of them so I appreciate a series that uses the same word throughout the titles, like Magic or Crystal from you prolific beloved writers. I totally hate it when you decide to change your covers at some random time as you loose me as to which book is which in a series. I also appreciate when you include a symbol, shield, banner for the cover of a series . Mostly I ignore the titles as they’re mostly to similar other than indicating genre. Love your article and your books.

    Reply
  117. Nice article. The cover usually catches my eye either good or bad (bad if wearing a prom dress instead of period). The titles are so similar “The Duke’s…” that I actually can’t keep track of them so I appreciate a series that uses the same word throughout the titles, like Magic or Crystal from you prolific beloved writers. I totally hate it when you decide to change your covers at some random time as you loose me as to which book is which in a series. I also appreciate when you include a symbol, shield, banner for the cover of a series . Mostly I ignore the titles as they’re mostly to similar other than indicating genre. Love your article and your books.

    Reply
  118. Nice article. The cover usually catches my eye either good or bad (bad if wearing a prom dress instead of period). The titles are so similar “The Duke’s…” that I actually can’t keep track of them so I appreciate a series that uses the same word throughout the titles, like Magic or Crystal from you prolific beloved writers. I totally hate it when you decide to change your covers at some random time as you loose me as to which book is which in a series. I also appreciate when you include a symbol, shield, banner for the cover of a series . Mostly I ignore the titles as they’re mostly to similar other than indicating genre. Love your article and your books.

    Reply
  119. Nice article. The cover usually catches my eye either good or bad (bad if wearing a prom dress instead of period). The titles are so similar “The Duke’s…” that I actually can’t keep track of them so I appreciate a series that uses the same word throughout the titles, like Magic or Crystal from you prolific beloved writers. I totally hate it when you decide to change your covers at some random time as you loose me as to which book is which in a series. I also appreciate when you include a symbol, shield, banner for the cover of a series . Mostly I ignore the titles as they’re mostly to similar other than indicating genre. Love your article and your books.

    Reply
  120. Nice article. The cover usually catches my eye either good or bad (bad if wearing a prom dress instead of period). The titles are so similar “The Duke’s…” that I actually can’t keep track of them so I appreciate a series that uses the same word throughout the titles, like Magic or Crystal from you prolific beloved writers. I totally hate it when you decide to change your covers at some random time as you loose me as to which book is which in a series. I also appreciate when you include a symbol, shield, banner for the cover of a series . Mostly I ignore the titles as they’re mostly to similar other than indicating genre. Love your article and your books.

    Reply
  121. I didn’t want to speak directly to Lisa’s title because as far as I know, there may have been a scene that got cut later. It’s absolutely impossible to know what goes into a title. The title is romantic, which is all marketing wanted.

    Reply
  122. I didn’t want to speak directly to Lisa’s title because as far as I know, there may have been a scene that got cut later. It’s absolutely impossible to know what goes into a title. The title is romantic, which is all marketing wanted.

    Reply
  123. I didn’t want to speak directly to Lisa’s title because as far as I know, there may have been a scene that got cut later. It’s absolutely impossible to know what goes into a title. The title is romantic, which is all marketing wanted.

    Reply
  124. I didn’t want to speak directly to Lisa’s title because as far as I know, there may have been a scene that got cut later. It’s absolutely impossible to know what goes into a title. The title is romantic, which is all marketing wanted.

    Reply
  125. I didn’t want to speak directly to Lisa’s title because as far as I know, there may have been a scene that got cut later. It’s absolutely impossible to know what goes into a title. The title is romantic, which is all marketing wanted.

    Reply
  126. nice insights, thank you! I’m a word person and scarcely notice the symbols, but my cover designer is really good about that. Anything to distinguish one book from another because you’re right, the proliferation of dukes is mind boggling.

    Reply
  127. nice insights, thank you! I’m a word person and scarcely notice the symbols, but my cover designer is really good about that. Anything to distinguish one book from another because you’re right, the proliferation of dukes is mind boggling.

    Reply
  128. nice insights, thank you! I’m a word person and scarcely notice the symbols, but my cover designer is really good about that. Anything to distinguish one book from another because you’re right, the proliferation of dukes is mind boggling.

    Reply
  129. nice insights, thank you! I’m a word person and scarcely notice the symbols, but my cover designer is really good about that. Anything to distinguish one book from another because you’re right, the proliferation of dukes is mind boggling.

    Reply
  130. nice insights, thank you! I’m a word person and scarcely notice the symbols, but my cover designer is really good about that. Anything to distinguish one book from another because you’re right, the proliferation of dukes is mind boggling.

    Reply
  131. Hi Pamela. I listened to the audio of ‘Mine till midnight’ and the problem with audio is that its not easy to go back to particular scenes. References are made to Romany legends where a horse carries away a rider at midnight and Anne Gracie commented to me that the Hathaway series all have time of day references in the titles — Mine Till Midnight, Love in the Afternoon, Seduce me at Sunrise, Tempt me at Twilight etc. Your suggestion prompts me to listen to the book again.😊

    Reply
  132. Hi Pamela. I listened to the audio of ‘Mine till midnight’ and the problem with audio is that its not easy to go back to particular scenes. References are made to Romany legends where a horse carries away a rider at midnight and Anne Gracie commented to me that the Hathaway series all have time of day references in the titles — Mine Till Midnight, Love in the Afternoon, Seduce me at Sunrise, Tempt me at Twilight etc. Your suggestion prompts me to listen to the book again.😊

    Reply
  133. Hi Pamela. I listened to the audio of ‘Mine till midnight’ and the problem with audio is that its not easy to go back to particular scenes. References are made to Romany legends where a horse carries away a rider at midnight and Anne Gracie commented to me that the Hathaway series all have time of day references in the titles — Mine Till Midnight, Love in the Afternoon, Seduce me at Sunrise, Tempt me at Twilight etc. Your suggestion prompts me to listen to the book again.😊

    Reply
  134. Hi Pamela. I listened to the audio of ‘Mine till midnight’ and the problem with audio is that its not easy to go back to particular scenes. References are made to Romany legends where a horse carries away a rider at midnight and Anne Gracie commented to me that the Hathaway series all have time of day references in the titles — Mine Till Midnight, Love in the Afternoon, Seduce me at Sunrise, Tempt me at Twilight etc. Your suggestion prompts me to listen to the book again.😊

    Reply
  135. Hi Pamela. I listened to the audio of ‘Mine till midnight’ and the problem with audio is that its not easy to go back to particular scenes. References are made to Romany legends where a horse carries away a rider at midnight and Anne Gracie commented to me that the Hathaway series all have time of day references in the titles — Mine Till Midnight, Love in the Afternoon, Seduce me at Sunrise, Tempt me at Twilight etc. Your suggestion prompts me to listen to the book again.😊

    Reply
  136. Great topic. I never realized it might be so difficult to come up with a good title. I do not usually go for the cover photos as many are too much alike and the characters do not resemble my vision of them. As for the title – I also tend to look for authors I have enjoyed, rather than titles.

    Reply
  137. Great topic. I never realized it might be so difficult to come up with a good title. I do not usually go for the cover photos as many are too much alike and the characters do not resemble my vision of them. As for the title – I also tend to look for authors I have enjoyed, rather than titles.

    Reply
  138. Great topic. I never realized it might be so difficult to come up with a good title. I do not usually go for the cover photos as many are too much alike and the characters do not resemble my vision of them. As for the title – I also tend to look for authors I have enjoyed, rather than titles.

    Reply
  139. Great topic. I never realized it might be so difficult to come up with a good title. I do not usually go for the cover photos as many are too much alike and the characters do not resemble my vision of them. As for the title – I also tend to look for authors I have enjoyed, rather than titles.

    Reply
  140. Great topic. I never realized it might be so difficult to come up with a good title. I do not usually go for the cover photos as many are too much alike and the characters do not resemble my vision of them. As for the title – I also tend to look for authors I have enjoyed, rather than titles.

    Reply
  141. That’s certainly the case with my last series. Marry in Scandal, Marry in Secret and Marry in Scarlet, especially are forever getting mixed up. By me, by my publicist and no doubt by readers. One of them even finalled for an award, and the email notifying me had the wrong title. LOL

    Reply
  142. That’s certainly the case with my last series. Marry in Scandal, Marry in Secret and Marry in Scarlet, especially are forever getting mixed up. By me, by my publicist and no doubt by readers. One of them even finalled for an award, and the email notifying me had the wrong title. LOL

    Reply
  143. That’s certainly the case with my last series. Marry in Scandal, Marry in Secret and Marry in Scarlet, especially are forever getting mixed up. By me, by my publicist and no doubt by readers. One of them even finalled for an award, and the email notifying me had the wrong title. LOL

    Reply
  144. That’s certainly the case with my last series. Marry in Scandal, Marry in Secret and Marry in Scarlet, especially are forever getting mixed up. By me, by my publicist and no doubt by readers. One of them even finalled for an award, and the email notifying me had the wrong title. LOL

    Reply
  145. That’s certainly the case with my last series. Marry in Scandal, Marry in Secret and Marry in Scarlet, especially are forever getting mixed up. By me, by my publicist and no doubt by readers. One of them even finalled for an award, and the email notifying me had the wrong title. LOL

    Reply
  146. The trouble is, in traditional publishing (ie with big publishers) the author’s choice of titles is often just tossed into the mix and the final title decided on by the marketing dept and the editor, according to what they think will make readers want to buy. It can be quite frustrating for the author, especially if the author has what she thinks is the perfect title that reflects the story beautifully. A lot depends on the editor.
    My guess is that those Lisa Kleypas titles were more about signalling “part of a series” than any event in the story. So one series is linked by times in the title (midnight, morning, etc), and another by a season in the title — I’ve done that, too. In any case, I’d read anything she writes, so who cares about the title? *g*
    Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ — great book.

    Reply
  147. The trouble is, in traditional publishing (ie with big publishers) the author’s choice of titles is often just tossed into the mix and the final title decided on by the marketing dept and the editor, according to what they think will make readers want to buy. It can be quite frustrating for the author, especially if the author has what she thinks is the perfect title that reflects the story beautifully. A lot depends on the editor.
    My guess is that those Lisa Kleypas titles were more about signalling “part of a series” than any event in the story. So one series is linked by times in the title (midnight, morning, etc), and another by a season in the title — I’ve done that, too. In any case, I’d read anything she writes, so who cares about the title? *g*
    Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ — great book.

    Reply
  148. The trouble is, in traditional publishing (ie with big publishers) the author’s choice of titles is often just tossed into the mix and the final title decided on by the marketing dept and the editor, according to what they think will make readers want to buy. It can be quite frustrating for the author, especially if the author has what she thinks is the perfect title that reflects the story beautifully. A lot depends on the editor.
    My guess is that those Lisa Kleypas titles were more about signalling “part of a series” than any event in the story. So one series is linked by times in the title (midnight, morning, etc), and another by a season in the title — I’ve done that, too. In any case, I’d read anything she writes, so who cares about the title? *g*
    Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ — great book.

    Reply
  149. The trouble is, in traditional publishing (ie with big publishers) the author’s choice of titles is often just tossed into the mix and the final title decided on by the marketing dept and the editor, according to what they think will make readers want to buy. It can be quite frustrating for the author, especially if the author has what she thinks is the perfect title that reflects the story beautifully. A lot depends on the editor.
    My guess is that those Lisa Kleypas titles were more about signalling “part of a series” than any event in the story. So one series is linked by times in the title (midnight, morning, etc), and another by a season in the title — I’ve done that, too. In any case, I’d read anything she writes, so who cares about the title? *g*
    Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ — great book.

    Reply
  150. The trouble is, in traditional publishing (ie with big publishers) the author’s choice of titles is often just tossed into the mix and the final title decided on by the marketing dept and the editor, according to what they think will make readers want to buy. It can be quite frustrating for the author, especially if the author has what she thinks is the perfect title that reflects the story beautifully. A lot depends on the editor.
    My guess is that those Lisa Kleypas titles were more about signalling “part of a series” than any event in the story. So one series is linked by times in the title (midnight, morning, etc), and another by a season in the title — I’ve done that, too. In any case, I’d read anything she writes, so who cares about the title? *g*
    Catherine Anderson’s ‘Annie’s Song’ — great book.

    Reply

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