By Any Other Name?

Readers tell me that covers and blurbs are big influences on their book buying habits. For me, though, I think that the most important aspect of a book - at least, the property that gets my attention - is the title.

I receive daily digests from about a dozen romance chat lists. I try to scan them all, wanting to find out who's doing what and give encouragement to authors whom I know personally. Occasionally, though, I'll stop and take the time to read a blurb and excerpt. Why? Because the title grabbed me.

Today I read a (highly entertaining) excerpt from a book entitled Broomstick Breakdown, by Eve Langlais. The post was one of more than two dozen in the TRSBLUE digest list. However, it stood out - because of the creative and unexpected title.

To be honest, the majority of romance titles are rather boring. The same words, images and concepts occur over and over. Probably many of the excerpts that appear in my inbox are worth reading. Mostly, however, I don't bother, because the titles do not challenge or excite me.

Note that although I can recognize a great title, I can't necessarily generate one. I really struggle to come up with a phrase that's both appropriate to the story and eye-catchingly original. I guess other authors agree with my evaluations, because "Raw Silk", "Incognito" and "Exposure" (the titles of my first, second and fourth novels) all appear on other books as well!

So, what makes a good title? I think a title should include words with strong emotional impact (e.g. "raw", "fire", "blood", "madness"). Concrete words that stimulate the senses (e.g. "silk") work well. I like titles that have multiple meanings, all of which apply to the book. The main character in "Exposure", for instance, is a stripper, so the concept of being exposed is central to her occupation. At the same time, a roll of film is pivotal to the plot.

Good titles also have a kind of rhythm. "The Turn of the Screw". "The Catcher in the Rye". "The Sound and the Fury". "Portnoy's Complaint". "All Quiet on the Western Front". "Fear of Flying". These are all great titles, I think, partially because of their prosody.

Finally, a great title often includes an element of surprise. Think about "The Time Traveler's Wife". How could you not be curious about a book with that title? When I chose "Necessary Madness" for my M/M paranormal novel, I was deliberately using the apparent conflict between the two words to stimulate a potential reader's interest. Why should madness be "necessary"? I wanted my readers to wonder.

I don't know if I'm unusual in my focus on titles. I'd love to hear from you with examples of what you think is a fabulous name for a book. What titles that you've read have really stuck in your mind?

Taking Liberties With Religion

By Eve Langlais (Guest Blogger)

I freely admit I am agnostic and a surprising number of people I know are too. My lack of religious fervor wasn’t for lack of trying on my mother’s part. She dragged me to church and Sunday school wearing my nice clothes. We did midnight mass at Christmas. I sang in the church choir in Latin. I was baptised, confirmed and communioned, all to no avail. No matter how many times I was told to not question the bible, I just couldn’t help myself. I went through a period where I even antagonized my religion teacher with theories that Eve came before Adam. That earned me a B, but even today, I still say my arguments were sound. In my youth, I kept looking for ways to make religion more logical, or even believable, but when I moved out, I finally stopped trying. Now when someone asks me what my religion is I tell them about my belief that aliens seeded our planet. LOL, I’ll admit I do it just to see the look on their faces!

Older now, and not so quick to drive people nuts—except for my father-in-law who wasn’t impressed when he showed me a bottle of holy water and I exclaimed ‘Woo, we won’t have to worry about vampires now’--I’ve toned down my vocalness on the subject of religion. Not so in my writing, and I’m not the only one doing it. Lately in a lot of literature, we’re seeing authors redefining and using religion as centerpieces for their work. Angels and demons, especially Lucifer, are playing a bigger role than ever in paranormal tales and movies—one of my favorites being the show Reaper with the wisecracking Satan. Have we, as a society, drawn away from religion to the point we can mold it to suit our needs and beliefs? Or are we seeing a more relaxed attitude where people are more able to accept that fiction is for entertainment, and that religious beliefs are separate from that?

Now I also have to ask, is there such a thing as going too far? Sure, I don’t believe in the teachings of the bible, but does that give me the right to rearrange religion to suit my stories? A bit too late now given some of my work, but I do wonder where the line in the virtual sand is for some readers. In Lucifer’s Daughter, a novella of mine coming August 9^th with Liquid Silver, I redefine how I think Heaven and Hell works, not to mention, I made God and Satan brothers. In my version, Heaven is all light and beauty, with almost impossible standards to achieve. In Hell, where the majority end up, life of a sorts goes on with only the truly evil being eternally punished and Lucifer griping about paperwork. Is this story meant to make you question your religion or convert you to my way of thinking? Of course not, but I sure hope it entertains you. The beauty of fiction is the only limit is our imagination, something that should not be bound by religion or anything else for that matter.

In closing, as a reader, do you care if a book incorporates elements of religion or are you more concerned with the entertainment factor? What is your virtual line when it comes between belief and entertainment, are there some things you just won’t tolerate?

Thank you Lisabet for the opportunity to blog with you. To view some of the pagan things I’ve penned pop on over and see me at http://www.EveLanglais .com. From paranormal erotica where Lucifer’s Daughter is the heroine, to science fiction tales with alien abduction, I provide a wide variety of stories to suit many tastes.

Blurb: Lucifer’s Daughter

Hi, I’m Muriel, the only white sheep in a sea of black ones, and a virgin to boot. I am determined to wait for love, but my dad, more commonly known as Lucifer, just wants me to stop being an embarrassment. I’m hoping the hunk that I met in my bar will turn out to be the one–just looking at him makes my insides melt like marshmallows over the coals of hell, but trusting is hard when it seems everyone I get close to ends up trying to kill me. Not only am I dealing with an extreme case of lust, there’s a new threat in hell, one my dad says to ignore. Something easier said than done since it seems everywhere I turn demons are trying to kill me. But I’m okay with that, because one thing I’ve learned being a princess of hell is that sometimes I have to grab a demon by the horns and slap it around a bit. A rebellion in hell, demon assassins and scorching kisses, could my life get any more interesting?