Samhain Publishing Ltd Weblog

Let's Have Fun with Titles

Thinking of titles for a work in progress can be fun or frustrating, depending on your mood. Fun because thinking of a title is a form of wordplay and I’m pretty sure most authors enjoy wordplay. It’s frustrating because so much can ride on that title. Along with the cover it is what gives a potential reader their first impression of your book.

So…today I’m going to play a little game with several Samhain books. Picking a new release and several genre novels, I’m going to write what I think the book is about according to its title. I’m holding a paper over the cover image (Those covers are just too damn good). Then I’m going to look at the summary and see what these authors have really written about

Here we go…

New Releases:
Stripped by Marcia Colette Hmmm, I bet it’s about a stripper. Probably a romantic suspense with a hard-edged cop hero and the good girl stripper.

The real story It’s a werewolf paranormal romance! (Good genre, by the way). She’s a stripper, but also a werewolf hybrid who has lost her real memories. Sounds cool.

Erotica:
Scorch by Nage Archer
Okay, it was in the Erotica genre, so I know the stories are “hot”. But since the word is “Scorch”, perhaps this one has to do with a fireman hero.

The real story Wasn’t even close on this one. It’s a bodyguard who has a very naughty lady to guard.

Gay/Lesbian:
Interstitial by Ann Somerville
I’m going out on a limb here because I have to admit that I have no idea what “Interstitial” means. It seems to have a sci-fi feel to it, so I’m guessing it’s about aliens who play for both teams.

The real story Yeah! I was really, really close on this one. It IS a space sci-fi plot and there are bi-sexual characters, but the aliens are monsters, not lovers.

Contemporay Romance:
Devil Falls by Angelle Trieste
Devil Falls must be remote virgin water fall deep in the northern Rocky Mountains. The hero has gone there to heal from some terrible “fall” from grace and is rescued by a nature-loving, tom-boy heroine.

The real story The hero is in “self-imposed isolation”. Got that part right. However, this love story takes place in the Caribbean and the heroine is a tough news reporter out to get the truth.

Historical Romance:
Met by Chance by Lynne Connolly
Chance. Must be a gambling story. Perhaps a gambler wins the hand of a lady in a card game and the two fall in love, despite the fact she has some great and terrible secret.

The real story Sorry, Lynne, I didn’t get this right at all! It’s the story of a widow who is so busy hiding his pain with fancy coats and society life that he doesn’t listen to the heroine when she warns him of impending doom. But of course, she soon discovers there is more to the Marquis then all the fancy clothes.

Paranormal Romance:
Chosen by Amelia Elias
I know it’s a paranormal, so how could “chosen” reveal the story? Perhaps it is about a woman marked (or “chosen”) by destiny to perform some great task and she is given a magical bodyguard to aid her, who also happens to make her heart go crazy.

The real story The magical hero is a vampire. And he does have to protect the girl, but Amelia’s story sounds a lot more interesting than my little guess. Here’s the first lines of the story blurb:

Gareth’s To Do List:
Defend New Orleans.
Fight a vampire war.
Keep humans ignorant of above.
Win the girl.

Not To Do: Die.

That Title Games was quite a bit a fun. I might just do that next time I’m in the mood to buy a new book! Happy Summer everyone!

Margo Lukas
Half Moon Rising
The Werewolf Romance is a Whole New Beast