I Suck At Picking Book Titles

By Beth Groundwater

Okay, I'm fessing up. I really suck at picking book titles. Thank goodness others have stepped in to suggest better titles for me. My first title boo-boo was for the book that is now titled A Real Basket Case. Since the protagonist is a gift basket designer in her menopausal late forties and she was suffering from the empty nest and mid-life marital malaise, I titled the manuscript Mid-life Crisis. Boring! I queried multiple literary agents and none were the slightest bit interested.

Then an astute critique partner suggested that I focus on the cozy craft series potential for the manuscript and give it a title related to the sleuth's occupation. So, title attempt number two was Basket Case. After making some other changes, the most important being moving chapter three forward to be chapter one, I hooked my first agent, who sold the book, and the series, to Five Star Publishing. Then I went looking for similar mystery titles on Amazon and found Carl Hiaason's Basket Case and Ralph McInerny's Basket Case. I wasn't going to try to compete with those two! So, after some brain-storming with my Five Star editor, we settled on the title of A Real Basket Case.

After a successful title pick with the second book in the Claire Hanover gift basket designer series, To Hell in a Handbasket, I was back in the dog house with another lame choice. This was for the first book in my now-titled RM Outdoor Adventures series, which my second agent sold to Midnight Ink (who then promptly picked up my Claire Hanover series, too). I thought alliteration would be interesting, so I titled the first book (released as Deadly Currents) as Wicked Whitewater and the second book as Evil Eddies.

Midnight Ink’s sales staff nixed those titles for a couple of reasons. First, they felt alliterative titles were more for cozy mystery series, not soft-boiled series. Second, with my proposed series name (the Whitewater River Ranger series), the blurb for the first book would have been, “Wicked Whitewater, the first book in the Whitewater River Ranger series written by Beth Groundwater.” There were just too many “waters” in that! After asking my editor three times if Beth Groundwater was my real name and if I was willing to use an alias (yes and no), they changed it to “Deadly Currents, the first book in the RM Outdoor Adventures series written by Beth Groundwater.”

Again, I managed to squeak out a winning title for the second book in the series. I kept the Wicked and the Eddies and tacked those two together to be the title of my May release, Wicked Eddies. But, I struck out again on my proposed title for the third book in the series. Since it is set in Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River in Utah, a well-known, challenging whitewater run, I suggested the title of Cataract Canyon. (I have trouble with alliteration, don't I?)

Of course, Midnight Ink voted that choice down. It didn't match the precedent set by the previous two titles of the first word being associated with death and murder and the second word being a whitewater rafting term. They came up with the title of Fatal Descent instead. I'm still getting used to that new title, but it's really growing on me. I can see the reasons for the change. The book is about a descent down the river and it also includes some climbing action as well as a murder, so the title has multiple layers of meaning. Very cool!

Titles are sooo important, because they give readers a quick glimpse into what the book is going to be about. The title is your first--and often only--chance to hook a reader into purchasing the book. It has to really rock! Not really suck--like many of my title choices do. I've almost gotten to the point of throwing up my hands and turning in book manuscripts untitled. I'm ready to let others who have a better eye for sales and marketing pin a label on my books. I'll focus on the characters and the story instead.

Do you have a book title story to share? I hope you will, in the comments!

INKSPOT NEWS - June 23, 2012

On Sunday, June 24th, Beth Groundwater will head to Denver, Colorado, to sign copies of Wicked Eddies, the second book in her RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series, at two locations. From 10 AM to noon, she will be at the Murder By the Book booth at the South Pearl Street Farmer's Market, 1500 block of South Pearl Street. Then from 2 - 3:30 PM, she will be at Who Else! Books in the Broadway Book Mall, 200 South Broadway. If you live in the Denver area, please stop by one of these fun events!

SUMMER IN THE CITY

Public Library, Newark, NJ

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city

The Lovin Spoonful sang those lyrics back in the summer of 1966. For those of us who grew up in the city, the song certainly rang true.

Today marks the first day of summer, and as I thought about a topic for my Inkspot post, my thoughts drifted to those hot summer days of my childhood.

I grew up in Newark, NJ back before community pools or recreational centers. Swimming involved families either sending their kids to camp, driving down the shore, or paying to belong to either a private swim club or the local Y. My family had no money for any of these luxuries. Six of us were crammed into a tiny two-bedroom apartment. My parents slept on a sofa bed in the living room. My sister and I shared one bedroom; my brothers shared the other.

Summers in the city were brutal. Fans were nearly useless. All they did was blow around hot air. Eventually, my parents bought a small air-conditioner for the living room, but it did me and my siblings little good since we were all sent outside first thing in the morning and only allowed back in the apartment for lunch and potty breaks.

What I remember most about those summers were the hours and hours I’d spend at the library. The library was such a magical place for me that I never thought twice about having to walk over a mile in 90+ degree heat to get there. Once I arrived, I was transported to far away places, sometimes wonderful, sometimes not so wonderful, but always an escape from the realities of summer in the city.

What did I read? Everything. Back then the librarians ran summer reading programs and kept track of the books we read. After finishing a book, we’d give a brief oral report to the librarian. She’d record the book and hand out certificates at the end of the summer. I don’t know what happened to my certificates. My parents probably threw them out when we finally moved to the suburbs. What I do remember, though, is that every summer I read the most books of anyone taking part in the summer reading program. Perhaps those long ago summers of reading at the library played a role in me becoming an author. I’d like to think so.

How did you spend the summers of your youth?

Lois Winston writes the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries series. The first book, Assault With A Deadly Glue Gun, was a January 2011 release and received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist and has been nominated for a Book of the Year Award by ForeWords Reviews. Death by Killer Mop Doll, the second book in the series, was released in January. Visit Lois at http://www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, http://anastasiapollack.blogspot.com.

What's in a name? A heck of a lot actually.

by Jennifer Harlow

Recently I accidently commented on a Facebook post under my real name. A very nice person (Thanks, Sarah) then wrote me an e-mail letting me know I'd done this. I didn't see the big deal but she mentioned I should be concerned about stalkers. I did a little double take. Stalkers? You're talking to the girl whose nickname in high school was, "Hey you!" I can't even get the cute dude a Blockbuster, who I've known for ten years, to pay attention to me even in low cut shirts, there's gonna be someone who's obsessed with me? Who follows me around and wants to wear my skin like a mink? Not in a hundred million years. But my mother was aghast. "You pen name protects your anonymity," she chided. "Don't do it again." When I decided to use a pen name, this thought never crossed my mind. 

My real name is Jennifer Kathryn Do**s (sorry, I can only take one chiding a week) but everyone calls me Jenna. I was named after a character in Robert Ludlum's book The Parsifal Mosaic. Jenna was a Russian spy. My parents always had high hopes for me. It would have been my official name but my parents wanted to give me other options (Jenny, Jen, J-Woww) so they went with Jennifer. Strangely they thought they were being original, that is until my first doctor's appointment. The nurse called, "Jennifer" and three mothers stood up. (We are legion.) I never minded the Jennifer part, but my last name was always a problem. Davis, Dowie, Dallas, no one has ever gotten it right. The one time I've ever won an award in 3rd grade, they called "Jennifer Davis" and I didn't know they meant me. I didn't find out about it until after. I stopped correcting people around that time. When my feminist friends asked if when I got married I'd take my husband's name, I responded, "Hell yes! Unless it's like Winklebottom or Titsipoop." (Though I am not adverse to Cumberbatch as I once was). So I jumped at the chance to change my name when I became an author.

A lot of thought came into my nome de pluume. Here was my chance to completely reinvent myself like I was in the Witness Protection program. I could go sophisticated: Genevieve, Helena, Gwendolyn, Madeline. Exotic: Natasha, Vivienne, Jasmine, Nathalie. Old school: Nora, Iris, Elizabeth, Jane. There were too many to choose from so I chose to stay with Jennifer. But the last name had to change, no question. 

For the longest time I was going to be Jennifer Schaffer, my grandmother's maiden name, which had died out with her and her sister. But then even I had problems getting the spelling correct so I went farther back and asked for another to another extinct family name. I was given Reilly, Stern, Alape, then Harlow. I loved Jean Harlow movies (Bea got it from somewhere, right?) so I know people would never get it wrong thanks to her. But beyond sentimentality and ease, the real reason I chose it was far more business minded. Ask yourself, who are the biggest names in the Urban Fantasy genre? (Cue Jeopardy music...and done). That's right, Laurell K Hamilton, Kim Harrison, and Charlaine Harris. I'd be shelved in between them on the bookstore shelves. When I realized that I knew I had a winner. Jennifer Harlow was born.

A large majority of authors have pen names. We spend our days inventing people, giving them names, why not ourselves? I like Jennifer Harlow. She's simple yet elegant, not to mention easy to remember. And she, not I, can take on the stalkers. 

What about all of you? What would be your pen name? Why?

INKSPOT NEWS - June 16, 2012

Today Beth Groundwater will appear at the First in Boating on the Arkansas (FIBArk) whitewater festival in Salida, Colorado, the locale for her RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series. She will sign copies of the recently released second book in the series, Wicked Eddies, at The Book Haven, 128 F Street, from 10:30 - noon after the conclusion of the parade. In the afternoon, she'll sign copies at The Book Haven booth near the FIBArk festival grounds from 1:30 - 4 PM.

On Thursday, June 21st, from 5 - 8 PM, Beth Groundwater will sign copies of Wicked Eddies, the second book in her RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series, at the Covered Treasures Bookstore, 105 Second Street, Monument, CO 80132-1066 during the town's monthly Art Walk.

And the final BIG news about Midnight Ink author Beth Groundwater is that the Kindle ebook edition of her mystery, Deadly Currents, the first book in the RM Outdoor Adventures series, went on sale yesterday at Amazon for the amazingly cheap price of $1.99. The sale lasts two weeks, so hurry over to HERE to buy yours!


Today, Jennifer Harlow will appear at Supernatural Saturday: A Mysterious Adventure put on by MysteryBooksOnline.com. The program lasts from 11am-5pm with Buffet Lunch, Author signings, and panels. She will be on the Fun and Challenges of Writing Horror Fiction panel from 1-2pm with signings at 4pm at The Holly Inn, 31 South Baltimore Ave, Mount Holly Springs, PA 17065, (717) 486-3823. To register call 1-866- MY ALIBI. 

Docent Duty

by Kathleen Ernst

My husband Scott and I are recently back from our 4th stint as docents at Pottawatomie Lighthouse in Rock Island State Park, WI. 
Rock Island is situated off the northern tip of Door County in Lake Michigan, and Pottawatomie is the state’s oldest light station.

The current lighthouse, built in 1858, was magnificently restored by the Friends of Rock Island in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.  It sits on top of a bluff on the northern end of Rock Island, over a mile from the boat landing and campground.  There are no roads on the island, and it takes two ferry rides to get there.

As docents, we give tours to guests from 10 AM to 4 PM each day.  Since Scott and I both love history, and telling stories, it’s a great gig.  We’re also responsible for housekeeping chores.


Otherwise, we get to live at the lighthouse.  How cool is that?

There’s no electricity or indoor plumbing.  (That’s Scott filling an Igloo at the old pump, in the rain.)  But we have a fridge and stove powered by bottled gas, and we get to sleep in the keepers’ bedroom.


We have lots of quiet evenings.  Lots of time for an impressionable writer to ponder stories of long-gone keepers, and to imagine the lighthouse as it once was.



So it was pretty much inevitable that I would write a book about the lighthouse.


In The Light Keeper’s Legacy (coming in October), my protagonist Chloe Ellefson is invited to serve as a guest curator at Pottawatomie Lighthouse.  She’s excited about the job and eager for some solitude in such a beautiful, remote place.  Needless to say, since this is a murder mystery, her time on Rock Island isn’t quite as peaceful as she’d hoped.

 Writing the book let me explore some new personal issues for Chloe, who is struggling to figure out what she wants from life.  And it let me write an homage to the strong individuals who lived on Rock Island in the 19th century.  The Light Keeper referenced in the title is Emily Betts, a real  and totally awesome woman who served as Assistant Keeper at Pottawatomie.  (In the National Archives photo below, that’s Emily barely visible in the doorway.)

 The book also showcases the complexities of managing natural resources over the years.  And it let me share a very special place with readers—some of whom will, I hope, decide to visit Rock Island and support ongoing restoration projects.


 It doesn’t get much better than that.

http://kathleenernst.com
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PrometheWHAT?

By Deborah Sharp

Like a good film nerd, I rushed to see Prometheus over the weekend, as soon as it opened in theaters. I've loved the director, Ridley Scott, since 1979 when I cheered for Sigourney Weaver kicking extraterrestrial butt in Alien. (See, children, there was a spaceship named Nostromo, and Sigourney/Ripley was on board in her underwear, suspended in a deep state of sleep . . . )


Scott has directed a long list of hits since Alien, including Blade Runner in 1982; Thelma and Louise in 1991;  and Gladiator in 2000. Prometheus is likely to be another boffo blockbuster. I absolutely enjoyed the film. Spectacular effects. Scary thrills. The acting was good, verging on great. Standouts were Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, the original ''Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,'' as the scientist Elizabeth Shaw, and Michael Fassbender as David, the very best thing in the movie. See him pictured here.

So what was the problem? The story. In making this movie, Scott got away with things that even a writing-class novice would know not to do: Plot holes so gaping you could launch a spaceship through them. Big questions, but no answers. Characters without motives. A one-dimensional villain (Yeah, yeah, I know it was filmed in 3-D). I shudder to think what my editor or critique group members would say if I turned in a manuscript like this movie. I'd see a sea of question marks on my pages:

Why is this character doing this? 
Huh???
Did I miss something? Has the plot addressed THIS???

I think we're more forgiving of movie makers than we are of novelists. The action and visual elements carry so much weight in films, that the story often gets short shrift. Sitting there in the darkened theater, eating popcorn and hiding my eyes at the scary scenes, I loved the show. (In brief, a team of earthlings take the spaceship Prometheus into space to try to discover how human life came to be. Very bad things ensue.)

It was only after the credits rolled that I felt cheated, when my husband and I tried to figure out what the heck happened -- and why. For me, that wtf? moment occurs a lot more frequently at the end of a movie than it does when I close a book.

How about you? Do you find flawed (or absent) plots more common in movies or books? Have you seen Prometheus? What did you think?

Summer Reading

by Sheila Webster Boneham



I confess. I’m a bit behind the total word count I plotted out months ago on my fancy schmancy spread sheet. Not far behind, mind you, but a bit. Summer is not a good time for me to write, you see. I need winter, the colder and nastier out the better (unless I need to go out for something, in which case a chinook is good). But summer is seductive. I want to be outdoors. I want to go play. Ride my bike. Lie in the grass and watch the clouds. Travel. Walk on the beach at sunset and watch the sand change colors.

Sit on the porch under the ceiling fan and read some good books. And that’s another thing I’m a bit behind on – reading. I read a lot, both a lot of pages and a lot of things made for reading. I read mysteries, literary nonfiction, thrillers, memoirs, biology, mainstream novels, ethnographies, short stories, new stuff, old stuff. There’s just so much of it, isn’t there?

As usual, I currently have several books going. Here’s what’s on my night stand with bookmarks somewhere inside right now. (Don’t laugh at how far behind I am getting to a few of these, okay?)

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, which I didn’t want to read but have to for a workshop I’ll be attending in July, and I like it better than I thought I would

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, ditto everything above except I don’t like it much at all

Delights and Shadows by former Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. As a collection, I like it a lot. A few individual poems I absolutely love.

Wicked Eddies by Beth Groundwater, which I’ve barely stuck my toe into but I’m already hooked.

Entering the Stone: On Caves and Feeling through the Dark by Barbara Hurd, which I’ve also just started but, knowing how much I loved her Walking the Wrack Line, I expect to like this one.

In the past week I finished a novel, The Cyclist by Viken Berberian, and a memoir, Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl. I recommend both of them.

What will I read the rest of the summer? I’m sure I’ll be adding more, but here’s what I have on my pile so far:

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Love is Murder, the new Thriller Writers’ anthology edited by Sandra Brown

The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson

At least one book by each of my co-Midnight Ink authors, which I expect to enjoy immensely

So, what’s on your summer reading list?



Sheila W. Boneham, Ph.D., is the author of the forthcoming "Animals in Focus" mystery Drop Dead on Recall (now available for pre-order) as well as award-winning books about pets including Rescue Matters! How to Find, Foster, and Rehome Companion Animals (Alpine, 2009), The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting and Owning a Cat (Alpha, 2005), and fifteen others. Sheila's books are available from your local bookseller and on line. Learn more at www.sheilaboneham.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sheilawrites , or at Sheila's Blog.