Friday Five for September 18, 2015

1. Did you hear my BIG NEWS this week? I'm still in a bit of shock. The first book of The Paramours, Ghost Dancer, will be released in one week. I don't have any links or info yet, so it'll be a rush to prepare for it. But it's so exciting. I had hoped one book would be out by Halloween, and if my publisher keeps being so speedy, maybe I'll have two! I'll wait until all three books are out before touring. I need a lot of time to prepare for that. A week isn't enough time.

2. In the short story realm, I got word from a venue that they were interested in one of my stories if I made a few changes. So I made the changes and resubmitted. Hopefully they'll like what I did.

3. I didn't get much new writing done this week. I'm over halfway done with the first novella in my nine part series. I don't have a name for the series or the novella yet. That's driving me a little batty. I shorten my titles when I work with them. Like Dice & Debauchery is D&D and Of Blood and Sorrow is OBaS. This new project has been shortened to BS. I can't continue on with something I'm referring to as BS! Okay, I can continue writing, but I really need to think of a proper title.

4. I designed and ordered some new postcards and bookmarks this week. They're so pretty! Please tell me I'm not the only person who gets insanely excited about these sorts of things.

5. Big weekend ahead. It's our local fall fair. Good food, games, and a parade. My son has a buddy's birthday party to go to, and I have my critique group meeting. Lots of fun! And speaking of fun, the Untethered Realms authors talked about what we'd do if we were transported back to medieval times. Stop on by and let us know what you would do.

Have a terrific weekend!

Final Day of The Marquis blog tour

It's the last day of the tour. Wow!

What a fantastic time I've had.

Thank you to all the wonderful hosts and

to all the people who commented.

A big congratulations to Heather Holden
who won a digital copy of The Marquis
from Aubrie Dionne's blog!
Check out Heather's site.
She's an awesome artist.  
 

But wait! The fun isn't over yet.

I have a guest post on choosing the perfect title for your book at Livia Peterson's blog.

This is always difficult for me, but there are some tricks to finding the best name.

On the 13th Floor, there are some noisy and fearsome tenants. But I'm sure you've experienced worse neighbors than them. We want to hear about your experiences.

I've listed 13 types of bad neighbors on

Shannon Lawrence's blog.

There's also one final big giveaway!
Three AWESOME prizes!
International entries are welcome.
1st prize: one digital copy of The Marquis, an ARC of The Alpha, and a signed copy of Fearless
2nd prize: one digital copy of The Marquis and an ARC of The Alpha
3rd prize: one digital copy of The Marquis  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today's tidbit: When I wrote The Marquis, my favorite parts involved Vetis. He's one of my favorite types of villains. When I wrote The Alpha, I loved writing about the heroine. Strong and feisty woman falling for a geeky guy. Now I'm writing The Dragonslayer, and I'm falling in love with the hero.

Come back tomorrow for The Alpha cover reveal!

Wicked Wednesday - Witch's First Rule

I've talked about a lot about the different aspects of how to market paranormal romances. I've been asked a few times to use examples from my own work. Here we go. It's time to put all those tips and research to work.

I'm going to use a novel that has gotten a lot of attention from agents and publishers, but somehow, I never make the sale. Why? I've been marketing it all wrong.

It's taken me a long time to realize why I couldn't sell it. I was too close to the story. I took a break from it to work on a few other manuscripts and now I see it with fresh eyes. It surprises me how much I've changed and how I've grown as a writer. How could I have thought what I was doing was the right way? I have a particular love-hate relationship with the protagonist, Magena Silver. She's been with me for a number of years. We know each other well. Perhaps too well. She likes to get her way and knows how to manipulate me, but her way isn't always the right way.

The first issue: the title. The book was originally called Alchemy. I was very attached to the title, but it doesn't speak to a paranormal romance audience. It's plain. It doesn't have any character. It could be a "How To" book for what anyone could guess from the title alone.

The new title: Witch's First Rule. This says a lot more. Saying "witch" allows the potential reader to know what they're dealing with. It's a paranormal. It has something to do with rules. The twist is it's not rules of magic, but Magena's rules of dating. It'll make the potential reader curious to find out what this first rule is. It's also a play on the title of a famous fantasy novel by Terry Goodkind.

I sent a query letter out to several agents and publishers. One in seven responded with interest and asked to see the full manuscript. Each time it was rejected. It wasn't what they were looking for. So what did they see in my query letter - particularly the blurb - that led them to believe it was something else?

Here's the old blurb: Magena Silver is a professional celebrity and a witch. She's the most successful marriage therapist in America because she secretly slips love potions to her clients. In Alchemy, she helps one couple and it turns out to be a grave mistake.  The father of the wife is a powerful witch – a Master - and he wants Magena to make an antidote or else he will kill her.  Magena fails to make one and must discover another way to defeat the Master with the help of her companions.  She is caught up in an ancient battle between two powerful families and must deal with a lovesick gypsy as well as her attraction to the handsome empath the Master has sent to watch her.

Not hot. Not quirky. None of Magena's personality in it. It attracted attention, though. Were they hoping for a lot of magic? Witch fights? Alchemist details? There isn't a lot of magic. There's fighting, but it's not the focus of the story. There's very little details about alchemy. It's about people and relationships. It's a paranormal, but the romance drama trumps it all.

It has the main character and the conflict, but not in a way that best markets them. It has a hook, but it's not as powerful as it could be. It needs to show just how unique this book is compared to other paranormal romances. It's fast-paced and hot, but the blurb definitely doesn't mirror this. There's mounting tension, but even I'm not drawn in by that part and I love the story.

I'm trying to compose a new blurb, but I can't get it right.

The new hook: Magena Silver's first rule of dating: don't get emotionally attached.
OR  The first rule of dating Magena Silver: don't get emotionally attached.

Yes, she breaks her rules. I think this hook works more efficiently than the previous one. Yet I'd still like to say she's a professional celebrity and a witch. I need to set up the paranormal feel and the conflict. This is tricky.

Slipping her clients potent love potions has brought Magena great success as a celebrity therapist and a witch until now.

Hm, that needs work. Yet it has what I want in it. Should I go the romance route first?

As a celebrity therapist and a witch, Magena's career comes first until Nathan Linwood saunters into her office.

Mmm, I do like imagining that man do anything.

What do you think? Paranormal conflict first or the romantic conflict?

Wicked Wednesday - titles

This month is NaNoWriMo and I've done all my Wicked Wednesday posts for the month ahead of time. Yet if there is something you want me to talk about in December, please leave a comment.

I'm writing a paranormal romance for NaNoWriMo. It's a slow burning romance called Sorrow Phage. It's only a working title. Not exactly the most enticing of titles, I know. I've been thinking a lot about what I might call the story instead.

A paranormal romance title has to suit the mood, tone and genre of the novel. The best titles are usually short and clever. People are going to judge your book based on the title even before they read it. If you see two novels on the shelf at a bookstore with one having a long title and the other a short catchy one, which one would you choose? Most people will pick up the book with the shorter title first. There's a trick to this: use contrasting terms. Here are a few examples: Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan and Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

Another way to come up with a title is to look into the heart of your story. What's the main theme? Is it historical or contemporary? Does it involved a special place? Who is the main character? Their love interest? There's so many ways to pluck out a title from these things. Examples: The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton and The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands.

Watch out for generic titles. Try to avoid using words like seduction, bride, rogue, and love. Yes, it's a romance but you're smarter than that. Come up with something different.

Generally, try to avoid silly titles, but sometimes they do work. If your story is humorous, it might be a good thing. Examples: Go Fetch! by Shelley Laurenston and Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles.

Whatever you come up with, run it past your critique partners and beta readers, and your friends and family. If you're really unsure, ask for help on your blog. The writing community is wonderful and everyone is so supportive.

What are some of your favorite paranormal romance titles? Have you ever picked up a book based on the title alone?