Luann McLane's Blog

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"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

William Shakespeare

Okay, Shakespeare might have been right… oh, but names or in my case titles certainly do matter.  The title and cover of a novel is the first impression readers have of the content and although we've been told not to "judge a book by its cover" I can tell you that booksellers certainly do.  Titles are tough!  They should not only be catchy and clever but intrigue as well.  Oh… and of course connect with the plot.

My first southern comedy title, DARK ROOTS AND COWBOY BOOTS, accomplished all of those things and I've had lots of readers tell me they picked up the book simply because of the title.  The challenge, however, has been continuing to come up with clever catchy titles since it has become part of my author brand.

Book titles have always been important to me.  The title is my handle on the story and the creative spark that gets me going.  I've been asked how I come up with the titles and I play around with key words from the synopsis and piece them together as if I'm doing some sort of quirky word jumble.  I look for words that rhyme, that balance and have humor, which is how I came up with DANCING SHOES AND HONKY TONK BLUES.  My editor asked me to come with titles that sound like country music songs… so when I was banging my head on my desk trying to come up with the latest one I decided to take her suggestion a step further and use a real song title A LITTLE LESS TALK AND A LOT MORE ACTION. (Oh they just love me in the legal production).

In my romantic comedies I title the chapters as well (might as well make writing as challenging as I possibly can, right?).  This isn't done so much anymore but I remembered reading The Bobbsey Twins as a kid and chapter headings kept me from putting the book down… something like FREDDIE FINDS A TRAIL or A WARNING NOTE would keep me reading! Of course my headings are a bit different… for example: Get Your Sexy On, Be Careful What You Wish For, Grillin' and Chillin', Timing is Everything…

My titles for my erotic romances are much more straightforward and to the point including my October release DRIVEN BY DESIRE set in the world of motocross racing.  Still, the title has led to fun racing analogies from reviewers.  Roundtable Reviews calls it "an adrenaline-fueled romance" and Publishers Weekly refers to it as "McLane's latest fast and furious romance (after Wild Ride)".  The tag line on the cover is "Only one man could make her heart race…" so you get the picture.

What has caught your eye or made you laugh or just simply curious?  WHY DO MEN HAVE NIPPLES sure captured my attention.  I laughed at Dixie Cash's DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE BETWEEN YOU AND MY SHOES and MY HEART MAY BE BROKEN BUT MY HAIR STILL LOOKS GREAT.  And I had to buy Meg Cabot's SIZE TWELVE IS NOT FAT. (Of course it's not!)

So, I'd like to know what some of your favorite titles have been or what has caught your eye in the bookstore?  Email me with your favorites or suggestions!