Nancy
Nancy asked Bonnie Edwards:

Love your book titles. How do you come up with them?

Bonnie Edwards Nancy, Thanks so much for the compliment on my titles. Over 90% of my published book titles are my own. That's a pretty unusual stat. Most marketing departments change authors' titles to suit their marketing plans.

I'm often inspired by song lyrics or common phrases that are upbeat or, sexy, or amusing. I always try to use the title somewhere in the book.

I also begin the hunt for a title by thinking of the tag line as part of the title. Like, "She didn't want to find...Love in a Pawn Shop" and "She needs a lover with a ... Slow Hand"

I decided years ago that if I wanted my titles to succeed with publishers I'd need to dress them in a good tagline. My idea worked.

The books that didn't get past the marketing people are Perdition House Part 1 and 2. My editor didn't like the word Perdition, whereas I find it smooth and easy on the tongue...the sound and rhythm of the word appealed to me. I also had a great deal of fun using it in dialogue throughout the series. "It's lovely in Perdition." or from a hero's perspective in dealing with a strong minded woman, "Life's hell in Perdition."

Now that I have re-issued the series I've renamed it Perdition (from Midnight Confessions) because readers would ask me for "Perdition House" books. Something that didn't surprise me in the least. After all, the house itself is a character, and the reviews that come in point that out, too.

Thanks so much for asking this question: I LOVE coming up with titles!

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