Evolution of a Title

by Sara Rosett

When I wrote the synopsis for the eighth Ellie Avery mystery, I knew my publisher would want to keep to the same format that we’d been using for a while: M________, M_________, and Murder. The first two words in the pattern have been related to the setting (the South) and to mystery.

The title pattern is part of the branding of the books and hopefully makes the books memorable.

The problem was that I had gone through a lot of “m” words:

·     Magnolias, Mint Juleps, Mimosas, and Mistletoe (didn’t fit the Southern pattern, but it was a Christmas book, so it was okay)

Moonlight, Mischief, Mayhem, and Merriment (again, Merriment got the exception because it was the Christmas book)

Sooo…after several days of thinking, I was drawing a blank on more Southern and/or mysterious “m” words for the title.

I finally gave up and settled on Spanish Moss, Malice, and Murder. I didn’t think it was an amazing title, but it would do. I figured it might change.

It did. I got an email after a few months that the working title was now Milkshakes, Mud Pies, and Murder. I’d already turned in the manuscript, but I could work in some milkshakes and a few mud pies when I got the copy edits back. The story took place on a beach, after all.

But then I got another email that the title had changed again. Now it was called Milkshakes, Mermaids, and Murder. My editor suggested that Livvy (the main character’s daughter) might be interested in mermaids, which I thought was a great way to work them into the story—especially since I don’t write anything close to magical/fantasy/science fiction.

So that’s how the title evolved. Readers are often surprised that the title choice is more of a committee decision, but I have had books that were published with title I originally gave them. That happened with my first book, Moving is Murder. I think it must have been the multiple “m” words that made that title a keeper!

What are your favorite titles? Have you ever read a book because of the title alone?

~Sara  

A native Texan, Sara is the author of the Ellie Avery mystery series and the On The Run suspense series. As a military spouse, Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest suspense novels. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling." 

Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

My Celebrity Sighting

by Sara Rosett

You might not think it from the title, but in my new book, Milkshakes, Mermaids, and Murder, Ellie crosses paths with a celebrity paparazzi photographer. The photographer was a hoot to write, using disguises, climbing trees, and bribing hotel doormen to get the scoop on her celebrity quarry.

Personally, I’ve only had two up-close celebrity sightings. I saw Al Franken in the security line at Reagan National. He looked just as harried as everyone as he tried to get everything ready to go through the scanner. That sighting was just a quick glimpse.

I was on another flight last year when I noticed a lot of activity near the back aisle of first class. I wasn’t in first class (would have been nice!) but I was seated on the first row of coach, so I had a good view of people coming and going. In particular, several flight attendants were very concerned that the passenger in the last row of first class be comfortable.

It took me awhile to figure it out, but when a young girl brought a phone, a piece of paper, and a pen with her and shyly approached the row, I realized there was a “star” in first class. The girl asked if she could take a picture. She took it and then the star autographed the paper. The girl shyly congratulated the star on her recent grand slam wins, and I finally realized it was Serena Williams.

I did a lot of research about paparazzi as well as celebrities and their entourages while I wrote Milkshakes. Some celebrities employ countless aides and experts: personal assistants, secretaries, hair and beauty professionals, nannies (for kids and pets), exercise trainers, diet and nutrition experts, and various consultants, like Anastasia Soare, who Oprah called the “eyebrow guru” because celebrity brows are her business. Some celebs don’t have time to do their own social media and hire people to update their accounts. My favorite job title was celebrity ghost tweeter. Nothing is too trivial to be outsourced, apparently:  Ashton Kutchner hired someone to run his fantasy football team. As I did the celebrity/paparazzi research, I concluded most stars don’t live normal lives, despite the magazine spreads that claim celebrities do normal things like pump their own gasoline and take their kids to the park.

After watching the interaction on the plane I was more convinced than ever that being a star results in an odd life. It was interesting to watch the fawning interaction around the tennis star, how the crew gave her special attention (which she really didn’t seem to want), and how the other passengers either covertly watched her or openly snapped her photo.

In the abstract, being a star sounds great, but watching the reality of it firsthand made me glad that after a long day of travel I could grab my bag and go home. No one cared or even noticed, which was really nice.

Have you had a celebrity sighting?

~Sara

A native Texan, Sara is the author of the Ellie Avery mystery series and the On The Run suspense series. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling."

As a military spouse, Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest suspense novels.

Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

Christmas in September !?!

by Sara Rosett

I entered a store the other day and came face-to-face with a life-size, inflatable Santa in a grass skirt and Ray-Ban sunglasses doing the hula.

I wasn’t exactly happy to see Santa in September. Any Christmas display up before Thanksgiving usually gets a “Bah, humbug” response from me, but it seems that fighting the premature appearance of holiday items in stores is about as likely as avoiding that annoying coworker at the office Christmas party.  

So, it’s with a little chagrin that I have to admit that I’ve become part of the rush to Christmas trend.  The publishing industry is no different from the retail stores and has begun rolling out holiday-themed books. My Christmas mystery, MISTLETOE, MERRIMENT, AND MURDER, came out Oct 2.

It’s about a white elephant Christmas gift exchange gone bad. In a moment of weakness, Ellie (mom, professional organizer, and military spouse) agrees to host the squadron spouse Christmas party and becomes embroiled in a murder investigation when her white elephant gift is used as a murder weapon. 

The idea for the book came when I attended a Christmas party with a white elephant gift exchange. Our rules were that the gifts couldn’t be purchased; they had to be something we wanted to get rid of and, more importantly, they had to be as awful as possible. It was such a fun party! It got me thinking about what one person considers "trash" maybe a "treasure" to another person. I also happened to be watching a lot of Antiques Roadshow at the time and that led to one of those “what if” moments. What if one of the white elephant gifts wasn’t trash, but an overlooked treasure….?

I was off and running.

Despite it’s early appearance on bookstores shelves, MISTLETOE is my favorite book in the series. I hope you’ll pick up a copy or add it to your GoodReads list.

So, what about you? Do you like holiday-themed books? What's the best/worst/weirdest white elephant gift you've "won?" And, do early holiday displays bring out your inner Scrooge?  

~Sara

P.S. MISTLETOE was #10 on the Ingram list last week--very happy! Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy. I so appreciate it! 

P.P.S. I have two copies to give away to readers. Comment to be entered in drawing! Contest open until midnight (EST) 10/12/12. 

Sara writes mystery (Ellie Avery series) and intrigue (On the Run series). As a military spouse Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest travel thrillers. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling."

Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.com or sign up for her newsletter list here. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.