Title Talk and a Giveaway

First things first — there’s a new, short giveaway on Goodreads for 75 copies of Left to Chance!

Go forth and enter!

CLICK HERE IT’S EASY GO AHEAD DON’T WAIT 

 

 

Second, I was going to talk about titles today and this gives me the perfect opening to do so. Why? Because puns. Because Left to Chance gives me endless CHANCES to use the title in everyday ridiculousness, which makes the business of early book promotion a little more palatable, and a lot more fun.

Did you know that all three of the titles of my novels have something in common? The Glass Wives, The Good Neighbor, Left to Chance? Know what it is? This isn’t a quiz show, and there’s already a prize, so I’ll tell you.

The titles are all plays on words. And what’s more fun for a writer than word play?

The Glass Wives is a literal title — with a subtle meaning. Glass is the last name of two women in the story who were married to the same man. So they are, indeed, the Glass wives. There’s also a meaning that evokes the feeling of fragility. I don’t believe the protagonist, Evie, is fragile, but her life circumstances are precarious. Both meanings work for the story. That title is my all time favorite.

The Good Neighbor is about, in addition to other things, two neighbors. ON GOOD STREET! That is why The Good Neighbor works as a title. I don’t think any reviewer, and few readers picked up on the real meaning of the title, especially since there has been discussion as to whether Izzy Lane or Mrs. Feldman were “the” good neighbor, or the titular character, as one reviewer called Mrs. Feldman. NOT.  The real answer is BOTH of them are because they live next door to one another. Again. On Good Street.

Left to Chance has meaning of its own which certainly holds true for the story. Teddi Lerner ran away during her best friend’s funeral and returns home six years later after being mostly incommunicado. She has, indeed, left her relationships up to chance in the way that we think of that phrase. Oh, where is THERE, you ask? CHANCE, OHIO. A fictional town created just for this novel. So Teddi does leave everything to Chance — Chance, Ohio. It’s the place she ran away from and the place that allows her to finally heal and move forward.  The town of Chance, Ohio is an important character in this book.

The title of the book I’m working on now, The Last Bathing Beauty, isn’t a play on words. But it does have a lot of meaning for the story, so I’m hoping that I can get over the loss of the word play. Considering this book is offering me challenges and joys beyond my wildest expectations, I think I will.

If you’re read the novels I’ve written, were you aware of the word play in the titles? Did you enter the giveaway? If you’ve read any of my books, please sprinkle reader pixie dust on it (and me) if you liked it and add a review to Goodreads and Amazon!

Amy xo