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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

A Book by Any Other Title: or Something Like That

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

The incessant blink of the cursor taunts me as I stare at a blank page gripped by a rare malady known as “titler’s block.”

Cranford-BBCLook. Everyone’s heard of its cousin, “writer’s block.” He doesn’t even bother knocking at my door. Why?  Because I have enough book ideas to last me a century.  And that is not hyperbole.  No. Joke.

But for some inexplicable reason, I cannot write the first words of a book until I have a reasonable title on the page. “Super-Funny Mystery” won’t cut it.

Can’t imagine why.  Wouldn’t you just love to read that one?  What about “Who’s Gonna Die Next?” (I consider that a fabulous title for the movie adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford.  Thought you oughtta know.)

All I know is that every time I get a new book idea, I sit down and start fighting for a decent title or I know that the day I want to start writing it, I’ll discover I can’t start.  No title.  The struggle is real, folks!
A Book by Any Other Title...

Note: Links in this post are likely affiliate links and I’ll receive a small commission at no extra expense to you.

So How Do I Title My Books?

Aggie SeriesThat’s this week’s blog question, and I haven’t a clue. So I started going over the titles of some of my books to try to figure it out.  Of course, I started with the first one I wrote, Ready or Not.  This was originally titled Aggie’s Inheritance.  It sounded like it was a mashup between a Texas A&M student and a 19th century Horatio Alger book. Ready or Not just fit the theme of the book, so the original title became the series title, but not after a lot of consideration.  It tends to get shortened to “The Aggie Series” or “The Aggie Books” and that’s good enough for me.

Unfortunately, I began my second book before I finished Aggie 1, and hadn’t learned much about titles and such. As my first book I published, Noble Pursuits was originally titled Graceful Measures. I liked the title, but it just didn’t really fit the theme of the book by the time I finished it.  So… yeah. I reworked that until I finally came up with one I liked.  Then it got a new cover.  Then it got new editing.  And it’s getting another surprise soon, but I’ll tell you about that when it happens.

Did I learn?  Nope.  You’d think that by book three, you’d think I would have figured out this title thing.  Yeah. Nope. Argosy Junction (the second book I published) was originally Not as I Was.  While it was an appropriate title, it didn’t really give any punch.  I’m not sure I would have picked up a book with something that sounded so much like a memoir instead of a novel. Then, while I was trying to figure out the cover, the new title hit me.  And man, am I glad.  Because the sequel (already plotted and ready to go!) got a new title as well.  Originally it was going to be The Reluctant Shepherd. BORING.  Now… now it’s Argosy Crossroads.  Can’t wait to share that one with you.

And the trend continued…

More of my books have been re-titled more than I realized. In fact, I compiled quite a list.  Here you go.

  • Hope 101 became Discovering Hope.
  • Out of Mediterranean Waters became Legends of the Vengeance: The First Adventure.
  • Oceanside became Seaside
  • Mountains became Highlands.
  • The Seven-Tree Obsession became Stalking Christmas, which then became Christmas Stalkings.
  • Andy’s Diabolical Plot became Kidnapping Santa and the Plotting Santa. Then it became The Moore Code before finally becoming Moore’s Code.
  • From the Cinders became Recall before it finally had a solid title of None So Blind. The second book had originally been called Refresh (now Will Not See) and the third, Rewind (now Ties that Blind).
  • A silly little exercise in not being quite so dependent on dialogue I called Gently until I found myself coerced into publishing it. Today, that book is Speak Now.  (If you didn’t read how I learned to like that book, click HERE).
  • Deceptive Appearances–loved that title.  And it would have worked for the first book of The Agency Files, but I’m glad I went with Justified Means instead.  Why?  Because I can use Deceptive Appearances for an upcoming early-Agency title.  One of Keith’s first cases–barely.
  • The Vintage Wren. That poor book.  It’s like the redheaded stepchild of my novels.  And just what is so bad about being redheaded or a stepchild? I’ve always loved red hair, and I’ve never noticed stepchildren being any less wonderful than others?  I digress.  Let’s see.  Originally it was 365 Days of Green.  Then it was The Green Queen.  Eventually I got to The Green Dare, but there were others.  If you want to see what that was like, I actually  made a video of it! HERE.  For those waiting for the next episode, I’ve got it down in the planner for after I finish Such a Tease.  I needed to do that.  Sorry.
  • And finally, of those in print, Deepest Roots of the Heart was originally Casa de Sueños.  I needed a title so I could write, and well that’s what they call their home in that book.  I knew I’d have to change it. No one would pick up a book with a Spanish title unless they actually spoke Spanish, and then they’d be pretty disappointed.

But I have a lot of books started

… and some of those have titles that changed.  Things like…

  • Marriage of Conviction became Blessing Bentley
  • A Man and a Mouse will become Deceptive Appearances
  • The Exiles of Endecadec will be The Exiles of Kedwick
  • Eden’s Garden… well, it needs a new title.
  • The Diner Detective Series has become Murder on the Menu Series
  • Undercover Missions has morphed with The Agency. I think I even changed that one slightly, but I’m not sure.

As you can see, I’m always changing up titles.  In fact, the one I’m working on right now I titled before I ever had the story idea.  All of the Madelines I titled based upon the cover image.  So, I had:

Madeline: Sleuth

Sweet on You, Such a Tease, Fine Print, Dead Letter, I to Eye, & Looks Could Kill

Those were the titles I came up with the day I designed all of the covers.  But when I started writing book two, I didn’t quite know how “tease” fit.  So, Such a Tease became One Lump or Two?  A couple of weeks later, I figured out how and went back to Such a Tease.  I think it’s better as it is. Sometimes your first idea is the best.  Just ask any school teacher before any test.  (That rhymes in what feels rather… unsettling.  Just sayin’.)

Did that answer the question?

What question was it again?  Oh!  How do I title my books?  Well, I don’t know.  Obviously, I don’t keep my titles every time.  I did notice that most of my Christmas books tend to keep their original titles.  I think there’s some important something in that.  But I have no clue what.

I can tell you what I want from a title.  I want my titles to evoke some kind of tone for the book.  The Hartfield Mysteries have plays on words or twists of things.  Crime of Fashion, Front Window, etc.  And actually, so do the Murder on the Menu books.  So far I have two titles for that series.  Sleazy as Pie and A Side of Lies. Madeline’s books have a similar theme, if you notice up there.  I think it’s because mysteries tend to be about misdirection and things not quite being what we’re expecting or they appear to be.

The Piper's Debt
The prototype that Ashley said no to.

Some books became books because I thought of a cute title.  Bullfinch’s Methodology.  I hadn’t intended a sequel to Allerednic, but when I thought of that title, I had to do it!  New Year’s Revolutions was one.  I thought of the title and the rest just came to me. Prairie is another.  And that one set the tone for the rest of the series.

The Piper’s Debt.  Can’t WAIT to write that one, and all because of one thing I read that sent my brain spinning. I found another couple that I’ve written down, but I couldn’t bring myself to share.  That is so not like me!  I’m usually dying to share.  So… I’ll just wait on those.  But I’d say my favorite is probably Bread and Butter Notes. I hadn’t heard that phrase in a long time and when I did, I knew I had to write the book.  And while coming up with the plot for it, I ended up with three.  They’re now, officially, the Dyerhurst Mysteries (for those who don’t know, that’d be pronounced “Dear-hurst”).

Yeah.  Not helpful on the “how I come up with titles” front.

Okay, let’s go with this in conclusion. I come up with titles that sometimes become books.  I also come up with books that I then title only to change half a dozen times.  But no matter what happens, my books always have a title.

Pretty genius if you ask me. 😉

I’ve got a fun one for you. Give me a cool title–any (but you have to give me permission to use it), and if I like it, I’ll create a book or short story for it!  And you’ll get a free copy.

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Filed Under: Author Q & A, Writing

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Comments

  1. Leah Spencer says

    February 25, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    Too Deeply Broken

    The Stolen Years

    Reply
  2. Challice says

    February 24, 2017 at 11:52 pm

    Order and Method

    Reply
  3. Lindsay says

    February 24, 2017 at 8:19 am

    A la Carte sounds like it could make a good story. I bet you could come up with a good one for it. 😀

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 24, 2017 at 3:21 pm

      Ooooh… my brain is spinning! WOOT!

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t new to rom-coms, and her first book in the Sweetheart Series promises to be a literary riot, and it lives up to that promise. I’m only halfway through it and am thinking mean, ugly thoughts of everything keeping me from being able to escape into the crazy small-town politics and quirky characters. So far the com far outweighs the rom, which makes me thrilled to bits. Listen in to discover what makes Lone Star Sweetheart so much fun.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why Did This Author Write a Rom-Com about a Loveable Shrew?

Well, I think we can safely blame Shakespeare for that. Shannon Sue Dunlap has taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her Katherine, but unlike Katerina, Dunlap’s character is actually trying to learn to tame the tongue. Maybe someone should send her over to the book of James. There’s that whole bit about not being able to tame it, being an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Kate’s isn’t that bad, but not for lack of trying. Or something.

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t joking when she says that her Katherine is a “loveable” shrew. Seriously, I love this character. She’s forthright, no-nonsense, and “what you see is what you get” in her approach to life. I respect that. Add to that her boss who has shaken up the town of Sweetheart, Texas, and you’ve got the makings of a great story. I’m loving Lone Star Sweetheart.

But this isn’t all Dunlap has written.

Under the pseudonym, Shannon Kent, you can find her sweet and clean romances (including one Christian romance) inspired by Korean dramas. If you said I’d be not only chomping to read a sweet and clean romance about Korean tour guides and all that entails but also ready to watch a Korean drama on Netflix… Okay, I might not have laughed in your face, but I’d’ve been laughing on the inside.

Best part… one of them ties into her Sweetheart Series

Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap

Katherine Bruno’s passionate, unfiltered temper makes her the shrew of small-town Sweetheart, Texas. When she’s drafted to help the mayor’s wife run against her own husband, Katherine meets opposing big city political consultant Ryan Park. The good-looking, flirtatious campaign manager gets under her skin, but fraternizing with the enemy is off-limits.

Katherine must battle her lack of experience, campaign sabotage, and her growing feelings for Ryan as she strives to succeed. His unprejudiced acceptance of her strong-willed character beckons her heart, but his jaded rejection of God is an insurmountable barrier. Will Ryan return to his faith and stay with her in Sweetheart or leave when the election ends?

You can find out more about Shannon Sue Dunlap AND get that first novella in the Korean Crush series free on her WEBSITE.

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
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May 17, 2023
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Episode 226: A Chat with Archaeological Thriller Author, Doug Powell
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