Help!!
I am writing a novel. It is due out hopefully in October. It is almost to the editing phase. It still does not have a title. This is DRIVING ME CRAZY. Every night, I sit to write a chapter and bang my head against the keyboard because the book has no title! What’s in a name, you ask. Names are critical. Names mean something. Names matter. I could easily drift here into writing about my daughters’ names and how they came about, what they mean. But, lo and behold, my thoughts are on this stupid, non-existent book! Luckily, I have a phenomenal set of readers. A ton of you read this blog each day. More friends on Facebook too. So, here’s the deal. Read the synopsis. Read this excerpt and this one. Then leave a comment below with an original, possible title for the book. If you don’t want to leave a comment, you can email me instead. If the characters and I choose your title, you will win an autographed copy of the book when it is released. I might even include your name in the dedication. How cool would that be? Contest will end on August 1st, 2012. If none of the suggested titles seem right by that point, I will just continue to bang my head on keyboards until brilliance strikes. 🙂
So! First step: read the synopsis…
Ultimately, the book is about how the same abusive home can affect two children differently. The story has two voices: those of 6 year old Mary Beth and her 8 year old brother, Michael. The story is never told directly from the mother or the father’s perspectives; only the children’s. Their father beats their mother. The children hear and see it, but interpret it differently. The story follows the children until they are teenagers to see what kind of effects their childhood home has on their lives. It questions family ties, perception and the ultimate cost of secrets. One shared history; two heartbeats.
Second step: read this and this excerpt.
Third step: Leave an original title suggestion below, in Facebook comments or via an e-mail!
If a winner is chosen, I will announce the name on August 1.
Thank you!!!
Tiffini Johnson 
I know how you feel, there’s nothing tougher than a title – I’m struggling with my book of short stories myself.
One suggestion – a great source of titles is Shakespeare. There is a quote from Romeo and Juliet:
“These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triump die, like fire and powder
Which, as they kiss, consume”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Maybe “Violent Delights Have Violent Ends”
Or maybe “LIke Fire and Powder”
Awesome ideas! I love the idea of checking literature for titles: some very bright possibilities exist there. Thanks for the two suggestions: I’ll keep them in mind, play around with them and let you know if we choose one of those! Good luck with your own work too! 🙂