Hey there, lovely reader,
Over the past few years, I have developed a taste for novelty advent calendars. This year, I have three running: A brain teaser a day, a tiny pot of jam a day, and a jigsaw puzzle per day.
The jigsaw puzzle comprises twenty-four thirty-six piece puzzles which will connect up to createΒ a larger scene over the twenty-four days. It's the one I'm most excited about, although the jam advent calendar gives me ongoing pleasure throughout the year as I pull the little pots out for afternoon tea and scones when I invite my friends over.
The brain teaser advent calendar is mostly for my sons who love them. My brain gets enough of a workout as it is.
Did you know?
I tend to agonize over my book titles. Maybe ten books into a series, nobody cares much about them, but earlier, if I got it wrong, or I was too obscure, I heard about it from disgruntled readers who felt they were misled.
A book title pitches the book in a way that sets an expectation even if a reader isn't aware of it so much. Some didn't realize that the child referred to in the title, The Case of the Forsaken Child, was Katie, Graham's daughter, not Billy (although it was him too, he just wasn't the thematic child referred to in the title.) It confused some readers. Confusion takes away from the story and that disappointed me.
So now, I take great care over titles. Sometimes it's obvious what it should be. Sometimes I will spend hours brainstorming different options. Often I ask people in my life which one resonates with them more.
I had shortlisted two titles for this latest Graham: The Case of the Body in the Block; and The Case of the Concrete Coffin.
I asked five people for their preference. The Case of the Concrete Coffin came first four out of five times, with the fifth person liking both titles equally. I had a strong preference for The Case of the Body in the Block. But I was the only one.
So what to do? Go with the consensus, or with my gut? As you now know, I pulled rank and went with my choice. Why did I do that?
It might seem a very minor point, but the hard “c's” of “concrete” and “coffin” bothered me. I “hear” a book's title hundreds, maybe thousands of times as I go about my work. The soft sound of the “b” of “body” and “block” was vastly preferable to me. So that's how it went.
New promotional images
New ad images are making their way around the interwebs. Can you guess which series they are promoting? π If you see any of them around, please like, love, or comment and say “hi!” I would love to hear from you.
I'm off to catch Star. She's to the vets today. I'm the only one in the house who can get her in her carrier. It's a responsibility but someone has to do it. I've been planning my moves since last night. π
Mardi Gras Madness will disappear from it soon. I'm working on a Roxy prequel which will replace it. So get your free copy of MGM now by downloading the starter library here.
Happy reading,
