I've Been Through the Desert on a Book with No Name...

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. I can't get that song out of my head.

Hello my little brainiacs!

I need your help. I'm polishing up the next story I'm planning to release, but there's only so much I can do at this point because I cannot come up with a decent title for it! I finished this book way back in 2009, and the title I've been using for it is Playing House. You'll see why in a sec. But I don't love Playing House. In fact, I kind of hate it. So I'm sending this one out into the cyberworld in the hopes that someone will be able to come up with the right title, the one.


If you happen to suggest the title that I end up using, here's what I'm thinking:

1) You'll get a mention on the acknowledgments page of the Book with No Name (yet)

2) You'll get a free copy of the Book with No Name (yet) e-book or print - your choice

3) You'll get a character named after you in one of my future books. It can be your first name, your last name or both. Or if you're not comfortable with this, I can use any other name you like. Want me to name a character after your dog or cat? I can work with that!


Sound good, I hope? Now, I need to tell you a little bit about the Book with No Name. Here's a rough description of the setup:

Does being in a couple make one a hot commodity in the eyes of would-be suitors?

Chloe Lane has her hands full. She runs a fashion wholesale business as well as managing her own boutique, so her love life (or lack thereof) is the furthest thing from her mind. When her childhood pal, Ethan Webster, asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend in order to test this theory, she reluctantly agrees. Not that she has any intention of trying to attract someone else. She just wants to help out her friend. Ethan already has his heart set on a woman he works with. However...

When Chloe agrees to judge a new reality show, she finds herself instantly smitten with fellow judge, William Shannon, a tech whiz millionaire who looks like Superman. Since opportunity is knocking, Chloe decides to test the theory herself, orchestrating a casually flirtatious relationship with William that gradually intensifies.

So things get increasingly complicated as Chloe maintains her faux relationship, attempts to lay the groundwork for a future relationship, works hard to keep her fashion business productive, carves out her new role as a television personality and struggles with keeping track of all of the lies. By posing as a couple, she and Ethan are lying to their families and their best friends, and the lies just keep stacking up, one after another. 

More information:

I chose Playing House as the working title because Chloe and Ethan have been friends since they were three years old. And there's this bit in the book when Chloe is musing on how it's sometimes difficult to separate Ethan the adult from Ethan the child. I'm sure you can see where I was going with the title, but... meh. I don't think it works.

I also considered Bizarre Love Quadrangle as a possibility. It works as far as the plot goes, and it's a twist on the New Order song title, "Bizarre Love Triangle". But it's definitely not the right title for this book. Unless you're familiar with New Order, it just sounds weird.

I thought I might play with the Superman theme in the title. William Shannon is repeatedly described as the "millionaire Superman". He looks like Superman (as portrayed by Christopher Reeve). Ethan is basically Clark Kent. Although not awkward and nerdy, he is unpretentious and somewhat wholesome. And also, he works as a journalist at the New York Times. As for Chloe... well, her last name is Lane. I think it could be really fun to work the Superman angle into the title, but so far I haven't come up with anything good.

I absolutely love book titles that sort of twist old titles or sayings (Misery Loves Cabernet, The Misfortune Cookie, The Kitchen Shrink).

And I really love titles that just sort of hit you with a POW (Dancing Naked in Dixie, Sleeping with Ward Cleaver). How could you not click to see what those books are about when they have such excellent titles?

I know this is a lot of information, folks. I hope some of you feel up to this challenge! I feel like that perfect title is out there somewhere, but I've been trying to catch hold of it for four years now and it's been out of my reach. So if you would put your thinking caps on, my little lovelies, and answer my call for help, I would be super, super grateful.

If you have any suggestions, please post them in the comments section. Thanks!

Oh, and just in case you're not sure what I'm talking about with the "been through the desert on a book with no name" post title, here's a link: America video. My parents were hippies. Sort of.

Love,
Libby