Mental Gymnastics

Posted at Aug 3, 2013 3:43 pm in

In the past month I have received two “change of title” worksheets from Carina Press™ for the book formerly known as The Soldier and the novella that I call Hard Road Home. This was a surprisingly formal process, with multiple questions regarding theme, mood, setting, conflicts, similar books, and keywords. Not an insignificant undertaking, but completing the questions was easier than changing my internal relationship with my titles.

I have a mixed history with name changes. I didn’t change mine when I married Mr. Richland. He jokes it was because I didn’t want to bother to replace the name tapes on my army uniforms, but my decision was really about identity. I was at the high point of my career, and I didn’t want to be constantly re-introducing myself. When my daughter switched from her nickname to her four-syllable full name last year, the shift was easy to remember. She was there to remind me, arms crossed and eyes rolling when I slipped into the old name. Negative feedback succeeded!

However, I don’t think Wulf, my immortal Viking hero from the book formerly known as The Soldier, is going to quirk his mouth at the corner and correct me when I slip. His story is a combination of an early Suzanne Brockmann Navy SEALs romance—think Unsung Hero or Harvard’s Education—crossed with one of Sandra Hill’s time-travelling Vikings. Not quite the wacky fun of Very Virile Viking, but I hope you get the picture. Book comparisons on that title worksheet did help me! And hopefully by its release on January 27, 2014, my new title will feel as natural to me as my real children’s names.

1 Comment

One response to “Mental Gymnastics”

  1. eilis flynn says:

    When do you find out the new title? Inquiring minds want to know! Also, I changed names as quick as a wink when I got married. I was a Smith, and I wanted something more colorful. So I married a Flynn — the Irish version of Smith. Can’t get away from it…

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