Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Title Bout

I need a name change. The Wedding Widow was never going to cut it. Too cut and dry, not eye-catching enough. And now an inside source informs me that publishers find widows depressing. So, in my narcissistic way, I turn to you for help.

Quick summary:
Heroine is a lovely, snobby young girl who gets married to her childhood sweetheart on the first page. He's still a bit drunk from the night before and is run over by a cart and killed while exiting the church. She turns out to be pregnant. Oops. Family casts her aside, and she spends the next five years on outskirts of society, not so snobby anymore.

Hero is a younger, irresponsible son and best friend of the dead husband. He blames himself for the wedding accident (he was out drinking with the guy the night before) and runs off to join the army. Spends five years fighting in Europe, returns home when father and older brother die and he gets the title. Runs into heroine. Learns about baby/outskirts of society situation.

He feels guilty. She hates him for "killing" her husband. She meets a bunch of other widows and hangs out with them. He avoids debutantes and hangs out with army buddies. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The book's a little angsty, but not dark, dark, dark, and it has some humor. Here are the titles I've thought of:
His Best Friend's Wedding
Not Quite Married
The Bride Wore Black
After the Wedding
Dancing In the Dark
Running to Find You
The Thrill of the Chase
Waiting For You
Putting the Groom Before the Cart
The Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Wedding

Okay, those last two aren't serious.

Please comment and let me know which (if any) you like. Or suggest your own. I want to catch the attention of those agents and editors from the get-go!

12 comments:

~ames~ said...

LMAO at the last title!!! That's the best, I would buy a book with that title. LOL

I prefer the Bride wore Black out of all of them.

Anonymous said...

I second The Bride Wore Black. Your books sounds interesting.

Kate Diamond said...

Wow. Third vote for "The Bride Wore Black." Loving it!

Tara Marie said...

The Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Wedding

I'm voting for that one (only kidding), one of my son's favorite story books is "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good Very Bad Day. I've got that and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom memorized.

Okay in all seriousness, I like the "The Bride Wore Black" but I think it may have a comedic undertone, so that depends on the tone of your book.

I also like After The Wedding.

Anneliese Kelly said...

Oh, come on Kate. Surely I can get one vote for Putting the Groom Before the Cart from you.

Looks like The Bride Wore Black or After the Wedding it is.

Kate Diamond said...

Mwah ha ha. Just wait until you get your manuscript back. I "edited" the title for you...

Kate Diamond said...

Ooh. And taking you in a totally different direction... what if you made up a title involving the phrase "Best Man"?

Anneliese Kelly said...

Hmmm, Her Best Man? Calla's Best Man? Or Best Man For the Bride?

~ames~ said...

The Bride's Best Man?

Theresa said...

The Bride Wore Black. And I thought that even before I saw the other comments.

Kate Diamond said...

I like "The Bride Wore Black." But I also like "The Bride's Best Man." The second one has more of a focus on Peter... but the first one really has a ring, doesn't it?

Nice one, Ames!

~ames~ said...

**Ames takes a bow**

I'm a bit slow! LOL