To borrow a
line from my forthcoming suspense novel, "Every Breath You Take," "you gotta
have a theme.”
Enter to win
Themes come
in handy for many things: parties, rooms…Lifetime movie marathons…
If you’re an
author, having a “theme” is a must, be it the all black-covers of Gillian
Flynn’s books with their two word titles (the covers of her first two books
were updated to match the tone and style of “Gone Girl,” after its runaway
success, a smart move on her publisher’s part), the simple, candy-colored
covers of Danielle Steele’s books back in the day, or J.A. Konrath’s use of
drink names to link his books. In the publishing world, themes are an effective
tool because they can help you stand out on the crowd.
One of the
“links” in my chain is the use of song titles to name my books. I’ve always
bought into the “music is the soundtrack of our lives” mindset that Dick Clark
preached and as such, knew early on music would play a huge role in my books.
When I
released my first book back in 2012, I was firmly set on “I Can’t Make You Love
Me,” by Bonnie Raitt. It’s a heartbreaking song and it fit the characters and
the story like a glove. However, nobody liked it; while it may have “fit” the
story, it didn’t “fit” as a title for a psychological suspense story. So, it
was with great reluctance I set about finding a more fitting moniker. I
selected and rejected numerous contenders before choosing “Live and Let Die.” I
didn’t love it, but it seemed to “fit” so I went with it.
Over time, I
continued to fall more out of “okay” with the title and earlier this year, I
decided to do something about it.
Hence, the
new name, “Killing Me Softly,” which I LOVE.
The title
comes from “Killing Me Softly,” a ditty by New Jack Swing prince, Al B. Sure!. His version is a remake of the popular
Roberta Flack tune, “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (got all that?)
I also
decided a new name should get a new outfit, so I commissioned a “refreshed”
cover with the same tone, style, tagline and color (albeit, a slightly darker shade
of red) as the previous cover, but with a new cover image, which I also LOVE.
The interior
of the book also got a little facelift, as I fixed a few formatting issues and
some typos that were missed the first time around. However, there was no major
surgery performed; no new characters, no new chapters, no deleted chapters, no
revisions whatsoever to the story. Just a little Botox, if you will. Nothing
more, nothing less.
Without
further adieu,
To
celebrate, I’m running a giveaway over at Goodreads; I’m offering five free
signed paperback copies through January 8, 2015. Check it out!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Killing Me Softly
by Bianca Sloane
Giveaway ends January 08, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
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