Friday Feature: Author Chrys Fey on Choosing a Title (and a #Giveaway!)

Today my guest is the awesome CHRYS FEY, with advice on choosing a title and her latest book SEISMIC CRIMES. This is her fifth book with The Wild Rose Press, and she also finds time to blog about writing (she gives wonderful, spot-on advice!), act as administrator to the Insecure Writers Group, as well as participate in the annual A-to-Z blogging challenge. 

When Fey was six years old, she realized she wanted to be a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen.

Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes. She has four adopted cats who keep her entertained with their antics, and three nephews who keep her entertained with their antics. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and through her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

 

I'm thrilled to welcome her here with her writing advice for today's Friday Feature.

Welcome, Chrys!

Coming up with a title can be tricky. Sometimes we come up with a great title right away. Other times, we’re half-way through our first draft when a title comes, or even after we’ve edited our manuscript several times. Occasionally, our titles change during the writing process if we come up with something better.

3 Tips to Name a Book:

1. What’s the tone/mood/theme?

My published books are dark and suspenseful. Death and crimes are common. Immediately when you read Seismic Crimes you know what kind of ride you’re in for.

2. Think about the main character.

For a paranormal story, it’s clever to add the type of supernatural being that your MC is to the title. Or to at least hint at it. For example: Despite the Fangs by Dylan Newton is about a woman who is the Alpha of a werewolf pack.

3. What happens in the story? (What’s the plot/purpose?)

In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss Everdeen has to fight in a deadly competition called the Hunger Games. What happens in your story? What does your character have to do? Consider your answers and see if a title pops out at you.

When I decided to write a sequel to Hurricane Crimes, I knew I wanted to link each title in the series with a disaster and the word “crimes”. With an earthquake as the disaster, I compiled a list of possible titles:

Earthquake Crimes

Quaking Crimes

Richter Crimes

Fault Line Crimes

San Andres Crimes

But one edged them out: SEISMIC CRIMES

Seismic describes earthquake activity but it also works as an adjective. When I think seismic, I envision monstrous chaos.

QUESTION: Do you think I chose the best title?

Title: Seismic Crimes

Author: Chrys Fey

Series: Disaster Crimes Series (Book Two)

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Format: Digital and Print

Page Count: 282

DIGITAL LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

NOOK / KOBO / All Romance eBooks

PRINT LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

The Wild Rose Press

 About the Book:

An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.

Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.

When a tip reveals the killer's location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?

HURRICANE CRIMES 99¢ SALE!

 

DIGITAL LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK

Amazon CA / NOOK / KOBO

All Romance eBooks

The Wild Rose Press

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Writing Wednesday: The Season of Graduation Speeches

This year I was lucky enough to have a graduating senior making a speech at his high school commencement ceremony. At least, parts of this felt lucky - and when the speech was finally written I felt true pride in his accomplishments.

I started bugging Mr. Valedictorian to at least write a rough draft over April vacation, after he'd gotten the official word that he was number one in his class (with a 4.63 GPA). "Mom, I have plenty of time," he said.

I bugged him again after AP exams and the spring musical were finished in mid-May. "I've got ideas jotted down," he told me. "I need to finish my final projects for class first."

During the last week of school, the assistant principal met with the three speakers to give them guidelines. ("Keep it short" being the only one my son remembered.) He also told them which English teacher would be in charge of reviewing the speeches and the date they were due, which was the Friday before prom, about a week before the graduation ceremony, exactly a week before the rehearsal where he'd need to practice delivering the speech at the podium.

My son missed that deadline, sending a text to say he'd get it to her the next morning. He finally sat down with me for help (you know, seeing as how I'm a writer. And an editor.) He was frustrated because everything he wrote sounded like a bad cliche. Like the thousand other speeches we'd watched on YouTube of other graduates. He griped that the whole idea of "Valedictorian" was cliche.

I told him it was an honor and to get over himself.

I'll point out right up front that I didn't write any of his speech... but did point out a few things he forgot (like the ubiquitous thank yous at the beginning.) His first draft was scattered, but filled with good points and thoughts. I bullet pointed his 3 main ideas and told him to read it again with those in mind. I also suggested he find a second quote that his classmates could relate to. My husband said it's the way his brain works - he has to play with it in his head for a while before he can get it on paper. I disagree. He needed to write it down. And rewrite it. And rewrite it again.

Just like a manuscript.

And, just like a manuscript, it still wasn't finished - it needed fresh eyes to read and edit, before another round of rewrites until the final copyediting. By Sunday afternoon - with graduation the following Sunday - he had a draft he was happy with to submit to the English teacher.

I could help with the drafting and editing. I could never stand in front of thousands of strangers and speak the way he did. No fear. No rushing. Just speaking from the heart, and no one knew how much frustration and tears went into those simple, heartfelt words.

This past Sunday, he delivered his speech. It was awesome.

Congratulations to all the 2016 graduates!