Thank you all for your comments and feedback on my recent post, “A Rose by Any Other Name.” After giving it a lot of thought and considering dozens of options, I settled on a new name for my most recent novel: “The Other Mae.” (I’m still working on the cover art).
Possible Cover Art
Another Cover Option
I like this title for several reasons. The story is about a woman finding herself after a traumatic attack that leaves her with amnesia. The main character’s full name is Ellie-Mae, but she shortened it to Mae as an adult. I like how the new title plays on the word “me.” The novel chronicles Mae’s journey of self discovery as she slowly heals both physically and psychologically from the attack. It’s the story of Mae finding herself.
* Spoiler Alert *
At one point in the story, Ellie-Mae comes across some of her old journals. As she reads them, she gains insight into her life before the attack; but, she often compares herself to the person she was before the attack– in other words, “The Other Mae.”
Phew! I really like the new title, and I’m so relieved to have finally solved this problem. I wrote the initial rough draft of the novel back in the fall of 2019. I gave it the working title “This Forgotten Life,” but I was never happy with it.
I’d also like to acknowledge my friend and fellow writer for her help. She uses the pen name “Tatiana Foxx,” and she writes erotic romance. Thank you, Tatiana, for helping me brainstorm title ideas and providing feedback. I really appreciate your help!
Feel free to check out Tatiana Foxx’s webpage and sign up for updates. She’s currently working on her first novel, “Not My Alpha.”
As Shakespeare famously said “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” For today’s post, I would like to get our little community involved in my current writing project. In particular, I could use some help coming up with a better title for the novel.
The working title for this project is “This Forgotten Life.” I wrote the initial draft immediately after I completed the rough draft of what eventually became “Alternatives.” but the novels are very different. There are a few common themes including families and overcoming past hurts, but the novels are very different. “Alternatives” is a soft science-fiction story with a strong romantic story line.”This Forgotten Life” is a little harder to classify. It’s more mainstream fiction with a strong dramatic flare. It could also be described as “Women’s Lit” since a big part of the story is about the main character trying to find herself after a traumatic event.
“This Forgotten Life” is an accurate title for the novel, and I have been experimenting with some cover options using this title. The following are a few of my favorites so far:
The current title could work for the book, but… it’s kind-of a boring name. I’d like something with more oomph! For example, I’d love to work the word “shattered” into the title. The word accurately describes what happens to main the character in the 1st scene in the book. A single event destroys everything, and she’s left to pick up the pieces. And the image of a broken mirror or shattered glass on the cover would be powerful and carries a lot of emotional weight.
I also love the concept of Kintsugi, which, according to Wikipedia, “is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum…” It also involves accepting (and embracing) imperfections.
Kintsugi provides the perfect metaphor for what the main character experiences throughout the course of the book. In the beginning, she’s shattered and broken, but with work she slowly puts the pieces back together again. She becomes a better person through her journey of self-discovery. Unfortunately, there is no English translation/equivalent. And I’m worried that if i tried to use the Japanese term then I’ll be constantly having to explain it to people. It’s a great concept, but as the title of a novel it may be too abstract.
The problem is that every time I come up with a more exciting title, I discover that it’s already in use by another author (through a title search on Amazon or GoodReads). While technically, I could still use those titles, I would prefer to come up with something unique.
That’s where all of you come in. Suggestions, please! Feel free to leave a comment on this blog post or send me an email.
I’m still working on the back cover text for the book, the following should give you a general idea about what the book is about:
In an instant, her life changed forever…
Thirty-seven year old, Ellie-Mae Rossi was happily married with three children and another on the way when, in an instant, her life was changed forever. Waking up in the hospital, the doctors realize that she’s lost twenty years of memories.
Reverting to her 17-year-old self, Ellie-Mae is forced to confront the hopes for her future that never realized and past betrayals that had long been forgotten.
With her sense of self shattered, Ellie Mae struggles to put the pieces of her life back together.
Possible titles:
This Forgotten Life (working title)
Finding Ellie-Mae
Finding Kintsugi (to abstract?)
Shattered Sense of Self (too much alliteration??)
Your suggestion here!
Themes: journey of self discovery, picking up the pieces, overcoming challenging, betrayal, broken dreams, disillusionment, past hurts, overcoming amnesia/memory loss, rebuilding relationships, forgiveness
So, what do you think? All feedback welcome!
Okay, I better get back to work. I’m currently working on the 3rd draft of the novel. It’s been slow going, but I’m slowly making progress. More updates soon!
As my regular followers know, I’m a huge fan of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I’ve written about it in the past. For those that are unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo is basically a huge online writing community. They’re run by a non-profit organization and their basic mission is to encourage people to write.
November is the official National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Every year, tons of people from around the world sign up to participate. The goal is to write a full length novel with a minimum of 50,000 words within the month of November.
“30 days and 30 nights of literary abandon!”
The best part is the online community. There are forums, pep talks (often from well known and successful authors), and other online resources. You can also join writing groups and add writing buddies. All of the above comes together to create a supportive community for writers— where we all do our part to help and encourage each other.
Like I said earlier, I love NaNoWriMo!
The November big event was so popular that they eventually created Camp NaNoWriMo which is held in April and July.
The great part about the Camp NaNoWriMo events is that they’re much more laid back and the writing goals are flexible. You can also choose to work on any writing project and choose your word goal. I usually use the camps to work on editing existing rough drafts. Having the NaNoWriMo community support is incredibly motivating!
This month, I’ll (once again) be working on editing the rough draft of “This Forgotten Life.” You may recall that I worked on the same project during April’s Camp NaNoWriMo too. In fact, I’ve been working on the manuscript— off and on— for the past six months. I’ve been making progress— at a snail’s pace. 🐌 I’m hoping that Camp NaNoWriMo will help motivate me to get more work done.
For my fellow writers (and those that dream of becoming a writer), feel free to look me up on the Camp NaNoWriMo webpage and add me as a writing buddy. My nickname is “Reprieve26” (the combination of my favorite word and number).
I hope that everyone had a great weekend. On a personal note, I celebrated my birthday on Saturday. Being an introvert and a science nerd, I celebrated by first watching a webinar hosted by The Planetary Society (https://www.planetary.org) on near Earth objects (NEO’s) then going geocaching with a friend. And, of course, there was cake! These may not sound like exciting plans to my extroverted readers, but– for me– they were perfect. 🙂
Just a short post today. I’ve decided to have a book give away for my latest novel, Alternatives (available for sale through Amazon). In the past, I’ve hosted a few book giveaways through GoodReads. Unfortunately, they have since started charging authors. So, I’ll be doing this the “old school” way. To enter to win, simply comment on this blog post or send me an email. I’ll print out all of the names on slips of paper, put them in a bowl, then choose a random winner.
Pros and cons– the book giveaway would receive more attention and participants through the GoodReads webpage. And, of course, the purpose of the giveaway is to draw attention to my new book. But, since my blog gets a lot less traffic, your odds of winning will be much higher. Silver linings!
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Book Giveaway Details:
I’ll be giving away 1 print copy of my novel, Alternatives. I will sign the book before shipping it. Both the book and shipping will be free. So, there is no cost to participate.
Readers have from June 29th through July 31st, 2021 to enter the contest. To enter, either comment on this blog post or send me an email (H.S.Contino@hotmail.com).
Winner will be chosen randomly. I’ll contact the winner the first week of August. I’ll send them a link to a “custom order”/reserved listing on my Etsy shop, Reprieve’s Corner, so they can provide their mailing address.
The book will be completely free, but I would appreciate a book review (through Amazon or GoodReads). However, this is not a requirement.
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About the book:
Sci-fi meets romance in this quirky read!
Theoretically, there exists a parallel version of reality for every possible outcome of our life choices. What if you were given a glimpse into your alternative lives? What version of yourself would you see? How would it influence your future decisions?
Francis Marino’s quiet life on the Oregon coast was interrupted when two military officers arrived on her doorstep with a bizarre story and urged her to come with them. Thus began an unexpected adventure that forced her to leave her comfort zone and confront many of her beliefs about the world we live in.
As the commander of a highly classified military facility, Colonel Dominic Davis was dedicated to his job. But, after being exposed to an alien device, he is given visions of alternative realities. Dom realizes that he needs to make changes– both personal and professional.
A little while ago, the postman delivered the box that I had been waiting for… After two years of hard work, my novel “Alternatives” is finally here!
I have a box of signed copies ready to enter the world. If you’re interested, they’re available in both print and e-book (Kindle) editions. I’ve included the links at the bottom of this post.
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Book Blurb:
Sci-fi meets romance in this quirky read!
Theoretically, there exists a parallel version of reality for every possible outcome of our life choices. What if you were given a glimpse into your alternative lives? What version of yourself would you see? How would it influence your future decisions?
Francis Marino’s quiet life on the Oregon coast was interrupted when two military officers arrived on her doorstep with a bizarre story and urged her to come with them. Thus began an unexpected adventure that forced her to leave her comfort zone and confront many of her beliefs about the world we live in.
As the commander of a highly classified military facility, Colonel Dominic Davis was dedicated to his job. But, after being exposed to an alien device, he is given visions of two alternative realities. Dom realizes that he needs to make changes– both personal and professional.
Life on Earth hangs in the balance…
***
If you’re interested in purchasing a signed copy, they’re available through my Etsy shop:
Good morning! It’s shaping up to be a gorgeous day here on the Oregon coast.
The view from my computer desk.
Once again, I’ve been neglecting this blog, but I had a good excuse. I received the proof copy of my novel “Alternatives” in January and I’ve spent the months since then painstakingly working my way through edits and revisions. I’ve also been corresponding with my beta-readers to apply their recommended changes to the manuscript.
The good news is that I’m almost ready to release the final edition of the novel into the world. Phew! I’ve been working on this project consistently for nearly two years, so getting so close to the finish line feels like a huge accomplishment.
Brand new Proof copy…
A few months and many edits later…
Just a few changes… 😉
They always advise writers to “write the story that you want to read”— and that’s exactly what I did. As one of my beta readers told me, this “book is so you”! The novel is soft sci-fi (science fiction without a lot of hard science or “techno-babble”). There’s also a strong romantic story line. Being a “me” book there are quirky characters and lots of pets. I also intentionally incorporated several references to the Oregon coast, sci-fi TV shows and movies, and pop culture. And an acoustic guitar makes a cameo! It’s basically a mash-up of most of my favorite things.
Now that I’m getting close to the finish line, I’ve created a list of people that would like to pre-order a copy. This will also help me figure out how many copies to order from my publisher. Please message me if you’re interested in purchasing a copy. (Details: paperback, 400 pages; signed by the author; $15 per copy plus shipping).
Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the support!
~ H. S. Contino
PS– Due to the pandemic, I’ll be mailing out the signed copies of my book. I’ll have them available for sale through my Etsy shop, Reprieve’s Corner. Eventually, I’ll be returning to selling books in person at local craft fairs, farmers markets, and book fairs. I’ll also be lining up some book talks– eventually. But, for now, the case numbers in this area are still to high for me to feel safe hosting an indoor event.
H. S. Contino 