What's in a Name?

When it comes to titling books, authors are all over the place. Some authors narrow the choice down to a few options and ask their affinity groups and/or fan base to help select the title. Other authors toss out the premise and ask for suggestions for titles. Some wait until the book is done, expecting the completed novel to name itself after all that intense work on it. Some authors have a great title, and they let the story unfold around it.

One thing all authors acknowledge is that naming your book is one of the most important elements of novel writing. It’s the first thing any potential reader sees first. They don’t read the blurb first then look for the title. The title grabs them (or not) so they pick up the book to read the blurb (or not). What’s in a name? a lot! Despite Shakespeare’s argument to the opposite, authors know book names matter.

I am one who does not struggle finding titles for my work. Which is not to say I don’t struggle with writing. I have demons I wrestle that other writers put down with ease. No, I am just saying, gratefully, that at least I don’t have titling issues to contend with as well.

Some of my titles are pretty pedestrian. Lucinda is the title character in my historical fiction in two time periods. Land’s End is the name of the condo complex where my short story anthology unfolds. But the real fun of naming is with my two culinary mystery series.

For some reason, many culinary mysteries are puns. It adds an extra fillip to the story. Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Bear series includes titles like Dying for Chocolate, Cereal Murders, Chopping Spree, and Main Corpse. What’s not to like for a foodie and a mystery lover?

Being a word guy, punny titles appeal to me on several levels. Son Brooklyn jokes that I should auction off some of my culinary mystery titles since I can never live long enough to write them all. He thinks that might net me more income than the book royalties. Gee, thanks, Kid!

But I’m not going to do that. Here are titles I know I’ll use and some I can’t live long enough to use. Help yourself. I’ll look forward to reading what you come up with if you write a culinary mystery, too.

Plan to use for “Dinner is Served” series:

Mission Impastable	Prime Rib and Punishment	Cooks in the Can
Peas Porridge Pot	The Taming of the Stew	Tequila Mockingbird
Grape Expectations	Glazed and Infused	Roux the Day
Case of Syrah, Syrah	The Holy Grill	Bone Appétit
Fried and Prejudice

Plan to use for “For Everything a Season” series”

Mint to Be	Thyme to Die	Sage Advice
Arsenic and Old Mace	Down by the Bay Leaf	Cumin to Me
Broken out in Chives	Gingerly into the Night
Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary Time

Help Yourself:

Romeo and Julienned	King Sear	Hamlet
Midsummer Night’s Cream	Measure for Measure	O, Jello
Much Ado about Noshing	The Berry Wives of Windsor	Crumb What May
That’s a Moray	Dressed to Kill	Chop to It
An American Pie in Paris	Peppered with Shells	Flaxible
Tunanight	Take with a Grain of Salt	Dead and Butter
By Hook or by Cook	Borne and Bread	Fry, Fry Again
Garden of Eaten	Refry Gravity	Serial Griller
Bashed Potatoes	Good to Grate	Veg Out
Rye, Rye Again	Cream a Little Cream of Me	Boxed Up
Ryes and Shine	I’ll See You in My Creams	Butter Off Dead
Under Lox and Quiche	Wrapsody in Blue Cheese	Lick It to Me
Porky and Buns	Dough, a Dear	In the Lick of Thyme
A Steak in the Heart	A Spoonful of Sugar	Grilling them Softly
Easier Fed than Done	Pitcher Perfect	Fat or Fiction?