Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Guest Blogger ~ Jeanne Barrack

Today, we are in for a magical treat, everyone. Jeanne Barrack is an erotic romance author with Liquid Silver Books (plus other publishers) . I feel I've gotten to know Jeanne through the Liquid Silver forum, always a fun and verra risque party place to hang out. Hey! Just check out the Liquid Silver SEx blog today, where Jeanne (A Song of the Sidhe) and Roscoe James (The White Swan) are partying down in celebration of their new releases.
I am constantly amazed and enchanted whenever Jeanne's shares her knowledge about Irish history and Celtic/Irish music, especially the songs of the bards. And, let me tell you, can she pen a fantastic battle scene! Not to mention her writing style is passionate and lyrical, in perfect harmony with the tales she weaves, and the love stories she writes.

Welcome, Jeanne, to Title Magic ~

I love the name of this Blog! If your book has Title Magic, folks will at least check out the blurb or read an excerpt and then hopefully, buy the book.
Imagine if you will, if "War and Peace" had received the goofy title that popped up in an episode of the comedy show, "Seinfeld". The character, Elaine, is led to believe that Tolstoy's classic novel was originally called, "War: What is it Good For?" Now, I know that makes a fun song title, but it certainly doesn't fit the breadth and scope of Tolstoy's epic.

Often, titles go through a metamorphosis (another great title ) before seeing the light of day.
So it happened with "The Shimmering Flame", my stand alone novel in Liquid Silver Books' Terran Realm Universe.
Inspired by the legends of ancient Ireland and Brigid, the greatest of all pagan Celtic goddesses, its original working title was "Bright Arrow". Now, Bright Arrow is just one of many names and honorifics given to this amazing female. But the story was more than just about Brigid. When I developed the Terran Realm aspects of the story, I had other characters who were just awakening to their new abilities as Terrans. So, I submitted the manuscript with a new title: "Awakenings".
Great title, yes? Unfortunately, it was just a little too similar to "The Earth Awakened", an upcoming book in the Terran Realm series. Back to the drawing board.

So, I thought, "What aspect of this story is unique and captures the essence of Brigid and the other Terran heroes and heroines in the Realm? "Brigid can control the elements of Fire and Water. This makes her unique in the Realm. So, I decided to find a title that conveyed this.
I felt I couldn't use a title that had the word Water because one of the books by Tiffany Aaron is called "Troubled Waters", but I wanted to indicate Brigid's element duality. So I thought about the effects of water. Dazzling. Glistening. Frozen. (hey, I was desperate). And then it came to me. Both water and fire can shimmer....yes! Got the first part! "Shimmering"....hmm.
Okay, "Shimmering Blaze" - sounds like the name of a race horse. "Shimmering Inferno" - maybe a tad too hot! "Shimmering Fire", better but not quite there yet. So I cudgeled my brain some more and the word Flame burst out. A flame: steady, hot, giving warmth - to shine with a sudden light.
I liked it. So, the shimmering quality of water and fire and the steady, shining warmth of a flame:
"The Shimmering Flame" had a name! To find out more about the Terran Realm, please check out this link: http://www.terranrealm.com/
My next release for Liquid Silver Books also is set in Ireland, but this title was easy! "A Song of the Sidhe" is a repubbed, revised and expanded story set in Ireland of ages past.

Blurb:
The place: Ireland, a long, long time ago when the Sidhe walked among mortals
Donal Bawn was the most handsome man in all of Tipperary with a voice that could lure the birds from the trees. But that all changed when he angered Ogma, High King of the Tipperary Sidhe. Doomed to wander as a hunchback with a voice as thin as a reed, Donal keeps to the forests away from human companionship until one day he hears a melodious female voice singing a fragmented tune over and over.
Ceoleen, a beautiful female of the Galway Sidhe has also been cursed for her vanity and foolhardiness. Blinded and exiled to a fairy ring deep in the woods, she can only repeat a broken phrase of music until that fated day when Donal finishes the song for her.
But their curses are only partially broken. It will take a great deal more than music to decide their fate.
Will their love be strong enough to finally free them?

13 comments:

Savanna Kougar said...

Welcome Jeanne to Title Magic.

Jeanne said...

Thanks, Savanna.
BTW, if I haven't mentioned it before, I remember your American title entry. Talk about "Title Magic"? That title - who could forget it? ;~D
We are having a party over at the SEx Blog. (It stands for Silver Expressions!)
Hope folks will join us!

Anitra Lynn McLeod said...

Thanks for joining us on Title Magic! I loved your description of struggling for a title--either they come to me right away or I have to eak them out!

That episode of Seinfeld was one of my favorites since my dad does stuff like that; he will convince people that something bizarre is actually true. :) We call them amazing BS dad stories.

Jeanne said...

"amazing BS dad stories"
Anitra, I love that! We used to call my dad's anecdotes "popcorn"!

Hot Ash Romance Novels said...

Great book, Jeanne!

I had the privilege of reading it earlier.

Ash

Jeanne said...

Thanks, Ash!
I'm working on the sequel to "The Shimmering Flame" and I have to say it makes molten seem frozen! ;~D

Ken Summers said...

Titles are often the bane of my existence! Finding the right one is often more work than the actual writing... LOL

Given my fascination with Ireland (obviously, with all the ghostly tales and fantastical beings), your book is certainly intriguing!

Savanna Kougar said...

Hi Jeanne, thanks for remembering!

Hey, everyone, the link to Jeanne's Sex blog party is at the beginning of the post in the intro! There's a lovely enchanting swan picture, and Jeanne is offering a great prize, also.

Hi Anitra, that's too funny about your Dad. My Dad had an entirely different sense of humor.

Hi Ash, are you sending Jeanne one of you 'Ho' promos?

Jeanne, Makes molten look frozen, huh. Does that mean it will turn the liquid silver screen completely blazing, and it will run down into a puddle. Now that could be a cool or volcanically hot graphic.

Hi Ken, welcome! If you're stuck for a title, sometimes they just come to me magically...not always, mind you. But, more often, than not.
Seen any good ghosts lately?
Ken, if you see this, post your links.

Helen Scott Taylor said...

Welcome, Jeanne. I'm a fan of Irish fairies. Part of my story The Magic Knot is set in Ireland and the hero is Irish. I know what you mean about getting the title just right. I find sometimes it is an easy choice and sometimes it takes a lot of thinking.

Jeanne said...

Hi Helen!
Btw, I voted for your entry in the Contest!
Congratulations!
I see you enjoy Il Divo. Their version of En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor on the Ancora album is one of my favorites. I also have Placido Domingo's version. The melody is one of the most sensual I've ever heard.
I adore opera. In my other life, I'm a trained musician and music therapist. I sing everything grom opera to folk music.

Mel Hiers said...

Welcome, Jeanne!

"We used to call my dad's anecdotes "popcorn"!

We call Dad's "sagas." The man can take the most mundane things (a trip to the grocery store, looking for an extension cord in the garage, etc) and turn them into epic tales.

Anitra Lynn McLeod said...

I'm so glad other people have "colorful" fathers--mine is a total hoot! We just celebrated his 70th and I swear that man is in better shape than I! I hope he lives to be 150! ;)

Mai Christy Thao said...

Hi Jeanne. Welcome to Title Magic. Excellent post. Thanks for sharing how The Shimmering Flame came about. It's a beautiful title. I'm always interested in an author's thought process, so this was really neat to read. And I love the premise for A Song of the Sidhe. Very original. Can't wait to read it!