Book covers, book titles and music playlists
October 30, 2019
I’m running a 50/50 average of selecting the titles of my novels. With Chameleon, I went several years back and forth until The Chameleon stuck. In writing my cousin Jackie’s memoir, again we are submitting several titles back and forth.
So far in writing Aeverless and 9 Days, 777600 seconds, those titles came within the first five hundred words written and haven’t changed. They are planted firmly in my mind. Yesterday morning, while tweaking my music playlist for Aeverless for the sixth time (it’s still not right), I created a new character and playlist for Yvette Langdon. So far her story is tentatively titled Target Langdon. Like Zoe Matthews in The Chameleon, Langdon comes out the gate tough and street savvy. You’ll have to stay tune for the snippets as I continue to discover her journey.
Creating titles and book covers are the first introduction your readers has to your imagination. With selecting the cover for The Chameleon, I was looking for something mysterious where you couldn’t quite make out her face. Chameleons blend into their environment, which works to their advantage as predators and assists them when they are the prey. I have an idea for 9 Days, 777600 Seconds and Target Langdon. My block is Aeverless. I see my characters clearly with the exception of one which plays a tremendous role throughout the books (yes, this will be my first foot into doing novellas). This I envision working with an illustrator to get it just right.
My music playlists sets the mood and tone of my stories. I first came up with the concept when reading The Bum Magnet for my girlfriend, K.L. Brady. I could visualize her characters and the music like a movie. I have made several others for her for works she has written. Check out her https://klbradyauthor.com. When I finally decided to write and publish my own work, I decided that music helps in creating scenes and developing my characters.
With The Chameleon there’s an influence of Cuban/Haitian and R&B, the makeup DNA of my main characters; I didn’t create my playlist until the story was almost completed. For the memoir I’m writing with my cousin, it’s heavily based in the gospel music we were raised on. That core music that has built and shaped our faith for generations. Overcoming any addiction takes work and faith and I’m proud of my cousin’s journey. I’m blessed and extremely honored that she asked me to help tell her story. I believe my problem with Aeverless, because it is my first time creating a science fiction based suspense novel, I have nothing quite in my large database of music that quite touches the feel of this novel. The undercurrent is foreboding, ominous and the pace builds. This may be the first of many novels where music comes much later. With 9 Days, 777600 Seconds Michael McDonald’s “Strong Enough” set the tone and built the backdrop of Azure “Carmela” Pepperton’s story. It’s poignant, and when you first meet her, her strength and resolve is being tested. Is she strong enough to overcome circumstances out of her control? Yvette, her music is old school, funky with a mix of jazz and pop.
Tedious work but I love it. Seeing my imagination come to life, I’m truly grateful for this gift. If it brings inspiration or joy to just one person, I’m happy.
