No, this isn’t the cover of my next book. It’s a splendid rendition by writer Delle Jacobs, wearing her designer hat, based on an etching by Fragonard called L’Armoire (the closet) after I’ve been tearing my hair out over a new title for my regency chicklit. Delle pointed out the interesting phenomenon of the hat held in place without benefit of hands.

The marketing department at Avon decided that The Chronicles of Miss Wellesley-Clegg with the Occasional Scribbles of Mr. Inigo Linsley was a bit of a mouthful and might confuse booksellers. Furthermore, it’s no longer a romance/regency chicklit. I have been promoted to the status of a historical writer, and it will be released as a HarperCollins historical–ironic, since I consider this the most romance-y thing I’ve written. And my editor invited–or summoned–me to come up with a new title.

My first round of titles, including the brilliant Running with Rakes (suggested by my agent), were rejected as sounding too much like a romance. I suggested Mr. Darcy’s Trousers, which frankly I think says it all about why we like the Regency period. Nope, there’s nothing about Darcy in the book otherwise. My next batch included the immortal Gentlemen in Tight Trousers. Other (rejected) attempts were: The Smallest Room, Tart Rejoinders, Tart and Sweet, Present Imperfections, Tea and Scandal, The Happiest Delineations, and One Polish’d Horde (the last three after an evening with the Oxford Book of Quotations).

My additional challenge here is that the title has to indicate the book is funny, since this line seem to be quite serious, although very nice-looking with fine art and pretty squiggly things. I have yet to suggest Not Another Austen Knock-Off, but I’m keeping it in reserve.

So what makes a title? What makes a title specifically romance-y–is it random use of specific words like passion, scandal, savage, sweet, secret? And what makes a title specifically a historical title? Any thoughts? Or, more important, what makes a title work?

Janet
(hoping the title fairy as well as santa will visit soon)

P.S. Here’s an excerpt from the book from my website, www.janetmullany.com. And check out my Christmas recipe for Cranberry Nut Tart, too, while you’re there.

At this time of year, it’s natural for one’s thoughts to turn to…castrati. (Isn’t it?)
The castrati craze peaked in Italy in the eighteenth century, when a distressingly large number of musical lads from ambitious families had unfortunate encounters with pigs. (Castration, even of your nearest and dearest, was illegal.) Castrati were never very popular in England, where their existence was naturally equated with foreign, Papist nastiness. Only the superstar of the castrati, Farinelli (real name Carol Broschi), was wholeheartedly accepted and applauded.

So what did a castrato sound like? We don’t really know. There’s a recording of Alessandro Moreschi, The Last Castrato, made very early in the twentieth century when he was old and past his (debatable) prime. What we do know is that the singers were tall, with huge lung capacity and physical stamina, and with a vocal range of three and a half octaves and superb technique

Check out this excerpt from the movie Farinelli (and isn’t he a handsome young…thing). He’s singing a Handel aria. Is it a real voice? Yes and no. The voices of countertenor Derek Lee Ragin and coloratura Ewa Godlewska were digitally blended to create this astonishing sound. More info here for you techies here. Great movie, by the way, even if it tinkers massively with the truth–sex, drugs and arias. More about it here.

Consequently, very few singers today can handle the castrato repertoire, with one notable exception–mezzo-sopranoVivica Genaux. Here she is performing an aria by Farinelli’s brother, Qual guerriero in campo armato.
(Isn’t youtube great!)

So, in response, tell me if you’ve seen Farinelli, or about your other favorite musical movie, or what sort of Christmas cookies you’re making.

Janet

How do you celebrate a special achievement?

Do you treat yourself to flowers?

Or do you like to frolic online and shop, which is what I’ve been doing quite a lot of recently, with the excuse of buying Christmas presents.

My first stop was at Alibris where I spent a lot of time and more money than I should have, grabbing cheap second-hand copies of various books I’ve been meaning to read for some time.

I’ve also been at Ebay quite a lot, too, where you can look at all sorts of stuff you can’t possibly afford to buy–antiques and so on–but one of my major sources for presents. And I just, uh, happened to win the bid on these little darlings today. No, they’re not diamonds. They’re not old. But I think they’re cool.

And the reason for this hedonism? I finished my first book writing as Jane Lockwood, an erotic historical now called Forbidden Shores (NAL Heat, September 2007). When I say finished, I mean some victims are doing a cold read for me, I’ll make major, panicky changes, and get it to the editor in a couple of weeks, doubtless with major trauma via Fedex and holiday shipping schedules, and…

Well, you get the idea. So I’m splurging a bit, using the excuse that I save on shipping.

Now tell us what you do as a special treat when you have something to celebrate!

Visit my tarted-up website, www. janetmullany.com and, when you have recovered your senses from the beauty of it all, sign up for my newsletter!

I believe in less enlightened times we writers probably would all have been in trouble. You know what happened to women who heard voices in their heads and went around muttering to themselves.

So, how I write. First, I have a day job, and I find it concentrates the mind wonderfully. By the time I get home, refreshed from napping and/or reading on the metro, I am of course ready to sink into a slothful heap in front of the tv. But no. I must cook dinner and write. Dinner is optional. On a good night I’ll write ten pages. On a normal night I’ll do five. Or thereabouts. On the weekends I’ll do a lot more unless I actually have to do anything.

My secret? Many nice cups of tea. Solitude. I write at one end of the living room and I made a folding screen specifically to block out my nearest and dearest. I play music. It doesn’t stop anyone from reading aloud from the newspaper, asking me if I’ve bought groceries yet, or complaining about the state of the house, but it helps.

So how do I actually do it. Hmm. I don’t know. I’m afraid that if I analyze too much I’ll lose it. I don’t always enjoy writing, except for those euphoric moments when everything just flows and you realize hours have passed. Those moments of creativity are rather rare, I find, if you’re thinking of page counts and deadlines.

I usually start with an opening scene and go from there. Quite often it’s a journey or an arrival (oops. I didn’t realize I’d get extra points for originality). This opening scene is something I can see quite clearly in my mind. I’m usually fairly clear on where my characters will go initially and where they will end up and I work out the details as I go. I keep in my mind, or jot down somewhere, pivotal moments, and I’m usually aware of those well in advance. Those moments can be scenes, sentences, or an odd snippet of conversation, but they’re the bones of the plot.

I know we’re always talking about tortured heroes etc and they bore me to death, but I do think it’s important to write characters who have some pain in their past and show how they’re coping with it now. I’m not always sure of what that pain will be until I’m well into the book and start getting distracted by their backstory (and I love backstory and flashbacks. Bring them on). I also occasionally use a character questionnaire–one Diane Chamberlain hands out at her character-creation workshop is excellent–it’s short and it works for historical characters. I base my plots very loosely on the steps of the Hero’s Journey–that is, at some point I attempt to analyze what I’ve done as a reality check. I find Deb Dixon’s Goal, Motivation and Conflict very hard to handle although I know some people swear by it.

And that’s about it.

*Ducks
Visit my recently-tarted-up website www.janetmullany.com and sign up for my mailing list!

Turkey.
No, not that sort of turkey.
Turkey in the Regency period and the late eighteenth-century was a place quite recently “discovered” by travelers and tourists. It came to represent all things exotic and naughty such as

Even Ingres got in on the act.

Mozart liked the idea so much he wrote The Abduction from the Seraglio and introduced Turkish characters in Cosi fan tutte. And he, Haydn, and Beethoven changed the sound of the orchestra by introducing such exotic imports as the kettledrum.

Click here and listen to the famous Ronda alla turca from Mozart’s piano sonata no. 11, K. 331.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Janet