On My Own by Jennifer J. Chow

 

All my speaking events after the launch of my Sassy Cat Mystery Series in March 2020 have been in partnership with others. I’ve either co-presented, been interviewed by someone, or participated in a group discussion. I don’t mind. I’m not particularly comfortable at solo speaking.

 

The opportunities to do virtual events in the Zoom-heavy world we live in are plentiful. A lot of speaking engagements no longer require travel—only a working webcam. When I received an invitation to appear at the Writer's Digest Mystery & Thriller Virtual Conference, I jumped at the chance. The only catch was that I needed to conduct a webinar . . . on my own.

 

I agreed because I’ve been wanting to say “yes” more in my life. I’ve decided I need to be more proactive in general and push myself toward growth.

What does it take to prepare for an hour-long presentation? Apparently, a lot. Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek:

 

·         Title: First off, there needs to be a snappy title. I wanted my webinar to both capture the content involved and the mystery writing element of the conference. After brainstorming with Robert Lee Brewer at Writer’s Digest, we came up with “Solving the Mystery of Authentic Characters and Relationships.”

·         Content: It’s been a long time since I’ve made visual slides, but I threw myself into revisiting PowerPoint and trying out Google Slides. (I ended up going with the former.) In the presentation, I wanted to provide writing tips but also tie these to concrete examples. I read through recent novels to pick books that would exemplify different techniques and contacted each author involved to get their permission to summarize certain scenes. (On a positive side note: I also had fun taking some Bookstagram-like photos with these novels.)

·         Tech check: There are a lot of webinar programs out there. The one used for the conference was GoToWebinar, a platform I wasn’t familiar with. Thank goodness for Sue Johnson, who helped me to troubleshoot in the week before the virtual event. It turned out that I had to set up a variety of permissions for my computer to allow access to the webcam, files, etc.

·          Presentation Time: I triple-checked to make sure my slides worked. Having a cup of water nearby was also helpful. It’s amazing how dry your throat can get while talking. At the end, I also did a Q&A session, which I imagined felt much like doing improv. (While answering questions, I tried to stare at the camera lens, to create some sense of eye contact with the audience.)

The result of my first solo speaking event? I think it went pretty well. A few people even paid me compliments at the end of the session. Also, importantly to me, I left with a greater sense of confidence.

 

What kind of bold move have you made?

 

Book Versus Anthology by Jennifer J. Chow

I just finished going through the first pass pages (a typeset manuscript resembling the finished product) for an upcoming anthology, Midnight Hour (Crooked Lane Books; September 7, 2021). 

I’ve also been polishing up Mimi Lee Cracks the Code, the third book in my Sassy Cat series at the same time. As I toggled between the two tasks, I was made aware of some differences between launching a novel and an anthology. Let me share some of my thoughts . . .

 

Cover:

For my books, the art department usually provides me with their vision, and then I offer suggestions on how to tweak it to match my plot.

 

In an anthology, the cover has to represent so much more than my single story. It has to tie together all the works and appeal to everyone’s tastes. This is no small feat, especially since there are twenty authors in this collection! (On the bright side, we’ve already started an informal discussion in the group about initial art concepts.)

 

Edits:

When I go through edits for my Sassy Cat Mysteries, I know the story inside out. This makes the revision process flow easily.

 

For the anthology, I looked over my own work. However, as requested by the editor, I also went over the other stories, concentrating on minor errors, like typos. It was interesting to see how a single theme resulted in so many unique written creations. It was definitely an honor to read such amazing stories.

 

Dedication and Acknowledgments:  

I enjoy creating the dedication and acknowledgments pages in my books. I’ll usually rotate the people I dedicate to and double-check my list of people to thank, making sure I don’t leave anyone out.

 

For a collaborative project, though, how will we divide this task? It’ll be interesting to see what we end up with.

 

Overall:

I, of course, love launching new Sassy Cat mysteries into the world. There’s a joy to revisiting a close-knit community and bringing my vision to life once more.

 

However, there is something special about a collective effort. I’m excited for the upcoming Midnight Hour because it features newer writers alongside more experienced authors. It also showcases a breadth of stories, in both plot and characters.

Writers: Have you ever been a part of an anthology, and what was your experience like?

Readers: What’s an anthology that has stuck in your mind, and what was its theme?

Who Comes Up with These Titles? by Jennifer J. Chow

I really like punny titles. They’re cute and reflect my quirky sense of humor.

 

Recently, my marvelous editor, Angela Kim, at Berkley Publishing asked me to come up with a title for Book 3 in my Sassy Cat Mystery series. I balked at giving her suggestions. Why? Well, the title for the first book in the series changed a lot from draft to finished copy, and I worried about offering her an inadequate name.

 

My process for crafting a title starts with the theme of the book. In Book One, my main protagonist is a pet groomer, and the victim in the story is an unscrupulous dog breeder. I wanted to tie the title to animals and called my manuscript, Doggone Dangerous. (If you can’t tell, I enjoy alliteration.)

 

In the end, though, the marketing team came up with a more brilliant title: Mimi Lee Gets A Clue. I love how it places Mimi, my main character, center stage and employs a double meaning. The “get a clue” phrase could refer to the hints that Mimi picks up, but it also alludes to her getting a clue about her own life.

 

When I needed to come up with a list of potential titles for the third book, I started scrounging around for ideas. I wanted to exert my creativity, but I also understood I’d be constrained by certain parameters; the Mimi Lee name needs to start off each title because I’ve already created a pattern for the series (the second book is Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines).

 

After seeing the first book’s title evolve over time, I wondered about other writers’ experiences. Did they also have trouble making up names? Had their titles changed from the beginning drafting period until the final product?

I took an informal survey of fellow mystery writers to find out. I’ve listed the authors and their titles below:

 

·         *Daisy Bateman’s Murder Goes to Market was shortened (her agent’s suggestion) from This Little Murder Went to Market; note the fun reference to the five little piggies

 

·         Ellen Byron’s Murder in the Bayou Boneyard (Cajun Country Mysteries) was originally known as Halloween Horreur; to avoid readers mistakenly thinking there was a typo, her publisher suggested the final title

 

·         Becky Clark’s titles have remained the same, but she keeps a long list of murder-y words on hand, so she was well-prepared for both her Mystery Writer’s Series and the first book, Puzzling Ink, in her upcoming Crossword Mystery series

·         Vickie Fee’s One Fete in the Grave (Liv & Di Series) changed from Oh, Slay Can You See after some author and editor collaboration

·         Leslie Karst exchanged the title A Matter of Taste for Dying for a Taste (Book One in her Sally Solari Mystery Series) to make it sound more murder-oriented.

·         *Kate Lansing’s Killer Chardonnay remained the same from beginning to end; the series name, though, changed from Vino Valentine Mysteries to Colorado Wine Mysteries

·         Lisa Q. Mathews created all the titles in her Ladies Smythe & Westin Mysteries; however, the title for the first one, Cardiac Arrest, started off as Sweet Way to Go

·         *Elizabeth Penney’s Thread and Dead (Apron Shop Series) came from her own creative mind, as did the title for the first book in the series

*= These are 2020 Debut authors!

 

What’s the takeaway message? Some authors nail the title on their first try. Others need to employ a little tweaking. And always trust your editor and agent!

 

As for me, my editor and I have narrowed down the possibilities for Book 3. Suffice it to say, I’m definitely leaning toward her suggestion!

 

On a side note, you can use this mystery title generator as a starting point for inspiration: https://blog.reedsy.com/book-title-generator/mystery/

 

Have you heard of book titles changing? Share those stories and your favorite titles below!