Titles hurt my brain

I'm not very good at coming up with book titles. And by 'not very good', I mean 'really quite rubbish'. I didn't even come up with ENTANGLED. Yes, I did manage to come up with TORN, but that was after much anguish and plenty of *facecat* (think *headdesk* but less jarring on the brain).

I spent most of the weekend trying to come up with a title for a book I haven't written yet. There was really no need to spend my time doing this. I should have been writing, obviously. But thinking up titles is the best type of procrastination, since you can convince yourself you're still working. And you are... sort of.

After a quick look at my bookshelves, here are some titles I love and how they made me feel when I first picked up the book:

The Forest of Hand and Teeth, Carrie Ryan (Ewww... sounds gross. Me like gross.)

When I Was Joe, Keren David (Who is Joe and why are you no longer him? Colour me intrigued.)

Twenty Boy Summer, Sarah Ockler (Twenty boys in one summer? Now that's impressive.)

Some Girls Are, Courtney Summers (SOME GIRLS ARE WHAT?! I need to know!)

Going Bovine, Libba Bray (Er...WTF?!)

Shark Girl, Kelly Bingham (Sharks? I love anything to do with sharks so I am bound to love this.)

So what do you look for in a book title? Are titles important to you? Any favourites?

Randomness

Bit of a mish-mash for you today:

1. Authors for Japan raised a grand total of £10,962.25! Amazing! Big thanks to Keris Stainton and her band of helpers for making this happen.

2. I went for a run on the beach this morning. It was lovely (apart from the taste of blood in my mouth, which I googled when I got home... turns out it's something to do with DOING EXERCISE. Shock, horror).

3. I finished the first season of Supernatural yesterday. Dean is my favourite.

4. I registered at my local library this week and it has the best YA section I've ever seen. Huzzah! I borrowed Charlie Higson's THE ENEMY and Gillian Philip's FIREBRAND. Reading THE ENEMY first and man, Mr Higson can certainly spin a yarn. Suitably gory, edge-of-your-seat stuff. I do love zombies.

5. I am waiting for two emails. If they don't arrive today I will be annoyed.

I hope your Wednesday is sunny and full of good things such as kittens, popcorn and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I'm writing

Yup, I'm writing again. So that's good. But am I working on the thing I'm supposed to be working on (i.e. my WIP)? Hell no! I'm working on a Top Sekrit Something instead. In your face, WIP!

The TSS is very different from anything I've written before - completely out of my comfort zone. And by gum, I'm enjoying it. It's hard work and I'm having to THINK and write notes and RE-THINK and (gasp!) actually plot, for a change. Now you know I'm a committed pantser, right? But this project just demands plotting. It goes against everything I believe in, but it seems to be working. My whole world has been turned upside down. I'm not sure what to believe in any more. If I'm no longer a pantser, then WHO AM I?

On a lighter note, who is this Rebecca Black person? And WHY, GOD, WHY?!

Authors for Japan

The wonderful Keris Stainton has set up Authors for Japan, an auction site where you can bid for items in aid of the British Red Cross Tsunami Appeal.

Bidding starts at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning, and there are some incredible items on offer, so please do have a look. You'd better be quick though, because the auction closes at 10 p.m. on Friday.

If you want to, you can bid for a signed copy of ENTANGLED plus the jigsaw that was used in the book trailer here.

Confession time

OK. Here goes. Deep breath.

I haven't written in ages. And I do mean aaaaaages. So much for being a writing demon this year, eh? Sure, I have my excuses reasons. There was the launch of ENTANGLED and then the book tour and then the whole moving house malarkey. But there's really no excuse. I could have found the time to write if I'd really wanted to. But I just... didn't.

Now I'm settling in at the Jam Factory. I have my lovely shiny new desk (it's BIG). I have my Wall of Books. There's a natty red desk lamp on its way. The cats are settling in well. SO WHY CAN'T I WRITE?! Or rather, why don't I want to?

Harrumph.

Little house on the prairie (except not ACTUALLY on a prairie)

Apologies for my absence. I have been moving house. I am writing this post sitting at my shiny new desk, looking out onto the front garden. Behind me is my Wall of Bookshelves. There are no actual books on the shelves yet, but that situation will be rectified today.

Random things that happened this week:

1. My neighbour gave me some leeks from her garden...
2. ... and I made soup.
3. I talked to a fat squirrel.
4. I drank gin and tonic in the sunshine.
5. I accumulated four mysterious bruises and two bloody knuckles.
6. I used a spade and a strange claw-like tool to do some weeding in the garden.
7. I cried when I saw how lovely the new flooring looks. Don't laugh.

What random things have you been up to this week?