Series Titles

Covers and titles can draw in readers is you're not an author known everywhere by your name alone.  I write my books in series and I try to make the titles not only indicative of the book content but also somewhat connected to the previous books.  Lots of authors do this and much better than I do.  For instance, does anyone doubt Alex Cavanaugh's upcoming book, Cassafire, is in a series with Cassastar?  The titles let you know the books are related without seeing the author's name.

I tried that in my very first romance series, The Chronicles of Solonia.  The series started with The Greater Good, followed by The Lesser Evil, A Ruthless Good and the wrap up novel, One Good Woman.  The titles weren't perfect matches but they were connected enough to seem like they went together.  

Today my clever publisher is running a special on that last book, One Good Woman, at $1.99, as an early promotion for the my next Tiger book coming out in December.  One Good Woman is the featured book today at New Concepts Publishing.  I hope you can check it out.

Do you write in series and try to give your book titles similar titles?  Do you know an author who is exceptionally clever with titles?

PRO-logue or CON-logue

I write and read fantasy but not exclusively. I love thrillers and mysteries and will delve into a good romance now and then. But the first section of the book store I head to is always the fantasy/science fiction shelves. Like many of you, I usually open the book and read a few pages before I buy it especially if it’s an author new to me. In a fantasy novel I’m very likely to encounter the controversial prologue.

A prologue is usually like a preliminary act to a play. It can be a teaser, a foreshadowing or even a historical event that sets the stage for the main action. It tantalizes with tidbits of mystery and is often set in a different time or place. The characters might be different from the main characters in the novel or perhaps be from another period in their lives.
Speak to an editor or an agent and they will likely show their disdain at the hated pages many authors use at the beginning of their novels. Some will call it lazy writing, wasting pages to explain things better sprinkled throughout the novel.

In fantasy and science fiction, the prologue gives a view into the created world and culture. In any type of novel it may help set the mood of the story. Is it light-hearted, dark and edgy, or action on top of action? I use a prologue in all the novels in my Solonian Series.  I don't call them prologues though.  I label treat them as pages taken from a historical log as you can read here.  They set the tone of courage and personal sacrifice that run as threads through the series.  Thrillers and mysteries may start with a crime in progress that may not involve the main characters but will somehow be tied to them.

I like prologues and they will often sell me a book. But back to the attitude of agents and editors. Should you use a prologue and if you do how long should it be?
Mine are usually five to seven pages long though they can be as short as one page and still grab the reader’s interest. But should there be one at all? Ask some questions of yourself. Could the prologue actually be the first chapter? Does it enhance the story or would the information in it be better incorporated elsewhere in the novel?
I’m interested in the feelings of readers and authors on the much debated topic. Do you like them or hate them as a reader? Do you use them as an author? Have you been asked the cut them by an editor?