IWSG~Pondering Labels

I'm not one to stand on a soapbox. Or a ladder for that matter - long, ugly, painful story for another time. But with everything that's going on in the world today this month's IWSG

For more participants.

question got to me. 

The question is: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

Sounds like a justifiable bookish question. And it is. But coming up with a book title or character name (at least for me) labels said book or character with specific subliminal insights into what the book/character might be about. We guess, surmise, and think we know what we'll find on the inside. This got me thinking about the state of the world today and how lots of people preach about not being racist or a bigot or a religion hater or a hater in general, but don't really show that in their actions.

My view on this comes from my experiences in raising four children. The more I talked about or pointed something out to the kids the more emphasis they in turn put on it. Good or bad. Like the idea that climbing out a second story window to watch your five-year-old brother play hockey in the driveway is not okay. (My 2nd son may or may not have done this. O_o) I freaked out when I found him on the roof, kept talking about it - well, because I was freaked out - and that steered his attention to the roof and wanting to climb on it again and again. Bad. But when I talked about reading books, how that can take you anywhere you want to go and you can be anyone you want to be while reading, they wanted to read more. Good.

I see the political, religious, and economic issues of today through the same eyes. I see people for who they are because of the way they treat others, not for any other reason. If the world would focus on the good here - because there is a lot of good out there - then slowly, maybe even methodically, the world would begin to glow with the goodness we share instead of the hate and discontent spewed through the news and social media. I honestly see everyone as a human being. Plain and simple. And, even if I don't agree with your opinion, I respect it because it is your right just like breathing.

So I guess I do the total opposite while naming characters and creating titles, and both come easy to me. I purposefully give the reader a prejudice as to who this character might be or what this story could be about. And that can be as misleading as real life.

SPLAT ALERT!

YOU GUYS are A-mazing! I still can't believe you're my friends. I'm so lucky. Remember last month when I asked for support because Marked Beauty was up for an award? Well . . . she won, not one, but two awards! 

And it's all because you are my writer friends and readers and actually think what I'm doing matters. 

2018 Maine Romance Writers 'Strut Your Stuff' Grand Prize Winner - Readers Choice

2018 Maine Romance Writers Readers' Choice; YA/NA category

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

AND if you look closely you'll see what looks like a large pin with a heart and a silver book dangling from it. Every writer receives one of these pins with the heart engraved Maine Romance Writer. Each time the writer has a new book published, he/she receives another silver book! I absolutely love this pin!

Oh, and make sure you ENTER for your chance to WIN $250 cash in the Splash into Summer Giveaway I posted on Monday. Many ways to enter - even a FREE entry! Either scroll down to the post below this one or click HERE. Good luck!

So Readers (this includes writers because we're all readers), what intrigues you more the title of a book or the main characters' names?