Meet Adriane Darcy. Isn’t she pretty? Okay, so maybe this is actually beautiful actress and model Alexis Bledel. But she is also the answer to a question on the titling questionnaire I just received from Revell.
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Filling out titling questionnaires isn’t my favorite writing task. Yet at the same time it is definitely a favorite form to receive in my e-mail box. That’s because it’s proof that I have a new book in the works with Revell. This one is a historical romance set in 1855 Louisville with a working title of Words of Fire. It will probably be released sometime in 2012. That seems like a long time from now, but it takes a while for a book to go from me typing “The End” to being on store shelves with a great cover to perhaps entice a reader to pick it up and give it a look.
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That’s what the titling and cover questionnaire is all about – to help the publishing company know more about my book so the perfect cover can be designed and the best title chosen to draw that book buyer’s eye. So even though I struggle with some of the questions, I know the right answers – the answers that best describe my story and my characters – will end up helping to make my book more inviting.
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So that’s where beautiful Alexis Bledel comes in. One of the questions I struggle with most is which actresses or actors would I chose to play the part of my characters if my story was made into a movie. I am totally out of touch with today’s movie stars. My memory is all used up remembering characters in books instead of who plays those characters in movies. So with the magic of web searchers, I type in actresses with dark hair and blue eyes, and just like that up comes Alexis Bledel. Well, along with about a dozen other blue-eyed brunette actresses. But this photo of Alexis best fit my mental image of Adriane Darcy, the strong willed heroine in my book. The beautiful, strong willed character.
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And I don’t think I’m the only author who has to resort to googling to fill out their titling and cover forms because I kept coming across the question, “What actresses have dark hair and blue eyes?” already out there in the search finds. You know I’m wondering if I might ought to go out and look for that actor or actress when I’m doing my character planning before I write a book. No, I think I would rather let the character spring out of my imagination and then find somebody who looks like her or him instead of the other way around.
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So meet Adriane Darcy. I think you might like her when at long last her story is ready for readers’ eyes. Now are you wanting to know who I picked for Blake Garrett, my main male character? He, of course, is as handsome as Adriane is beautiful.
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I’m hoping to get my newsletter out the first of next week. I’ll be doing some Christmas giveaways so go to my website www.annhgabhart.com to sign up for the newsletter. Thanks for reading and I sincerely hope you’re enjoying the Christmas season.