Last week I was sitting at the bar, watching my hubby play pool (billiards, if you prefer) with his team. This happens pretty much every Weds night (in fact, I’ll be there tonight too), so you can imagine I occasionally run into a story idea or two. How could I not with all those people around?

In any case, across the room, one of the other teams was discussing vegetables. Lettuce, to be exact. In all fairness, I have no idea what they were saying about lettuce, but it was amusing my husband.

Which made me wonder, of course – how would you kill someone with lettuce? Or any vegetable, for that matter?

A writer’s mind is a dangerous place, I tell ya.

In any case, I’ll spare you the whole sordid thought process (and save some plot secrets for myself), but long-story-short, I decided to write a set of short stories collectively called “Death by Vegetable” under my Westhaven pen name next year. Naturally, since I was on a role, I started thinking about titles for the stories.

By the end of the night, I had a set of five stories titled and tentatively plotted for the veggie collection. And then I had the brilliant idea to give the whole of 2012 a food theme, and brainstormed two more collections of five stories each – one for my Marlow name, and the other for the “main” me. Although to be completely honest, the title for my romantic suspense collection was brainstormed awhile ago for a cover project…but the nice thing about that is, I just have to “claim” the cover from my lovely artist.

I love titles, and I love brainstorming them. I often use titles as the catalyst for entire plots…and if it’s not the first thing I come up with, it’s normally the second or third. Some of them give me no end of trouble, but I normally sort them out in the end.

So…a peek at next year’s tentative schedule for romantic suspense – release dates still to be determined:

Novels

The Wise Critique
The Minister’s Maid

Novella

Falling in Pubic

Short collection: BeauTeaful Summer

Chai’d Up
English Breakfast
Earl Grey
Sencha Green
Jasmine Betrayal

The short stories will be tea themed! I’ve been thinking about doing something like that for a few years now, so I’m excited about getting started on those. I may even start one before the new year, if I get a chance.

Writers, do you ever just sit and brainstorm lists of titles, and use those to create your plots?

Readers, what’s your favorite book title of all time?

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