This is one of those prompts I just had fun with.
Dreams of coconut and chocolate cream,
float and dance above my head.
Two right choices,
but I can only devour one.
So consumed am I from loving them both,
I take Coco and Cocoa,
and we flee to the land of Pi–
an uncharted pierritory–
where we can live in love as an unholy trinity,
made holy by changing the laws of the land.
Several years ago, I heard that Harlequin romance read every manuscript they received, and so I began writing short romance novels, tailoring them specifically for that market. I won’t lie–I’ve always believed they would publish anything. One book I read had a character named Darren, also spelled Darrin. I couldn’t help but think of the two Darrins on “Bewitched”.
I’ve read about a hundred Harlequin romances (for research more than pleasure), and I’ve probably liked about five of them. Most of the titles (and characters) are forgettable. (Though much meatier, I can barely name any of the Lisa Jackson and Sandra Brown books I’ve read.) However, there is a market for these little books, and so I’ve been working on a handful of titles–I just need to write the stories that go with them!
I ended up writing two novels, “Regina Fair”, a light, fluffy romance for the Harlequin American romance line, and “A Splash of Blue”, a darker novel for one of the other lines. I came up with “Regina Fair” for the title (it was originally “Regina’s Rainbow”) when I read that Audrey Hepburn’s “Sabrina” was originally “Sabrina Fair”; someone thought that sounded too highbrow (fearing they would think “Vanity Fair”), and so it was shortened.
My protagonist, Regina Morrow, is a refined girl who works a blue-collar job (she is a grocery clerk). I wanted to show (and not tell) that a girl could have class without money and/or a white-collar job. Plus, a character like that is more relatable than most of the contestants that compete on “The Bachelor”.
“A Splash of Blue” is about a young woman who runs away from her mother’s smothering love to become a mermaid for Soda Springs water park (based on Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida; I’ve been there, and it is truly a relic from the 1950’s). This title is reminiscent of the 1965 movie, “A Patch of Blue”.
I do think the greatest books have the most memorable titles (“Gone with the Wind”, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”), and a catchy title (like a book cover that pops) is important, as are character names. Did you know Pansy was Scarlett O’Hara’s original name? Or that Mickey was born Mortimer Mouse? I can’t imagine it either.
