Friday, August 16, 2013

The Trigger: Cover and Title... Finally!

by L.J. Sellers, author of provocative mysteries & thrillers

As only a writer could do, I spent the week obsessing about the word the. I’ve had a title for my new thriller for months—The Trigger. But I started considering those powerful one-word thriller titles: Stolen, Missing, Inferno, Bombshell, Shiver, Dust (seriously, a new Patricia Cornwall), and I thought maybe I should title it just Trigger.

We developed a cover, and the single-word title looked great. I asked people in my house what they thought, and everyone said, “Yeah, I like Trigger better.” But it bothered me. Whenever I would talk about the story, I would stumble over the title. It started to sound funny.

Then my editor questioned the new title and said it made her think of a name, like the horse. So I knew it wasn’t right. Especially for people who might only see the title in text  (sans cover) and be confused by it.

So I’m back to The Trigger, which works well with the story, which goes like this:
Agent Jamie Dallas loves undercover assignments that get her out of the Phoenix Bureau. But when a woman and her baby disappear from an isolated community of preppers in Northern California, she knows the risk of infiltrating the armed group is dangerously high.

Once inside the compound, she discovers that the brothers who founded Destiny are scheming something far more devious than kidnapping or murder. Meanwhile, her local FBI contact, Agent McCullen, is pulled from her team and assigned to investigate the murder of a woman with phony ID, found at the bottom of a motel pool.

Soon Dallas finds herself in deeper trouble than she's ever encountered—with no way to reach her contacts. Can she break free of the bunker and stop their bizarre end-of-world plans? Will Agent McCullen identify the killer in time to help?

The Trigger is a gripping story that highlights our greatest fear—how a hacker and a fanatic with grandiose ideas can threaten civilization as we know it.

The book is scheduled for release January 1, and I have a great contest planned with a huge prize—a trip to Left Coast Crime. More details can be found on my website.

If you’re interested in an early copy of The Trigger (ebook and some print) and are willing to be on my street team to help launch it, please email me. ARCs will be ready in about a month.

So what do you think of the title? The cover? Story concept?

17 comments:

  1. Exciting news! Great cover art. And the blurb intrigues - promises fast-paced thriller action. Maybe a movie?

    I like the way the title is composed on the cover, with the "the" inside the "T." FWIW, as I was reading, when you said the title might be "Trigger," I also thought of a horse - stuffed, after its death.

    Best of luck - I hope the reviews and sales are both great.

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  2. Love the cover, the title, the story concept, and the story, LJ! I enjoyed working on this excellent thriller with you! And sorry to be the bearer of bad news about the "name of a horse" thing! LOL

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    1. I'm glad you mentioned it! As I said, it had been bothering me too. And thanks for your work on the story. You definitely made it more exciting.

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    2. Glad you found my suggestions helpful, LJ! Can't wait to see The Trigger in print! :)

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  3. Love the cover and title LJ!

    Looking forward to the launch in January.

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    1. Thanks, CJ. Let me know if you want any early copy.

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  4. I think the cover is fantastic, and I agree about using the article in the title. I look forward to reading it!

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  5. Great cover and I join the chorus approving the use of the definite article in the title. It's the kind of book I'd stop to read the first few pages of.

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  6. P.S. I mean, stop to read the first few pages to see if I want to buy.

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  7. Love it, L.J. Sharp, yet dark. Can't wait to read it.

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  8. LOVE the cover, LJ!

    Have you revealed your cover designer's name publicly? Cover admirers (like me) might want to know!

    Your story sounds fantastic. Please consider sending me an ARC. I'd be happy to feature your book on SoWrite.Us.com during your launch. (I do occasional book reviews and author interviews there, whenever the timing is right.)

    ~Jim

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    1. Thanks, Jim! Email me about what kind of file you want.

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  9. A great cover for a great story! I'd love to see this one rip to the top and stay there!

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    1. Thanks! I'm optimistic that I'll expand my readership with this one.

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