What's in a Name?

 There's always someone making a fuss about something in Romancelandia. This past month's drama involved two authors squabbling over a title. Author A already had a published book with the title, Author B wrote her to say she was planning to release her own book with the same title, and how did Author A feel about that? Author A wrote back to say she was not pleased. Author B announced to the world that she was a little bit afraid of Author A. 

Honestly, I think they both have too much time on their hands if they're worrying about things like that.  Because multiple books with the same title are really not at all unusual. They might even be the rule,  in some cases, rather than the exception. 

In point of fact, I just did a quick search for books with the same title of my first published book, Scent of the Roses (which is not currently in print). I gave up counting after I hit a dozen. I believe most of the thirty or so books I've published have had titles that are not unique. That's just the way things are. For one thing, you can't copyright titles. For another, in general, no one much cares. As an example of just how much it doesn't matter, I'd like to point out that if you write hockey romance, there may just be a requirement that--if you wish to be taken seriously--you absolutely must title one of your books Breakaway. I don't know anything at all about hockey, so I don't know what a breakaway is, or why it's so desperately compelling, but I believe aficionados of hockey romance searching for new-to-them authors could simply do a search for the title and easily find a list of every hockey romance author extant. 

Most authors I know view matching titles as a good excuse for joint promo. OTOH, I have to admit that it does occasionally become awkward. For example, my book Edge of Heaven was released within a week of another book with the same title. The other book was published by Samhain--who published my vampire series. So some readers who knew I had a book coming out with that title, and knew that I worked with Samhain, wrote to me gushing over the gorgeous cover. And I totally agreed: it was a gorgeous cover. In fact, I was quite jealous, because I didn't like my own cover nearly as much!  But there was worse to come. Review sites confused at receiving multiple requests for reviews of the same title, generally assumed there was an error, and only reviewed one. 

My publisher was ecstatic when they received notice that Edge of Heaven had received a Best Pick award at one of the sites they'd sent an ARC to. They made a big deal of it. Congratulated me publicly. Used a review snippet to promote my book. I really hated having to be the one to break it to them that all the applause wasn't for my book.

Eventually, it all got straightened out. And, sometime later, both publishers went out of business and I finally got a cover I really liked for the book. And I'm simply ecstatic about the cover for the not-exactly-a-sequel that is one of my current WIPs. 

The way I look at it, titling books is a lot like naming kids. It has nothing to do with you if some stranger happens to have the good taste to pick the same name you did. It's certainly nothing to get upset about. If it's your sister or best friend who does it, well that might be a little weird. 

It was a reckless act of passion that ended Edge's life and left him in Limbo--literally. Now, he's stuck here. While most of the other angels-in-training move quickly up the celestial ladder, Edge knows it can never be that simple for him. He's dealing with issues that are a lot more complicated than a simple lack of closure.

 

While Edge doesn't know for sure what it will take to get him into Heaven, there is one thing he's certain won't help; that would be his latest assignment guiding angel-baby Matteo Matinucci while the newbie find his wings.

 

But twenty-something Mattie--sexy, beautiful, recently departed and openly gay--could turn out to be the answer to all of Edge's prayers, as well as the fulfillment of all his fantasies, even the hot, sweaty, secret ones he's never confided to anyone.

https://www.pgforte.com/angels-in-the-afterlife

If there was one thing Matteo Matinucci never lacked, it was determination. If he made up his mind to do something, it got done. He never let anything stop him. Not even dying.

 

So when he set his sights on Edge, he knew he'd get his man. How hard could it be to waltz into Limbo, sweep his fellow angel off his feet and return with him to Heaven--where they both belonged? A lot harder than he imagined, apparently.

 

Now Mattie's stuck in a place he doesn't belong, doing the one thing he never dreamed possible: falling in love.

 

Warning: Please be aware that this is not a sequel to Edge of Heaven. This is the side of the story you haven't heard yet. Mattie's side.