I know, I’m ahead of myself!   But I thought I’d get in early and update the blog while I’ve got a free evening, because otherwise it won’t get done until next year (which sounds longer than in fact it is).  I’m in a strange kind of limbo at the moment, having finished the last book of this year but not yet having any idea about what to do next.  I need to have a chat to my new editor, but in theory I’d like to commit to another three books in 2008.  Apart from that, everything’s a blank.  I don’t even have a glimmer of an idea.  There’s been some discussion recently about the importance of titles, and part of me thinks that what I need to do is start with a winning title and write the story to fit it, but I suspect this is easier said than done, and anyway, it would depend on my editor coming up with the title in question, as I haven’t got a clue.  The latest book is to be called Last-Minute Proposal.  I can’t say I’m mad about it.  It sounds a bit ‘nothingy’ to me, what do I know?  My own suggested titles are always rejected as ‘not quite right’ so clearly I’m lacking that crucial finger on the pulse.

The other option is to start with a hook.  The ‘hooks’ are the scenarios that are often signalled in the clunkier titles (allegedly also the most effective).  Babies and blackmail, royalty and sheikhs, office settings and marriages of convenience are all popular hooks, and there are plenty of others.  I’ve realised, belatedly, that I’ve been a bit short of hooks in the books I’ve written this year.  These stories have all started from characters instead, which makes it a lot harder to find a punchy title for them (hence Last-Minute Proposal, I suppose). So if you’ve got a preference for a particular hook - if you love books with office settings, say, but hate ones with babies - do let me know and give me a prod in that direction.  I’d better not promise to write it, as I might come badly unstuck (I’d struggle with a sheikh book, I think)  but it would be interesting, and very helpful, to know what sort of stories are popular with my readers, and hey, if everyone tells me they’d love a sheikh book, perhaps I’d need to reconsider …  Frankly, right now, I’d be grateful for any suggestions, and you never know – yours might be the message that tips me one way or the other and helps me make a decision!  You can leave a comment or send me an email direct, and I’ll take your hooks and see if I can come up with an idea …

I’ll be back in 2008, by which time I hope I’ll have made some decisions and can tell you what I’ll be working on next.  In the meantime, have a very happy Christmas and everything you wish for in the New Year.