Book titles that ring true

It might not surprise my readers that my book titles always have a double meaning. Not only do they connect with the story in some way, be a powerful comment by a character, or be used to capture a potential reader. My book titles, especially in the last few years. have been picked with the worldview in mind. 

Here are some quick examples:

Everybody Wants to Rule the World is my 18th book, the 13th in my Hernandez series. As expected, a title like this isn't by accident. It comes back to not only the plot but also how our world looks right now. If you look around, whether it be in politics or otherwise, there are a lot of mega powers attempting to push their way to the top to control. And believe me, this is not for the greater good. 

Psychopaths Rule the World was released a few years ago, and at the time, it was a comment I made to a friend regarding world events. He had been questioning what would possess certain people to make the decisions. "Because psychopaths rule the world" was my answer, and even now, I stick by that reply.

Loyalty Above All (there are no exceptions) isn't the only theme in my
Hernandez series but also something I strongly believe in. If we don't have loyalty or a sense of dedication, then what do we have? And can you ever really trust someone who isn't loyal to you? 

Why do I pick certain book titles? 📇

Most of my book titles aren't selected just because they grab attention or suit the book, but also because they sometimes make a statement that I think is relevant. It might say something about human nature, the world we live in, or be a belief that I have about the world. 

I'll let you be the judge. Here are a few titles to consider:

Psychopaths Rule the World 

Do I have to explain this one?

We're All Criminals

Isn't there a 'bad' side to all of us? Do we not all have a dark side?

We're all Animals

In essence, we are all animals. Do we not have natural instincts that relate to those of animals? Are people all that different from one another?

Always be a Wolf

A quote throughout the series is; in a world full of sheep, always be a wolf. That seems pretty relevant in our times.

In the end, I guess it depends on the author's style and motives. Maybe they want a silly title that shows a lighthearted side to their writing. Then again, they might want something dark that suggests murder, crime, or horror. For me, my motive as a writer is to make people think. I guess I feel that if I can't get them to read the book, maybe I can accomplish this (to some degree) by demonstrating my titles. 

Animals and Devils 🐺😈(Updated)

If you're familiar with my series, you probably already know that the books have an animal and devil theme in the titles. But why is that?

As I said in previous videos, this became the series that wasn't meant to be a series. It started with a book called We're All Animals in 2016 and took off with the follow-up, Always be a Wolf, a few months later. This portion of the series follows protagonist Chase Jacobs, a naive, small-town boy who tends to try to do the right thing.

And that's when things take a bit of a turn.

In the fall of 2017, the devil-themed titles start appropriately with the blood-thirsty thug Jorge Hernandez as the protagonist. The Devil is Smooth Like Honey followed the life of the Mexican narco who's about to take over the legalized pot industry in Canada. While Chase was very much the boy-next-door, Jorge is the complete opposite, demonstrating the vast differences in characters. Having Chase as an employee, both men tend to have an influence on one another as the series continues with A Devil Named Hernandez and And the Devil Will Laugh. (Since this blog was posted, there are MORE books with animals and devils in the title. Go HERE to learn more.) 

I've always said that I love character contrasts in books and feel that extremes have a way of balancing each other out. I'm curious where this will go in the future because I predict a shift in both of these characters in my next book. Will Jorge bring out the bad in Chase and Chase bring out the good in Jorge, or are certain aspects in their DNA to stay? What do you think?

How do I pick out my book titles?? 🤓 (Updated)

People often ask me how I come up with book titles. The key is to pick something catchy and demands attention. That's not to say that all my titles fall under these categories, but I like to think I'm getting better at titling my books.

With my first book Fire, it was pretty straightforward. The story was about a fictional band in the 90s called 'Fire', and that's as creative as I got with that title. The follow-up was A Spark before the Fire, which was pretty much an attempt to connect the two titles, letting people know that this book was kind of the prequel to Fire. There's also a line in the book where the protagonist is called 'a spark in the sky'.

I thought my third book, The Rock Star of Vampires, had a pretty catchy title. It stems from the protagonist looking for the 'rock star of vampires' throughout the book. 

Most of my titles come from a line in the book. There is a significance that the reader will discover as they work their way through the story. Other books like Psychopaths Rule the World is a combination of plot significance and my reflection on the world. Always be a Wolf is simply an idealogy repeated throughout the series, as is Loyalty Above All (there are no exceptions). 

A title should capture the essence of a book and give readers a sense of the overall theme that awaits them.

Check out this video from a few years ago where I talk about some of my older titles.