The Problem of Titles by Judy Alter
Delia Jackson is a “difficult” character in Murder at the Bus Depot, the fourth Blue Plate Café Mystery. Indeed, café owner Kate Chambers finds herself often using the phrase, “dealing with Delia.” She can’t figure out if Delia is evil or confused, naïve or cunning—or maybe just bewildered by a world she doesn’t understand. Struggling with the first draft, I decided “Dealing with Delia” was the perfect title, because it aptly described so much of the action. But it wasn’t perfect. The titles of the first three books in the series followed a pattern: Murder at the Blue Plate Café, Murder at Tremont House, and Murder at Peacock Mansion. “Dealing with Delia” didn’t fit. With wise counsel from seasoned writers, I went back to my original title, Murder at the Bus Depot. Titles are always a problem. Sometimes the title comes before the story and gives the author the story. Other times, the title comes out of the blue midway through the first draft—those titles are particularl...