Book Released in Paperback . . . With a Different Title???

The paperback version of Janet Ruth Young's awesome novel, THE BABYSITTER MURDERS, is going to be released this year. It'll have a brand shiny new cover (which isn't uncommon when titles jump from hardbound to paperback), an author's note and, well, a new title.

Am I the only one that thinks that's weird?

THE BABYSITTER MURDERS will be renamed THINGS I SHOULDN'T THINK when it comes out in paperback. I'm really not sure what to think about that. I don't understand why something like that would happen between the hardbound printing and the paperback. Anyone?

While the original title, THE BABYSITTER MURDERS, is a bit of a hyperbole, I still liked it. It's very attention-getting and brings with it a promise of something big. The new title, THINGS I SHOULDN'T THINK, is, well, to me, THE BABYSITTER MURDERS FOR DUMMIES. It reminds me of a checklist and simplifies what's inside the cover. Not to mention it's stating the obvious. Here's the blurb for THE BABYSITTER MURDERS in case you're not sure what it's about -

Everyone has disturbing thoughts sometimes. But for seventeen-year-old Dani Solomon, strange thoughts have taken over her life. She loves Alex, the little boy she babysits, more than anything. Then one day she envisions harming him. The images are so gruesome, she can’t get them out of her mind. In fact, Dani’s worried that she might actually kill Alex. So she confesses her thoughts to keep him safe—and consequently sets off a media frenzy that makes “Dani Death” the target of an extremist vigilante group. Through the help of a daring psychiatrist, Dani begins to heal her broken mind. But will it be too late? The people of her community want justice…and Dani’s learning that some thoughts are better left unsaid. (goodreads.com)

Maybe I'm just biased because I really loved this book but, to me, the new title waters down what's going on, plus it completely deflates the oomph of the original title. Not to mention the fan base grows around that original title. You have a bunch of us walking around touting the awesomeness that is THE BABYSITTER MURDERS but once the paperback hits, people are going to have a hard time finding it because the title's changed.

The original title hangs on to the horror that Dani felt could really happen, and subsequently how she's treated after her confession. The new title feels like a limp balloon that dumbs down the story. I think the change is detrimental to the book.

What do you think? Not just about this title change but title changes in general from hardbound to paperback? Do you think it's as weird as I do? Do you think it'll help or hurt the book? Spill!

Author Bites - Janet Ruth Young on Secret OCD

When I first read Young's THE BABYSITTER MURDERS, I was like yes! This is awesome! It focuses on an issue that many people, especially many young people, have: OCD. Usually when people thing of OCD they gear more towards the counting aspect (taps, knocks) or the germ thing (constant hand-washing/antibacterial goop application). But there are so many facets of OCD that other lesser-known attributes, like the kind of thoughts like the protagonist Dani struggles with, go overlooked. People have a tendency of forgetting that the obsession in OCD can be anything. Not everyone's Monk. So I asked Janet if she'd stop on by and talk about why she decided to take the road less traveled with OCD and quite frankly, her answer shocked me! But in a good way. Read on to find out why. Thanks for stopping by, Janet!

The premise of The Babysitter Murders is autobiographical. Like Dani Solomon, I quit a babysitting job because I had unwanted but persistent thoughts about harming the children.

Also like Dani, I told the children's mother why I had to stop babysitting. But I was already in treatment at the time, and I quit the babysitting job over the phone, not in person, so obviously there was no immediate danger to the kids. The children's mother may have been shocked by what I told her, but she didn't react the way Alex's mother did. In fact, I went away quietly and got better, and several years later, when the kids were teenagers, she asked me if I was feeling okay and if I would like to start babysitting again.

That's the germ of reality in this story. But my motivation to write about it is much greater than that.

Although my situation occurred more than 20 years ago, I'm angry and appalled that most people, including doctors and therapists, still have no idea that what happened to me (and what happens to Dani) is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. That's the main reason I wrote this book.

Additionally, I believe there's a large invisible population of babysitters, teachers, priests, grandparents, and others who have stopped being around kids because of unwanted thoughts. These people will never find the resources to get better, and their absence is a loss to the kids.

Finally, the paradox of needing to put yourself in the situation that causes the thoughts in order to get better is inherently good novel material. I'm glad that readers seem to think so, too.

The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young

Published July 26, 2011.

Everyone has weird thoughts sometimes. But for seventeen-year-old Dani Solomon, strange thoughts have taken over her life. She loves Alex, the little boy she babysits, more than anything. But one day, she has a vision of murdering him that's so gruesome, she can't get it out of her mind. In fact, Dani's convinced that she really will kill Alex. She confesses the thoughts to keep him safe, setting off a media frenzy that makes "Dani Death" the target of an extremist vigilante group.

Through the help of an uncoventional psychiatrist, Dani begins to heal her broken mind. But will it be too late? The people of her community want justice . . . and Dani's learning that some thoughts are better left unsaid. (goodreads.com)

For the first seventy pages or so the story actually ambled along a bit slowly for my taste. After my first sitting I was wondering when the story would get to the point. For that first chunk that I read, it was just set-up for Dani but it was really schizophrenic. Not in a character sense but in a story sense. The plot was just all over the place and I was left wondering when it would all come together and I'd get to see something that resembled the blurb.

But not long after that the plot rolled over the hill and just kept tumbling down. The second Dani opened her mouth about her thoughts everything just catapulted. I was so engrossed in the plot to the point that I wanted to write an editorial to the paper in the book stating how horrible and sheep-like the townsfolk were for treating Dani the way they did.

I don't think this is a book just about OCD but I think it's about the greater lynch-mob-mentality that people have a tendency of getting. Instead of listening to reason, and seeing sense, people just hop on the bandwagon and convict of their own accord. I was truly frightened for Dani. I honestly didn't know how the story was going to end up with all of the crazy vigilante action going on.

OCD is a disabling disease and it's not always about the germs. I'm glad Young tackled the issue from a different perspective instead of going to a failsafe standard route for OCD. I don't think the kinds of thoughts that Dani has are all that abnormal. I really don't. I don't think we're all latent serial killers or anything but I do think things like murder poke at our deepest morbid curiosity. When we have these thoughts, we tend to just file them away because they are so horrifying. But what if you don't have that kind of control? What if those thoughts take up your day? Starting changing the way you act and your routine? Convince you that you're actually dangerous?

I'm not sure I understand why Dani took the approach she did and told the person she did. It didn't seem like a wise move from any vantage point. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the why behind Dani choosing the person she did to unload upon. It definitely would have cleared up some of my confusion but it definitely exacerbated her problem instead of fixing it. Gotta love those plot bunnies!

The way the story is structured it makes for a really quick read but at the same time the story will suck you in so thoroughly that you'll plow through it anyway. Young wrote it in such a way that Dani was truly sympathetic and despite everything going on around her you were rooting for her. Did she have murderous thoughts? Yes. But nothing is what it seems and you can never listen to rumors.

I loved how the most unexpected people stuck by Dani's side and those that you thought should wavered a bit. It was shocking to see people's real personalities come out in the face of something like this. It's really telling. But it made the story all the richer and realistic. It could happen. Why not? How many people are suffering from OCD on a daily basis? You don't know what anyone's thinking until they tell you. And then what would you do?

Up there in line with A BLUE SO DARK, THE BABYSITTER MURDERS is a poignant look into a mind sick with OCD and a girl's struggle to fix it. You'll get sucked in and go on Dani's bumpy, and frightening, ride with her. You'll want to root for her and hope to whatever god you believe in that she'll turn out okay. You'll probably be disgusted with the way the majority of the townsfolk reacted and maybe you'll feel like me and want to write an editorial to tell them just how crappy they are. It's a book about help and hope and it showcases that if you have the right support system, regardless of what's going on around you, you can make it through. I loved it.