Just to clarify, are we attempting to fix the 'sex, sweet potato pie, and digital videotape part' or the 'Tied to the Tracks' part.

I thought that TTTT was the title, which made me think the tagline was the sex, sweet potato blah blah blah part. But just wanted to check before I get my wheels turning.

Tied to the Tracks is the title: no changes possible or wanted.

The tag line I used in my little mini ad (the terrible, awful tagline, sex, pie, tape) is what needs to be redone.

Shall we post or email?

post, please. maybe we can start a riff going.

I’ve never done anything like this before, so forgive me if these stink. It’s difficult when you don’t know the general tone of the book. Also, I seem to be stuck on the sweet potato pie thing. Maybe because I’m hungry.

Caught on tape: Love & lesbians. Religion & race. Sex & sweet potato pie.

Welcome to the New South—sex, love and sweet potato pie.

It’s not Margaret Mitchell’s South—love, lesbians and a woman named Zula.

sarandipity -- there's some good bits here. I like the not-mm-south a lot. I'm going to play with these -- THANKS.

Ok, here goes:

Sex, Pies, and Videotape - Southern Style

sarandipity - I love #3! Catchy!

Glad y'all like #3 - it's my favorite, too. I was thinking it would be fun to mix Italian phrases with Southern phrases to show a culture clash (although I'm not sure how much an issue that is in the book), but I'm drawing a blank. Something along the lines of "Mama Mia, y'all!" but not that 'cause that's awful. I'm sure Rosina can come up with something better if she wants to go in that direction.

Welllll, here comes the wet blanket on a soapbox. Please, please don't use lesbian sex to sell a book (unless the main character is a lesbian having lots of sex, and according to your description, she isn't).

Without going into a huge rant about it, I'll ask one thing: if there were gay male characters in the book, would you put "love, gay men, and sweet potato pie" on the cover? (And if you did, would you expect to sell a lot of copies?)

By way of justification, my objection isn't with the same-sex sex, it's with using female sex to sell: it's okay to commodify women in that way, but not men.

You're on a roll, sarandipity! Mama mia, y'all! lol! Brilliant!

For some reason, #3 makes me think of a tag line for a Clint Eastwood Western - maybe it's the bit about "and a woman named Zula."

Sorry, Sara. My mind is now happily coming up with tag lines for fictional Eastwood films.

Outlaws, villains, and the woman he loves.
No past, no future, and the town he can't forget.

Wheeee!!!!

murgatroyd - I understand your reasoning there. I included lesbians in the tagline because it's not something you think about when you hear 'The South.' And it makes for nice alliteration.

Teresa - you like 'Mama Mia, y'all'? I think it's cute, but it doesn't tell too much about what the book is about. Wish I new more (or any, actually) Italian colloquialisms.

How about... "Mama Mia, y'all! The story of a Yankee Italian-American (??) displaced in the Deep South and her encounters with love, lesbians and a woman named Zula."

Or not.

It just made me laugh. I imagine Dolly Parton schlepping spaghetti. But clearly there would need to be more to it than just Mama mia, y'all. I still stand by my vote for #3, and I certainly can't come up with anything myself.

in sarandipity's #3, just change the 'lesbians' to 'sex'. Or maybe something like:

Margaret Mitchell’s South it ain't — sex, sweet potato pie and a woman named Zula.

Hey Sara,

How about something like:

There's more that's cooking than sweet potato pie.

It's sort of ambiguous and could refer to several of the points you mentioned... the old flame, the food, the documentary, the sex.

Teresa - that image of Dolly had me laughing out loud. I could even *hear* her saying it, except it was followed by the words "Come on down to Dollywood!" Yeah, I live in Tennessee.

Elizabeth - I like it. It's short and intriguing.

Thanks! Glad you liked it.