Monday, July 21, 2008

Help Me Name My Next Book!

We're doing something a little different from our usual exploration of history today...instead of talking about bad boys and 19th century slang, we're going to talk about book titles. More specifically, we're going to talk about what to name my next book, due out next spring from Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.

Book titles are important. They can make people browsing in bookstores stop and pick up a book, or make them ignore it completely. They have to stand for the story and give an idea of what goes on in the book without giving everything away. And you know what else? They can be dreadfully difficult to come up with.

So I'm going to give you a brief "jacket copy" type description of my next book, and then a list of possible titles. Does one of them seem perfect to you? Or can you think of something completely different that isn't on the list? Let me know in the comments section...all commenters will be entered in a drawing to receive an advance reading copy of the new book some time late this fall (don't worry, I won't forget!)...and of course I'll post here as soon as the final name is decided on.

And so...

THE STORY:

Penelope Leland has come to Ireland to study magic and prove to herself that she's as good a witch as her twin sister Persy. But when Niall Keating begins to pay her court, she can’t help being distracted from her studies. Especially when she learns that the handsome young nobleman is reputedly an illegitimate cousin of the new young Queen Victoria, her friend and idol, whom her sister saved from an ambitious wizard’s control spell the year before.

Niall Keating has strict orders from his sorceress mother Lady Keating: to make young Miss Leland fall in love with him so that she can be convinced to use her magical powers to help reconcile him to his true father, the Duke of Cumberland, Queen Victoria’s uncle. Niall is delighted to comply until he discovers his mother’s true aim: to assassinate Queen Victoria by magic and put Niall’s father on the throne of England.

Penelope is thrilled when Lady Keating reveals her powers and offers to tutor her in magic. But Niall has fallen deeply in love with the lovely young woman. Even if he halts his mother’s evil plans, will Penelope be able to forgive him for trying to seduce her into a plot against her beloved queen? And what will Pen discover about Irish magic and the mysterious Triple Goddess whom Lady Keating serves?

THE (Possible) TITLES, in alphabetical order:

Betraying Season

Encircled

Maiden Voyage

Spellbound

The Queen's Maiden

Twice Bewitched


Good luck! I'll take comments through next Monday night (July 28). And have fun!

18 comments:

Gillian Layne said...

Oh, titles are powerful things, aren't they? I think they are dreadfully hard to come up with. But Twice Bewitched caught my eye immediately. Then Betraying Season, then Spellbound.

The others made me think a dryer straight historical.

Great jacket copy, by the way! (Dashing off to save my own WIP from its current lame title....;) )

Anonymous said...

Hmm... I like the idea of having something season again, just to keep with the theme :-) But I dont know if Betraying Season would be my favorite...

Deception Season, maybe?
Seduction Season?
Enchanting Season?

haha yay for http://thesaurus.reference.com/
All the best in titles that mean the same thing :-p


Good luck with the title!

Anonymous said...

I lied. Looking back at my choices Im beginning to like Betraying Season a lot... same initials, same theme. Its growing on me :-D

Liviania said...

I like Betraying Season best of those options because it both matches the title of the first book and connects well to the plot. Twice Bewitched is okay, but the others feel like generic fantasy titles. That could work for a first book, but I like titles in a series to have some sort of connection. It makes it easier on the reader.

This doesn't really have anything to do with the question at hand, but is the triple goddess Brighid or the Morrigan?

Anonymous said...

I like Betraying Season. It shows that the book is a companion to Bewitching Season as well as gives an idea of what the book is about.

Carolina said...

I say Betraying season. It does go with the first title Bewitching season. Good luck!

the story siren said...

hmmm... i think i agree with everyone else. Betraying Season seems to be a good fit.

Rachael Stein said...

okay, i remember that Maiden Season was like the first title i thought it was. i like it, but i like Betraying Season better. it seems more dangerous in an "OMG!" sorta way. i also remember you saying that your publishers wanted "Bewitching" or a variation of the word to be in the title. hmm, i'll have to think about that...

Anonymous said...

I also like Betraying Season. Like those before me (and though I haven't actually read the first book YET), I think it works well with the first title and will help fans transcend from the first book into the second.

Good luck!

Tia Nevitt said...

I always liked Maiden's Voyage; but then I would expect most of the plot to take place on board a ship?

Betraying Season is also great, but I like The Book Girl's idea of Deception Season better. You don't want to set up the expectations that all of the books in this arc (assuming there are more than 2) will have the same initials. "Something" Season will be a lot easier to carry over from book to book.

Anonymous said...

I loved the original title, Maiden Voyage--granted, I'm prejudiced because it's one of my favourite phrases, but it captures all the romance and adventure that's bound to be a part of it...

Something with "season" in it might work well--Deceptive Season?
Brighid's Season (working from the "triple goddess" aspect?)
A Season for Magic?
A Season for Deception?
Or, connecting the two books with "bewitching"--
Bewitching Voyage?

paperxxflowers said...

I like the bluestocking's suggestion of
A Season for Deception

:]

Anonymous said...

A Season for Deception. I like that one too. either way, it sounds too good to miss

Tasha said...

I definitely like Deception Season, it kind of shows that the book is a sequel, without anyone having to read the inside flap. I really liked Twice Bewitched too, for me it was the most fun!

Marissa Doyle said...

This is incredibly helpful, everyone! Keep them coming...!

A variation on Deception Season (which can be a little hard to say aloud)...Deceiving Season? What do you think?

Anonymous said...

oh, I like Deceiving Season VERY much.

Tia said...

Oh, yes. Deceiving Season sounds great, and it goes better with "Bewitching Season".

Marissa Doyle said...

To answer Liviania's question...

The Triple Goddess in the book is neither The Morrigan or Brighid, though they both sometimes had triple aspects...the goddess in my book is Danu.