I Have A Title

This title has been a long time in coming. At first, I called it The Girl Who Learned to Fly Again, and I used that while I wrote the story. But the more I thought about it, the less that seemed to work, so for a long time I just called it Flying Woman.

I had this image of a young woman sailing down snow-covered mountains, hair streaming behind, joy radiating from her. Here was a person who loved what they did and it showed.

Well, Flying Woman didn’t fly with me or anyone else I ran it past. Finally, the real title came, but not in a flash. It more or less crept up bit by bit. I remember starting with the image of snow-topped roofs, and the slow trickle of water that form icicles under a wintery sun. For a while, I carried that image around with me, and then I thought about what happens when you snap off one of those long thin chunks. Sometimes they shatter, don’t they? And there was my metaphor.

My young protagonist was going to have a lifetime dream taken from her in one terrible moment. Her dreams were going shatter. Her body as well. So the title became…

Shattered: A Story of Betrayal and Courage

Nineteen-year-old Libby Brown is on her way to the winter Olympics for her shot at the Gold. But on a last practice run, an out-of-bounds snowboarder collides with her, and she wakes up in a hospital unable to move her legs. Terrible accident they say, but was it? Or did someone want her off the U.S. slalom team? Libby must find the truth or remain shattered forever.

So there it is. I have a title and the cover artist is working on how the final package is going to look. Now’s when I start getting excited and really anxious. I love covers. To me, they can make or break a book. I can’t wait to share it with you.