And the Title is…

Yes, the second draft revision is officially under way. Among the things I had to name and define was the title itself. Titles are crucial. A great title will make readers pick up my book and maybe read the description.

Creating the title is a bit like writing a synopsis. How can I distill the essence of this weird little book? It’s about a bright young girl who was abandoned, along with her mother, at their hereditary spirit shrine. The rest of the family claims the shrine is cursed. The fallout of their jealousy is a drought that grips the entire land of Tenebira. Cleodora is determined to carry out the spirits’ will and bring back the rain. But she’s just a kid.

I went through so many ideas and variations. Combing bookstore and library shelves to see what kind of titles they used at the younger end of YA. There are single word titles, titles that are place names, the ever-popular “thing of this and that” title. I wanted to use my main character’s name, but not in the typical “Cleodora and the Whatever” because that made it sound like the start of a series.

For now, I’m just calling it Cleodora. I’m not totally happy with that, but it’s enough to go on with. Yes, I know, I’m putting down another temporary name that I’ll have to fix later! Perhaps as I go through the revision, I’ll find a turn of phrase that sparks something for me.

Also, don’t forget! I’m taking part in the Smashwords summer sale. All my e-books are 50% off through the month of July. That’s the whole Minstrels of Skaythe series, among others. Wolfsinger also has some of their anthologies for 25% off. Help a lady out!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.