The series that nearly wasn't Vampire Academy...

Wow, it's been a longggg time without a blog entry! I had to do so much online promotion to get ready for the movie that once it came out, I took a much-deserved break and haven't spent much time here or even on social media. Lots of people are asking if there's going to be a Frostbite movie, and I honestly don't know yet. The VA movie pulled in plenty of book fans (thanks, guys!) but not so much in the way of newcomers. Without those numbers, it's hard to say if the producers and financers will be able to afford to do more. I'm told it's not impossible...but not easy either. If I hear any more news on what they're doing, I'll let you know!

We did definitely get some newcomers to the theaters, and it was great to see how many of them loved the movie (and even better, went on to read the books!). I saw a lot of these new people saying, "Wow, it was so different from what I expected, based on the title!" That's been a recurring theme since the series first came out. I've often been asked: where did that title come from, especially since half the series doesn't even take place at the academy? Here's the scoop.

When I sold the first book in 2006, it was called Kissed By Shadows. Now, the book business involves a lot more than just a story. Marketing that story is a huge factor, and people at my publishing house felt that title didn't have good marketing appeal. Also, some worried it was too similar to certain Laurell K. Hamilton titles, which were huge at the time. So, I was asked to suggest other titles...and I did. Over and over. How many titles? Well...nearly eighty. We had tons of email exchanges, and every title kept getting rejected. By the end, we were all really starting to go in some crazy directions. When someone finally suggested Vampire Academy to me, I was so exhausted by the process that I said, "Yes, go for it." Readers always remember that title, even if it doesn't fully cover what ends up happening in the series. But hey, there's A LOT going on in the series, so could one title cover it all anyway? Hard to say, and that's what the individual book titles are for.

And now you're probably wondering...what were those titles that got rejected? So glad you asked. For the first time ever, I give you all the suggested and rejected titles for the Vampire Academy series.

Now you can see why I was so exhausted by the process... :)

BLOOD ANGEL
GUARDIAN ROSE
BOND OF SPIRIT, BOND OF BLOOD
THE SPIRIT AWAKENED
BLOOD ROSE
BLOOD OF THE GUARDIAN
BLADE OF THE GUARDIAN
SHADOW DANCERS
DARK SPIRIT
GUARDIAN RISING
HALF ROYAL
HALF BLOOD
HALF BLOOD ROSE
TAINTED BLOOD
TAINTED PRINCESS
TAINTED ROSE
ROGUE PRINCESS
DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD
THE MARKED DAUGHTER
DAUGHTER OF SHADOWS
AVENGING ROSE
BLOOD DESTINY
BLOOD PRINCESS
BLOOD SISTER
SISTERS IN BLOOD
ROGUE GUARDIAN
BLOOD ACADEMY
BLOOD SECRETS
DARK ELEMENTS
SHADOW OF THE PRINCESS
THE PRINCESS' SHADOW
THE BLOOD CHOSEN
FATED BY BLOOD
HEART OF THE GUARDIAN
THE ACADEMY
LADY GUARDIAN
ROSE REBORN
ROSE ASCENDING
VAMPING
ROSE IN THE SHADOWS
LIVING WITH VAMPIRES
CONCERNING VAMPIRES
DEATH IN A BLACK DRESS
HYBRID
HYBRID ANGEL
THE SWEETEST BITE
THE SPLENDID BITE
THE RADIANT BITE
RAISED BY VAMPIRES
SHE WHO PROTECTS
HOT BLOODED NIGHTS
CONFESSIONS OF A VAMPIRE BODYGUARD
ROSE HATHAWAY, VAMPIRE BODYGUARD
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO PROTECTING VAMPIRES
ROSE THE DHAMPIR
PLAYING WITH VAMPIRES
THICKER THAN BLOOD
VAMPIRIC VOWS
HOT AND HOT BLOODED
FANGS NOT REQUIRED
DEAD TO BITES
BITE CLUB
YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE VAMPIRES, BUT IT WOULDN'T HURT
A BEGINNGERS GUIDE TO GUARDING VAMPIRES
CONFESSIONS OF A VAMPIRE GUARDIAN
THE BLOODLUST RULES
ILLEGITIMATE CONFESSIONS
CONFESSIONS OF A VAMPIRE'S DAUGHTER
THE DHAMPIR CONFESSIONS
HOW TO GUARD A VAMPIRE PRINCESS
CONFESSIONS OF BLOOD AND LUST
LUST, BLOOD, AND OTHER TABOOS
LUST, BLOOD, AND OTHER INSTINCTS
SINS OF THE GUARDIAN
PRIMAL CONFESSIONS
LOST IN INSTINCT
THE TRUTH ABOUT VAMPIRE SEDUCTION
THE TRUTH ABOUT FLIRTING WITH VAMPIRES

I'm guessing some of you will look at these and think, "That never would've worked!" But I guarantee if an alternate title had been chosen, and then I told you Vampire Academy was a possibility, there'd be people saying, "That never would've worked!" :)

What would you have called it?