Hello! How did you come up with the title for your book?

Sam Subity Thanks for your question, Abby! Some author friends told me not to get too attached to my book's title because it very likely would change. The original title was "Vale of Secrets" -- "Vale" being a reference to Vale Hall, the private school that's the setting for the story, and "Secrets" because my characters uncover new secrets at every turn. But late in the book's publication process, my editor asked if kids know what a "vale" is. I asked my own kids, thinking surely they would tell me exactly what one is, and they...had no idea (for the record, it's an older word for "valley"). So it was back to the drawing board! I collected all the words that featured repeatedly in my story and started putting them together like Scrabble tiles. I had everything from darker, serious titles like "Storm of Shadows" to lighter ones like "Homeroom Viking." Then I made a list of the combinations I liked best to share with my publisher, agent, and family. When we all voted, "The Last Shadow Warrior" emerged as the favorite!

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