As so often happens, when I get to the final stages of
making the cover, someone objects to my working title. In this case, there
aren’t enough pirates in my story. [ insert Monte Python skit--I'd like a piece without so much rat in it, please.] I don’t want to lure people in with a great
cover and blurb only to have them disappointed. Here are the top five names:
+ Dance of the Virgins : a definite central theme of the
story, a good lure, but it may not say epic fantasy or sequel.
+ A Few Miracles More : funny reference to the emperor’s
main weapon and Tashi’s gunslinger-like battles. Says sequel. May be too
flippant.
+ Queen of Dreams : could reference any one of three women
in both threads. Ties in to previous titles and themes. Solid but a bit
generic.
+ The Way of Water : loosely covers both threads. May be too
vague and Daoist. May grab the wrong audience.
+ How to Marry an Emperor : sheer funny. Only covers part of
the story, but I think it would get the right audience.
I do agree that it's likely too much of a focus on the pirate thing.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion.... for what it's worth.... I like Queen of Dreams and The Way of Water in that order.
Virgin is going to get you the wrong audience, and the funny ones don't represent the epicness (is that a word?) of the series.