I Have Been Remiss

I was so anticipating weekly posts here on Modesty is for Suckers, and while I did okay for a few weeks, I’ve slacked off. Oh, so many reasons why from my son’s illness to exciting writerly goings-on to the holidays; and yet here we are, almost February. My son’s illness resolved, the writing going smoothly, the holidays long gone, and hardly a peep out of me. So..peep, peep!

On the writing front, there is fabulous news most who actually follow this blog out of love and loyalty already know. For posterity’s sake, I’ll post it up anyway: I signed another two-book contract with Kensington/Lyrical to publish what were formerly titled Walk with Dreams, and Unremembered Wings, books two and three in The Bitterly Suite. Formerly? Why, yes, formerly, because the powers that be weren’t mad about my artsy titles, taken from a poem, from which I lifted chapter headings for the books.

“I really like the title SEEKING CAROLINA but I’m not as crazy about the above titles, so please just mention to the author the possibility of changing them.  I wonder if each title could be SEEKING “Something”? ”

I saw his point immediately. From a marketing standpoint, you want the titles in a series to go together in a recognizable way. Because “Seeking Carolina” can have a dual meaning, I thought, “Well, ok. Then how about Seeking August, and Seeking Savannah?” They both do the same thing, carry the possiblilty of two meanings. In each case, they are names of characters within the story, as well as linked to the month and place. But…meh. I didn’t hate the titles, but I didn’t love them either. They seemed so lacking in creativity, and they smacked of lazy marketing. Over the course of a few days, I came up with titles I liked better–Dreaming August, and Waking Savannah.

Seeking, dreaming, waking–they go so well together, and do what the powers wanted them to do, just more creatively. My fabulous editor, Penny Barber, submitted the request and it was approved! Woohoo! Huzzah! Hip-hip-horray! And now I have the name of my fourth book in The Bitterly Suite–one not yet sold but planned in a more nebulous way–Being Charlotte.

A fine progression, if I do say so meself. I am not absolutely certain I’m going to write the fourth one. I have a whole new beastie bumping about in my head, as well as a fantasy novel that needs to be finished. I’ve woven in threads leading to book four through books 2 and 3, and I’ve an outline, so it would be a shame not to. If my publisher wants the fourth book, I will provide it. With books coming out in October of this year, March of 2016 and September 2016, I’d say there’s plenty of time to decide, on both our parts.