Friday Discussion: What Makes a Great Title?

First off, thanks for the tags everyone. I'll fill those out and probably post them on Monday, and I'll try to make it entertaining, as always. 

Second, I have received two free books in the mail so far from Waterbrook/Multnomah: North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson, and Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart, by Chuck Black. In exchange for these free books, I must post a review for each of them--on September 14-18 for North! Or Be Eaten, and September 28-30 for Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart.

Now, on to the main topic. Right now, with my novel, I'm working on

editing and Flaming Pen Press is working on a contract offer.

 Meanwhile, such things are being discussed as what the cover illustrations would be and what the title would be. 

Titles, it seems, are trickier than I once thought. We are making headway, but I want to hear your opinions on what makes a good title. What are some of the best titles you've heard? Keep in mind that great books don't necessarily have great titles. I think once we've read a book, (or heard about it enough times) the title fades into a mere name. For instance, it doesn't matter, at this point, whether or not Lord of the Rings is a great title. At the mention of it, our minds skip the step of acknowledging the title and jump to thoughts of adventures of elves, dwarves, ents, etc.

So I think titles serve mainly to attract new readers. But how can a title be made to better attract readers and catch on? What makes a great title?

Guest Post: An Interview with author Bryan Davis

Special thanks to fellow teen writer, Christian Miles! He has kindly offered to allow me to post an interview he conducted with Bryan Davis, bestselling author of many books, including the Dragons in our Midst series, Oracles of Fire Series, and Echoes from the Edge series. Furthermore, he'll be conducting another interview with Bryan Davis in the future, and he'd like some question ideas. So think up a great question and post it in the comments section! Without any more delay, here's the interview (conducted May 27,2009):

Christian Miles: What is your favorite book that you've written? And what is your favorite scene out of any of your books?

Bryan Davis: I don't answer favorites questions well, because I have multiple choices and any one "favorite" might change from moment to moment. The three books that usually rise to the top are Circles of Seven, Eye of the Oracle, and The Bones of Makaidos. There are many scenes I like, and the two that come immediately to mind are Sapphira dancing with Elohim in Eye of the Oracle and Bonnie becoming an Oracle of Fire in The Bones of Makaidos.

 

Christian Miles:  Are the dragons in your new series of books different than what we've seen in the DIOM and OoF books?

Bryan Davis: The dragons in the new series will be, for the most part, evil, and they will rule the world they inhabit. They won't vary much in appearance from my other series.

 

Christian Miles: There has been a lot of news circulating about a Rasing Dragons movie, where are things on that?

Bryan Davis: I sold the theatrical rights to Raising Dragons, and a script has been written. We are currently in the long process of raising funds.

 

Christian Miles:  Who is your favorite character to write?

Bryan Davis: Another favorites question! Three come to mind--Bonnie, Walter, and Daryl. I enjoy writing about holy characters as well as funny ones.

 

Christian MIles:  Why do you write what you write?

Bryan Davis: My objective in writing is to create images of warriors for the Light. They possess courage as well as righteousness, and I hope that readers will be inspired to follow the same path. So far, from the emails I have received, it seems to be working.

Great interview, huh? You can find out more about Bryan Davis and his books at DavisCrossing.com. But also be sure to check out the teen writing e-zine Christian has started up at teenwrites-ezine.blogspot.com! Don't miss that!

And again, remember to post your question ideas for Bryan Davis in the comments section.

Scott Appleton: National Book Tour!

Scott Appleton, author of Swords of the Six, is going on a national book tour starting in December! Right now he's working it out and looking for places to make appearances. If you'd like him to do book signings in your area, e-mail him at spappleton (at) gmail (dot) com. Go to his blog for more info.

Novel Update: Big News!

I've got some news to share regarding my novel, The Shepherd; Flaming Pen Press has offered to publish it. Some of you may remember the post about Scott Appleton's invitation. No details yet. I have some guesses as to advantages and disadvantages to publishing with them, and I've sent them a list of questions in order to help inform my decision to accept or not. Seeing as that decision has not been made yet, please don't celebrate. But I'll keep everyone posted, as usual. Please pray that I make the right decision!

Meanwhile, Waterbrook Press / Multnomah Books has accepted this blog to receive a free book to review! North! Or Be Eaten, by Andrew Peterson, should arrive in the mail any day now, and I'll post the review for that book sometime between September 14th and 18th. They asked if I'd be interested in invitations to receive more free books to review and I thought abou -- OF COURSE!

Okay, now back to editing. Though By Darkness Hid is calling me from my bookshelf...