You called it What?!
I recently had to change the name of my novel “Hot”, to “Falling for Chloe”, so I can relate to my friend, author Jessie Bailey Andersen’s blog about re-titling a book. Her exciting novel The Breeding Tree is now available for purchase here: The Breeding Tree
But let Jessie tell you about it:
YOU CALLED IT WHAT?—TITLING AND RE-TITLING
Titles are difficult for me. Nothing ever seems right. I wanted something that would encompass the entire story, not only the first book, but a title that might apply to the two books following as a series title. Then it came to me: THE UNVIABLES.
You see, the children in the story are considered unviable. The Hidden City Rebels are for all intents and purposes, unviable. It was perfect…until it wasn’t.
For three years it was named Unviables. I submitted it, edited it and was halfway through the process when I got an email that said, “We need a few other title options.” WHAT??? NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! (Drag that Nooooo out so it sounds like it’s falling into an abyss.)
But I complied. After all, the publishing house and its employees are professionals at Titling things. So I took it to my writers group. “I need help. I thought I had the perfect title, but we need to come up with some more.” That day at group, we created a list. This was only part of it:
Unviables: Disposable Generation
Follow the Leader
Rejected
The Breeding Tree
Disposables
Disposable Generation
A Burden on the
Restriction League
Perfection League
Choosing Perfection
Hanging in the Balance
Nothing really grabbed me. My heart was stuck on Unviables. But word came back that The Breeding Tree had won the vote. “The Breeding Tree? What does that even mean?” you ask. Let me explain.
It was suggested by my friend, Ivory, who explained that the society in my book bred children like farmers breed cows. When cows are bred, they are attached to a post called ‘the breeding tree.’
Suddenly, it fit!
While, I still love THE UNVIABLES as a title, THE BREEDING TREE does encompass the story behind the book. Now, if I can only figure out what to title the next book, I’ll be all set.
Any suggestions?
About The Breeding Tree:
Is the opportunity to create the next generation of life a dream come true or a deadly nightmare?
When seventeen year old Katherine Dennard is selected to become a “Creation Specialist” in Sector 4, the opportunity sounds like a dream come true. But Kate soon discovers the darker side of her profession – the disposal of fetal organs and destruction of human life. It makes sense, really. In a society where disease and malformations don t exist, human perfection demands that no genetic “mutants” be allowed to live. For Sector 4, “survival of the fittest” is not just a theory – it’s The Institute’s main mission.
When Kate discovers that The Institute is using her DNA to create new life, her work gets personal. In order to save her unviable son, she’ll have to trust Micah and his band of underground Natural Born Rebels. The problem is, if The Institute discovers her betrayal, the next body being disposed of could be hers.
You can get Breeding Tree here: The Breeding Tree
About Jessie:
There’s not much to do growing up in a small town in Western, NY, so J. Andersen wrote stories and won high school writing contests. But in college her writing was limited to term papers. While teaching middle school she began to read young adult books and got serious about writing. She now writes full time, volunteers at the town library, helps to run a School of the Arts at her church, and sings in the church band. She enjoys good coffee—read: home roasted by her husband—crafts, baking, and chasing after her children. You’ll rarely see J. without a book in her hands, and that’s the way she’d like to keep it.
You can reach Jessie here:
Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram.
Thanks Jessie, for sharing on Encouraging Word today!
David