I've been working on a novel for several years now, and I'm in the final cutting stage. I hope to start marketing it by the end of the year. But I've never been able to settle on a title I like.
The basic premise of the book is this: A woman named Lily is in a loveless marriage to a moderately wealthy man. When she was a teenager, she fell deeply in love with a boy in high school, but the relationship ended tragically and she swore off love. She married Max because he could help her pay for the care her mother needed after developing Alzheimers. When Lily reaches her mid-forties, a sequence of events makes her dissatisfied with her life. She begins to want more than the stale relationship she has, and she meets a charismatic young man who seems drawn to her, but who has his own mysterious and painful past. However, her husband Max becomes critically ill, and her conscience balks at the idea of divorcing him in those circumstances. The resolution of the book involves her struggle to figure out the right thing to do for all involved and then to do it.
So here are my possible titles:
Lily in the Valley (an allusion to Ps. 23 and the valley of the shadow of death)
Lily Pierre (her maiden name)
Lily and Thistle (thistle is a symbol for another character in the book)
The Ashes of Desire (This is taken from a passage in which Lily thinks: "Love. For so many people, the purpose of life came down to that. And what happened when love ended in tragedy, leaving only ashes where once there was desire?")
If you were shopping for a novel and you saw books with these titles laid out on the New Releases table at Borders (or wherever), would you pick them up? What would you expect? Which title intrigues you the most or seems best to fit with the synopsis above? (Note: This is intended to be serious fiction, not a romance novel.)
Thanks.
13 comments:
Your book sounds so intriguing! I know that I would love to read it. For some reason, Lily Pierre sticks out to me as a good title. :) I just like the way it sounds.
Ashes of Desire resonated with me.
I think Lily and Thistle would do it for me.
Can't wait to read your book!
The first three comments illustrate why polling doesn't always work.
I like the title Ashes of Desire but it definitely sounds like a romance novel; it also reminds me of Angela's Ashes.
Without knowing whether any of them fit with your novel's message, several phrases from Shakespeare's Sonnet 94 occurred to me as possible titles:
Summer's Flower
Lilies That Fester
Far Worse Than Weeds
Best wishes on going through the process of publication!
Thanks, Bob. Yes, I agree that polling doesn't really work. I'm actually more interested in the reasons people give for their choices than the numeric tally of those choices.
Lilies Fester? That one makes me laugh for some reason.
As one who steers away from anything that sounds like a romance novel, I would be most likely to pick up Lily Pierre because it is the name of a character.
I agree with the above in that The Ashes of Desire does indeed sound like a romance novel to me. I think of the choices you gave, Lily Pierre would be the one I'd be most likely to pick up. It kind of rings of tones of Jane Eyre, or Agnes Grey. :)
XO
Lily Pierre..nice and simple.
Anita
LIly and Thistle....simple , to the point , honest.
Pam (YQ)
The Ashes of Desire is the title that would make me stop and take a look a the book to find out more...because it hints at a death but also at possible new life...like the phoenix rising from the ashes.
It does sound a bit "romancy" and I don't really care much for romance novels, but this title could have intriguing hidden meanings as well. It might all depend on the cover art to interpret the meaning of the title....(no hunky men and ripped bodices!!)
Hi Ruth,
All the titles sound like romance novels, so I would shy away from them on the shelf. A lot of people read romance novels, and a lot of people will have a different opinion than me. I never thought how hard it could be to come up with a title! Best of luck.
I agree with Cheryl. all of the titles so far sound like romance novels to me. What about something that hints at the struggle or conflict?
Where's the struggle and conflict in Jane Eyre?
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