Naming Games

I've been thinking. Yes, I know, get out the hardhats, hide under the tables, she's gonna blow.

Not today. I'm too tired to blow. Which disappoints Dusty no end, but that's another story.

So what I've been thinking about is names.

Take my current WIP, My Heart's Desire, for instance. It's almost done, odds are it's going to turn into a four story series, and I'm thinking of changing the name. "My heart's desire" is a phrase that will show up in each of the books thanks to a magical spell that calls to the mate of each brother; it's why the closer I come to the end, the more I think Heart's Desire needs to be the series title rather than the book title.

So if I go with this, it means that I need to come up with a new name for Heart. Don't be surprised if you go to check on my progress and find that something has taken Heart's place on my line-up; it will be the same book, just a different name.

So, my conundrum: Do I K.I.S.S. it, like My Heart's Desire: Christopher and Lana? Or do I go with individual names, like Wolf Man: My Heart's Desire Book One? I'd better decide fast, since I'm really hoping to have this to my beta readers no later than Monday (I'd prefer sooner, but with the kids home I never know how much work I'll get done).

I think I'm leaning more towards individual names, even though that means more work for me. Individual titles tend to stick out more in my mind, followed by the plot line, then the character's names. Dusty suggested I look for a phrase or word that repeats itself in the manuscript and name the book after that, which I've done before (Dare to Believe was named that way). Another option is to look at the overall book, get the feel for it (like I did with Cat of a Different Color) and come up with the name from that. I'm sure I'll figure it out before the book is done; I've already got something bouncing around, but it hasn't come to the forefront of my brain yet. It might have something to do with the rather loud Thomas the Tank Engine whistle my five year old is currently blowing.

I doubt that Dusty will be happy when I say, "Well at least something is getting blown, right?"

Anyway, it's time for me to put my thinking hat on and come up with something that feels right. And take the Thomas whistle and do terrible, horrible things to it.

UPDATE: I got it! Shadow of the Wolf will be the new name. It has to do with the look of the mark he leaves on Lana, and when they first meet. WOOT!