Struggling with Title for a Series -- Help, Please.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Blind Writer

YA/MG Author
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
5,222
Reaction score
430
Location
New York
Website
kodykeplinger.com
So, I'm writing a YA urban fantasy series that deals with witches, vampires, and werewolves in the modern world (a world where everyone knows they exist and they are protected by the 28th Amendment). A central theme is racism, along with self discovery and redemption.

Okay, so the first book is called COLD FIRE and the two sequels (it will either be 3 or 4 parts, I am undecided) are FROZEN SUN and ICY ASHES. I need a title for the series as a whole, however. Originally, it was just named after my main character -- The Ellie Wayland Chronicles -- but that sounds so...blah. I need help finding a title that incorprorates the theme of fire (in COLD FIRE, the vampire, Abel, is the personification of cold fire with cold skin but a firy soul, in FROZEN SUN my MC's best friend, Sage, who is the lightest place in her life, becomes a vampire and is frozen forever at 19, while ICY ASHES will center around the a witch, who has had her life destroyed and is just getting over the burn) so the series title needs to include flames or cold somehow.


Any suggestions?
 

jvc

Fearsome Dragon Mod
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
14,639
Reaction score
4,616
Location
Hiding from a teeny tiny spider
A tricky one to be sure. How about: Empires of Fire and Ice? Nah probably rubbish. I'll give it some more thought. I had enough trouble coming up with a title of a series for my own books. It's not easy. I can sympathise with you.
 

Danthia

Just remember that the publisher ultimately has final say on titles, so don't stress too much over it. Think up the best title you can of course, because titles can grab an agent's eye, (My agent says she wanted to read my MS based on the title alone) but the odds of it changing are pretty good.

I'd suggest finding some greater theme or idea of your story and using that. Is there an event or item that ties everything together?
 

Blind Writer

YA/MG Author
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
5,222
Reaction score
430
Location
New York
Website
kodykeplinger.com
Elements seems too...epic. As far as the theme that ties all three (maybe four) it is mostly just the ongoing stories of these supernatural creatures and my MC, who is human. One thing that might make the difference is that all three take place during a different summer (COLD FIRE - between senior year nad freshman year of college, FROZEN SUN - between freshman and sophomore year of college, ICY ASHES - between sophomore and junior year of college.) So they all take place during the summer in a town in western Kentucky.

I like my book titles, but I have no clue for a series.
 

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
19,290
Reaction score
5,743
Location
Brillig in the slithy toves...
If they all take place in the same season, work with that.

(Kentucky Summers or some such - not that KS fits your titles, but you get the idea)
 

Blind Writer

YA/MG Author
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
5,222
Reaction score
430
Location
New York
Website
kodykeplinger.com
Hmmm....

Oh!!!!!!!! Okay, you know that old song "Blue Moon On Kentucky"? What if I called the seires the Blue Moon Trilogy or something. Most of the action occurs at night, I have a werewolf, and Kentucky...?
 

Redaelf

VPXI
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
392
Reaction score
39
Location
Northeastern Oklahoma
Website
hakusa-tegami.livejournal.com
I'd go for a fourth "cold" idea, to unify them, except the obvious "winter" won't work since you have it all taking place in summer.

Since the cold doesn't seem to have much to do with the world (kind of what a series title is portraying, or so I think it should, and am occasionally mystified by things that don't ^_^) that's kind of out.

Summers Strange would put the Other and season ideas together

Summers of the Benighted
would work, though I may be the only person in the world that won't scream "That's lame!" Or else point out a misfortunate pun...


As said before, this isn't something to stress over. Even when querying, you don't necessarily want to say anything about the series. If you're story wins them over, the series part won't be a real turn-off, but it can be otherwise.
 

Ciera_

Sorry, but I don't like the Blue Moon idea. That's just me.

Summer Snow
Winter's Blaze
Temperatures
The Temperature Paradox Series (that one's a joke)
Lukewarm
Frigid Summer
Equinox
Winter Melting
Ellie's Winters/Summers
The Chillsummer chronicles
The Warm Chills series (that sounds a little sexual, though.)

I wouldn't worry about it, a lot of very successful series haven't had official names (Harry Potter, Twilight, among many others)

But if you really want to find the best name you can, PM me a rough synopsis of the series (or even the first book) and maybe I can get a more definitive feel from your story. All I have to go on now is 'temperature paradoxes' and 'werewolves, witches, vamps' but I could give it a try if I had more to go on.

Good luck!
 

Blind Writer

YA/MG Author
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
5,222
Reaction score
430
Location
New York
Website
kodykeplinger.com
I really like the wod "Paradox" actually. It's a paranormal paradox. That actually makes me think specifically of my leading man or sorts, Abel, because, by all means, he is a paradox. He is cold skinned but with a blazing spirit. He is arrogant, but lost and lonely. Ellie is a paradox because she is logical, smart girl who makes decisions that are, by all means, foolish. The werewolf, Graham, is paradox because he is popular and well liked, but he is also a hated, feared monster. So many of my characters, as well as my titles, deal with a paradox of some form.

That could be the title of my series! Simply call it "Paradox", kind of like the Eragon books are simply "Inheritance".

Paradox

What do you think?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.