My book, my cute little as-of-yesterday-unnamed-book, finally has a name.

You see, authors don’t get to name their books. I know, I know, it seems shocking. They can SUGGEST names, which may or may not be chosen. But even though the author birthed their book, the final decision belongs to the marketing department of the publishing house.

I’d been told this, so I didn’t even bother naming the thing, not for real. I named it “Get Real” for a contest but never liked that, especially after someone told me it sounded like a Saturday Afternoon Special from the 70’s.

The book also had a few nicknames, like Zillah (the setting) or Amelie (the main character)…just for convenience in conversation. And when I turned the book in, I was asked to come up with ten suggested names.

Now, the committee has spoken…and the title is not any of my ten suggestions or even anything like unto them. We’re going to attempt a series, or at least a sequel, depending on the first book’s sales. So they picked a series title and then individual book titles.

Series title: The End Begins

Book One: Sudden Darkness

And the end is beginning, because the book is being typeset as we speak. Eeeee! This conjures images of an old man, crouching over a metal tray of letters. I think it’s more like pushing a button or two nowadays, but it still makes me excited to say it.