Andrew
Andrew asked Michael J. Sullivan:

"Winter's Daughter" sounds better to me. Simpler and just as effective, or more so. ?

Michael J. Sullivan For those who don't know, this question is related to the announced title of my next Riyria novel: The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter (Riyria Chronicle #4) . Now, on to the question...

Hey Andrew, thanks for weighing in. That's the name that Robin, my wife, has suggested. It is simpler, but is it more effective? Here are some of the arguments I've posed back to her when she proposed it.

1. Without knowing the content of the book (which only I have at the moment) it's hard to make a case for whether "Winter's Daughter" is a better fit.

2. This book has a kind of Sherlock Holmes quality about it and "The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter" helps to tie to that "vibe."

3. There are already a number of books called "Winter's Daughter" the authors include: Kathleen Creighton, J.C. Wilder, Charles Whitmore, Juliet Dymoke. There are also several books named "Daughter of Winter" and it's best to have a unique title that won't be confused with other books.

4. Winter's Daughter provides no context. Those who pickup "The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter" knows that kidnapping will be involved so it provides something for them to keep their antennas up while reading.

5. "Winter's Daughter" is too vague. It could mean anything.

6. "The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter" is very much akin to "The Death of Dulgath." Becuase of the standalone nature of the Chronicle books as we go forward it's best to thing of them as "jobs" Royce and Hadrian's rogue for hire business is involved in and so we are following a pattern set with the pervious novel.

At this time, "The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter" is a working title. I'm not even half way through the writing of the book and something better may come up as I finish it out. Also, I have only myself to draw from at the moment because as I said, only I know the story. Once others have a chance to see it (Robin, the beta readers, my agent, etc) they might have a really cool idea that beats out what I have now.

I do think the title is fitting, but it's not 100% set in stone. We'll see how it plays out.

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