Title Smarties...

(My daughter made this larger than life box of Smarties in an art class this year...Very nice, K!)

The results are in...On Saturday I entered The Slushpile Slut's  Next Top Title Blogfest.  It was a lot of fun and I met some great new people and got some really interesting information about two of my manuscripts' titles.

My middle grade historical fiction novel is about two girls who survive the Blitz in London (WWII) and are evacuated to a village in the countryside.  The titles I considered were: A TEMPORARY HOME, EVERYONE DID THEIR PART, AND NOT A HOLIDAY.  EVERYONE DID THEIR PART was my original title and it got zero votes.  I was totally shocked.  A TEMPORARY HOME came in second and although I really like this title, my teenage daughter said it sounds like a modern foster care story.  So the New title and one I love is; NOT A HOLIDAY.  I really think it sounds English and tells a lot about the story.  Children were told that their evacuation would be like a holiday and that they would have adventures while they were  out of harms way.  For some children it was a better life than what they had in the slums of London and Manchester, but for others that was not true. 

The rhyming picture book is about a little girl (or could be a boy depending on the illustrations) that bakes an over the top cake.  The three titles I put up were: A CAKE I WILL BAKE, CAKE FOR TWO, AND THE CAKE CHALLENGE.  A CAKE I WILL BAKE was the resounding winner and my original title.  CAKE CHALLENGE came in second.  I think I will stick with A CAKE I WILL BAKE, my only concern is that they are also the first words in the book. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK???  Is that okay?

During the Next Top Title Blogfest I had the opportunity to meet about 30 new to me bloggers.  Clara was one of them.  She is a YA (young adult) fantasy writer.  She has a wonderful blog.  One of her recent posts was an interview with one of her characters Timas...Very cool!

These are the rules...but let's face it, I'm a Harley girl and I don't always follow the rules...

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. (done)
2. Share 7 things about yourself. (done)
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!  (done)
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award. (working on it)

Seven Things About Me:
1. I was born just outside of London, England and moved to the States when I was 8.
2. I'm trying to be a go with the flow Harley chick.  (Not so easy for a spreadsheet kind of girl...)
3. I've had numerous personal hand written rejections.  (Which tells me to keep on writing.)
4. I belong to two critique groups: The WAD and Mark One. (Check out my sidebar to meet some of my buddies.)
5. I love to tube!
6. I truly believe that one can NOT host a party without a cheese tray!
7. I'm a mostatarian. I eat mostly vegetables, but do eat fish, eggs, and seafood.


AND THE AWARDS GO TO....
Vicki Rocho- aspiring writer
Valerie-who writes about politics, modern culture and anything else controversial
Terri  Tiffany- inspirational writer
Sandy Shin-YA writer and book reviewer
Tahereh-YA author (and my daughter's favorite blogger)
Roland Yeoman-writer
Niki-aspiring writer
Lydia Kang-doctor and writer
Kathi Peterson-romance writer
Jen Blom-mg writer
Janet Johnson-ya and mg writer (lover of fairytales)
Jeff King-aspiring writer for adults
Jennifer Daiker-aspiring author
Houston Knight-romance writer
Catherine-writer, photographer, animal lover
Angela Ackerman-chapter book, mg, ya author

I know this is a lot of links...That's why I broke it down into what people write about...This way you can hunt down the bloggers you have something in common with.  :)

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!

P.S. I'm only 813 people away from having a 1,000 followers! Can you believe it? I'm totally stoked and have been thinking of what to do to celebrate when I'm 800 followers away from 1,000. Well, we've come up with a plan...My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion! It's going to be sooooo (I could add more o's) much fun for you, me and a committee of judges....