Suggest a series name (and win an ARC, and a chance to win a copy of another book)!

CONTEST TIME AGAIN!

I received a few ARCs from my publisher, and the one I’d marked for AAR … well, they already have a copy. So I unexpectedly have a print ARC to send to one lucky winner!

I do want to live up the the ARC name, though, and make it serve its purpose — Advance Review Copy. If you win the book, puh-leeze (honestly) review/talk about it by January 15th or so. And if you don’t have a blog to post a review on, I’ll post it here (even if you hate it). If you hate it, but don’t feel comfortable saying you hate it on my blog, I’ll make arrangements for the review to be posted at someone else’s blog.

It’s all about getting people to read and talk about the book.

So this is what you have to do to enter:

I’ve been desperately trying to think of a name for this series. My problem is that I can’t even title a book (I just called them by the first character name I come up with until my editor and I brainstormed a bunch of different possibilities) — titling a series is quite simply beyond me. So I need suggestions (anyone who comments gets a chance to win the ARC, but if we actually use one of the suggestions, I’ll send that person a copy of the finalized book (or DEMON MOON, or your name in an upcoming book if that person already has or will buy DEMON ANGEL by the time I’ve chosen a series name)).

So, all you have to do to enter the contest is to reply in the comments with your suggestion for a series name. Or! if you can’t think of one, tell me if you like any of the names I suggested in the first post I made on this subject. And if someone comes up with a name in the comments that you really like, feel free to echo it, because what I’ll probably do is take a selection of the suggestions and send them to my editor to see if she likes any of them (or marketing likes them). If one is a favorite, that will be more likely to get on the list (although the original poster will be the one who will get the second prize if we choose that series name).

I’ll choose a winner by random drawing at midnight, December 21st.

To help you out, here are a few basics about the world I’ve built (this may include spoilers, but if you’ve read “Falling for Anthony” you’ve heard most of this before):

I’ve been strongly influenced by Milton, Poe, Stoker, Dante, Polidori and Shelley (both Shelleys). Shakespeare and Marlowe, too, but who isn’t? A nod to them, a phrase from their work wouldn’t be out of place.

The series is kind of dark, and my characters completely messed up. Totally messed up. Some tortured (often literally.) Have you read the excerpt? Yeah. That’s the end of Part One. A light series name might be misleading. Oh! and they’re all sexy and hot and stuff.

The Guardians are humans who’ve been transformed into angel-like beings after they’ve sacrificed themselves to save someone’s life/soul from a demon (think Lucifer, the rebellion in Heaven, and Milton’s version of Hell, with some bits of Dante), nosferatu (think Nosferatu and Max Schreck, but bigger and deadlier), or vampire (think cold and blood-thirsty, but mostly still human).

Blood is important, vampires become important, but the series revolves around the Guardians and their actions on Earth (and in Hell, and in their home realm Caelum).

There is a set of scrolls called the Doyen Scrolls which include all of the rules for Guardians to follow, and their history.

The idea of “falling” is important, for both Guardians and demons. Gates (portals between realms) are important. Bargains are important.

Hmmm…I’m sure there’s more that might help, but I can’t really think of any right now.

Okay, so to sum up: suggest a name or say that you like an existing suggestion, and get a chance to win the ARC.

If you suggest the name I use, I’ll send you a copy of DEMON ANGEL or DEMON MOON, or put your name in an upcoming book or something (there’s no guarantee you’ll live long, but I’ll try my best).

So, throw any idea out there. We’ll see if it sticks.