I’ve been using the working title Honor at Stake for book two of my trilogy for a long time. I started writing it during a period of renewed hope that Time and Again would get a publisher but put it away in defeat about five years ago. But when I did get the book contract in January of 2011, my hope soared again, and so I dusted off the manuscript and have been steadily but surely working on it ever since. It has been through the critique process with my fellow writers atScribophile and other feedback buddies. I’ll soon be finished with revision and ready to do the final proofreading.

Happily, people seem to like the book. But not the title. One reader said Honor at Stake sounded like a story about a military hero. Another told me it sounded like a bodice-ripping romance. A part of me didn’t want to change the title, because that’s how I’ve thought of it for so long. But after considering the advice of my helpful “editors,” I decided they were right. Although the meaning was good, the connotations were off. And so I went back to the drawing board. It wasn’t easy. The title needed to

1. be similar in length to the first title Time and Again.

2. have the same mysterious tone (without being cheesy). And most importantly,

3. hint at the plot.

4. not already be in use (My Time and Again is one of many on Amazon.com.)

It took me days and days of brainstorming on my yellow legal pad and then scratching out most of the ridiculous ideas I came up with. Here are some of the least crazy (believe it or not) of them. In the comment box below, write the title you think I chose. I’ll announce the actual new title later .

Their Family Tree

Family Tree Project

The Legacy of Shake Rag Corner

Recovering the Pieces

The Name in the Book

The Name not in the Book

Not in the Book

No Name Given

A Family Regained

A Family connection

An Honor Restored

An Honor Regained

A Name Restored

Unclaimed Legacy

A Name Reclaimed

On All Charges

Time and Again: Unclaimed Legacy

A Skeleton in the Closet

Family Secrets

Slandered

An Honorable Name

Line of Descent

Ancestral Tree

Shake Rag Corner

Reuben and Franny

Tarnished Legacy

Reclaimed Legacy

Time and Again: Reuben and Franny