The novel that I’m shopping around right now has gone through a number of titles. GUNPOWDER FANTASY was the original working title, which is clear enough, but was obviously never going to be the final title. SINS OF THE FATHER was the first candidate for a real title, and I was happy enough with it, until I hit on one that should have been obvious: TO LIVE AND DIE IN DIXIE.
The novel is set in an alternate US Civil War, in a timeline where there’s magic. The main character is a northern boy who get dragged to the south by his mother before the war and ends up in the Confederate Army. There are plots within schemes and a high body count and all in all TO LIVE AND DIE IN DIXIE works pretty well. There’s just one problem.
Someone just looking at the title might think it’s one of those books that glorifies the Confederacy, which it most emphatically is not. It’s about loyalty in a complex world, among other things. But I didn’t want to give that impression so I did all the usual brainstorming and came up with IN THE HEART OF HELL. A little Milton reference.
Now I’ve gone back to DIXIE. If anyone gets the wrong idea, well, they’ll learn better if they read it. This week, at least, I’m going with the strongest title. Next week, we’ll see.