title and blurb reactions, please?

[BeccaPrice]

So I'm thinking of writing a sequel to Fairies and Fireflies. My tentative working title is "Star Thistles and Heliotrope", but I could also use "In the Wide, Wild Field". or something else entirely. The meaning behind ST&H is that star thistles have prickles and thorns, but the flowers give lots of nectar and the most wonderful tasting honey. Heliotrope is a beautiful purple flower that is toxic.

potential blurb:

In the wide, wild field, unsuspected dangers lurk. Butterfly-Fairy, Urisk the brownie, and some new friends discover that courage can take many forms.

what do you think?

ETA Oleanders meet the specifications, and may be more familar to audiences than heliotrope, and Oleanders do produce a toxic honey (although not to bees) - how would "Star Thistles and Oleander" sound as a title?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

So I'm thinking of writing a sequel to Fairies and Fireflies. My tentative working title is "Star Thistles and Heliotrope", but I could also use "In the Wide, Wild Field". or something else entirely. The meaning behind ST&H is that star thistles have prickles and thorns, but the flowers give lots of nectar and the most wonderful tasting honey. Heliotrope is a beautiful purple flower that is toxic.

potential blurb:

In the wide, wild field, unsuspected dangers lurk. Butterfly-Fairy, Urisk the brownie, and some new friends discover that courage can take many forms.

what do you think?

ETA Oleanders meet the specifications, and may be more familar to audiences than heliotrope, and Oleanders do produce a toxic honey (although not to bees) - how would "Star Thistles and Oleander" sound as a title?

Hey Becca,

When you have to start explaining what your title means I think that can't be a good thing. I didn't know what Heliotrope meant, and I barely know what Thistles mean. Oleander is better than Heliotrope, and I happen to know what that means, but I'm not sure the great majority of people out there would. (Especially guys. lol)

I like Wide Wild Field. It's simple, alliterative, evocative and I can "see" it. I like the blurb, but to me a wide, wild field is natural, like a prairie, and a friendly place. So I would add something acknowledging that and then hit them with the danger.

In the wide, wild field, there is great beauty and peace--but also great unsuspected danger. It is there that Butterfly-Fairy, Urisk the brownie, and some new friends learn the priceless lesson that courage can take many forms.

[davidfor]

As this is a follow-up to "Fairies and Fireflies", I like that "Star Thistles and Heliotrope" or "Star Thistles and Oleander" are in a similar style. I like "Star Thistles and Heliotrope" better, but I had to look up "Heliotrope". I did know that an Oleander was a flower.

"In the Wide, Wild Field" is OK and works very well with the blurb. I can see the back cover with "In the Wide, Wild Field" at the top and the reset in smaller text further down. There isn't anything connecting the other titles to the blurb.

For the actual blurb, I think I would drop the word "unsuspected". I don't think it helps. Maybe it should be "new"? And should "some" be changed to "their"? Hmm, how about:

In the wide, wild field, new dangers lurk. Butterfly-Fairy and Urisk the brownie make new friends and discover that courage can take many forms.

There is still something missing. I think it is why they are in the "wide, wild field" making new friends.