As many of you know (and Jay now, after the Vent interview), I completed my first full-length novel over the summer. I'm still shopping it around, but the one thing that keeps bugging me is the title.
Currently, it's called "The Case of the Baleful Buzzard."
At first, I thought about calling each book in the series a "The Case of..." but I'm liking the idea less and less. Let me explain a bit about the series and the basic plot of this novel:
The series: I want to call it "The Armadillo Mysteries." The main character, Dilbert Pinkerton, is a mutant armadillo private detective. He digs for the truth. It's essentially superhero detective fiction, similar in vein to Simon R. Green's From the Nightside fantasy detective series and a few other inspirations. The adventures would be mostly self-contained with some small hints on future adventures thrown in or a background over-reaching plot (like the major crime boss Dill runs into).
The book: It started from a Facebook conversation I had once. I posted a joke that Superman couldn't be that country bumpkin Clark Kent. Friends joined in and started making similar jokes. One person said Bruce Wayne couldn't be Batman. I said "Batman's just a myth put on by the police department." And then I thought, "Huh, what if he was?" So that's basically the mystery: members of the police department in Nevermore Bay take turns dressing up as The Buzzard, have a Buzzard-symbol in the sky, have a Buzzardmobile, etc. And it's Dill's job in the novel to discover that mystery and then decide what to do about it.
Before I changed the title to "The Case of...", my working title was "The City of Smoke & Mirrors," which I'm thinking more and more of changing back to.
What do you creative folk think?
#2
Dave
I really, really like "A City of Smoke & Mirrors".
#3
drifter
Fun idea, but it also seems kind of forced.
For whatever it's worth, I like "The City of Smoke and Mirrors."
#4
phil
City of smoke and mirrors is good, but it might tip the reader to the deception too early. I don't know if that's something that is supposed to be a mystery or if it's revealed early enough to not matter that much.
#5
LittleKagsin
I think 'A City of Smoke and Mirror's' will appeal to a wider audience of people, and it intrigues me instantly! (Love it!)
I hope to read it sometime, someday.
#6
PatrThom
Yeah, if you're going to go with the B theme, it should be the Byzantine Buzzard, not Baleful.
--Patrick
#7
ThatNickGuy
Dill sniffs out that there's something off early in, but it's definitely a mystery. Though admittedly, it's more plot/action driven and the focal point is Dill himself.
I mean by coming up with the naming scheme first, it seems like you're going to end up shoehorning titles in. It could work, perhaps very well, but whenever I've tried something similar in the past, I end up reaching to make things fit, to my ultimate dissatisfaction.
#10
ThatNickGuy
*nods* In other words, I should go with my gut and use the original title.
#11
Hailey Knight
Baleful Buzzard makes it sound like a children's book--do not use unless the Armadillo Mysteries is a children's novel series.
#12
Sara_2814
I think "City of Smoke and Mirrors" is much better. It does sound very intriguing and I think it gives it a noir feeling (if that's what you're going for).
#13
PatrThom
I dunno. "The Buzzard Flaps at Midnight" has a Noir ring to it, too...but I don't know how it would fly.
--Patrick
#14
Jay
Series : The Armadillo Mysteries
First Book called : City of Smoke and Mirrors
I dig.
#15
Adammon
The Armadillo Enigmas: City of Smoke and Mirrors
The Armadillo Enigmas: Rince Twice for Evil
The Armadillo Enigmas: Excelsior, Sex Licorice
Indeed. Go with Jay's suggestion. Series is "The Armadillo Mysteries", and then this book's title is "City of Smoke and Mirrors". It's also a good first book title.
