I've Got an ARC and We've Got a Winner!

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Look what came in the mail!  I have an Advance Reading Copy (or ARC or, to use the term common in my youth, uncorrected proofs) of DANCING WITH BEARS.  One step closer to publication.

Which publication will occur on May 1st.  From Night Shade Books.


And speaking of the "Name My Novel" contest . . .

We have a winner!  Or, rather, an almost-winner.  I came up with the title Dancing With Bears in-house, in consultation with my Not At All Nepotistic Blue Ribbon Panel of Family.  However, as you can probably tell from the photo above, Night Shade decided to use my suggested subtitle The Postutopian Adventures of Darger & Surplus.  Which was ultimately derived from a contest entry made last March.

Here it is:

Oh! This just came to me...

"Surplus and Darger: The Mailer-Daemons of Moscow"

You could throw "The Adventures/Exploits of..." in front of Surplus and Darger too, if you wanted as well. I think exploits is a better word for confidence tricksters, but they are adventurers too...

It is not exactly the subtitle I wound up using.  But, then again, nobody came up with exactly that subtitle.  And the one I used was derived from that suggestion.  Mostly, though, I feel that if I throw a contest, there should be a winner.  And that winner is . . .

Zamzummim!  

Yes, mirabile dictu, the same woman who came up with the name serviles in an earlier contest also came up with (what became) the novel's subtitle.  Zamzummim, you have a way with words.

I'll start putting the Big Box O' Stuff together this week.  I promise to get it into the mail before February.

Congratulations, Ms Z!  Keep watching the mails.


Above:  Rather a blurry snapshot, I'm afraid.  My thumb was crisply in focus though.

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