Friday, August 19, 2016

VICARIOUS: Guess the title to the sequel!

Sometimes I know the title to a book before I even start writing it (like with Liars, Inc.), but more often, the title reveals itself during the writing process (like with Vicarious.) Occasionally the title to the book is decided after all of the writing and revision is completed (like with Girl Against the Universe.

The title to the Vicarious sequel was one of those third ones. I kept a running list of title ideas on the document file, and then crossed them off when I decided they didn't quite work. There was one I liked a lot, but it happened to be a single word that had been used in multiple other book titles over the past few years. I try really hard to come up with unique titles when I can, because this makes them easier for readers to find online by searching. The title my editor and I settled on isn't 100% unique, but it's close :)

I thought it would be fun to post clues to the title and let people try to guess. The first person to guess the right title wins their choice of a finished copy of Vicarious or an ARC of the sequel. I'll make this contest international so everyone can guess, but after this I'll be cutting back on INT contests because I've spent over $600 on postage this year already 0_0 If you live outside the US and want access to regular contests, I run them several times a year in my newsletter, and most of those are INT. Subscribe by clicking the "Mailing List" tab and filling out the form.

Here are the rules for this contest:
  • All entrants must be at least 13 years old.
  • You can only guess here on the blog. I might post clues on Twitter or Instagram, depending on how long it takes people to guess, but all guesses have to be in the comments here.
  • You can only guess once per comment.
  • You can only comment once per hour.
  • I turned off comment moderation temporarily, so you can see that your guess went through, but if you violate the one guess per hour rule, all of your guesses will be invalidated and deleted.
  • In order to win, you have to have the right title and spell it correctly.
  • I'll add clues to this post sporadically throughout the day (and weekend if no one guesses today.)

Here are a couple of clues to get you started:

Clue #1: The title is one word.

Clue #2: The title ends in US.

Clue #3: The title is a word that can be used to describe at least one of the book's major characters.


Start guessing, or stay tuned for more clues. In the meantime, have you checked out the official VICARIOUS book trailer?



UPDATE: This contest has been won! Add FEROCIOUS to your Goodreads TBR list :)


18 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Nope :) VICIOUS was actually one of the proposed sequel titles waaaay back before I even sold the book to Tor, but once Victoria Schwab's fabulous novel called Vicious came out, I abandoned the idea completely. She's a very tough act to follow ;)

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    2. I doubted it'd be Vicious but was worth a shot! It was the first word that came to mind :)

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  2. Courageous:)?
    But oh my gosh this is such a great idea, I love it :D

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  3. Courageous:)?
    But oh my gosh this is such a great idea, I love it :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gonna start out simple and go with "Dangerous"

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  5. Precarious

    (Hey, P. Just stopping by to say hi. You've been busy!)

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    Replies
    1. HIIIIIII! How the heck are you!?! We must catch up soon. Good guess :D

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  6. These are some great guesses, guys! Now I'm worried one of you is going to suggest something I like even better than my title O_O #IReserveTheRightToStealYourGuess. Nah, I actually really love the title, and I think you will too :)

    I can't monitor this minute-by-minute, but if I don't respond to say a guess is right, assume no one has won and go ahead and post a guess. I'll be checking in at least every hour.

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I love your comments like I love cupcakes! Thanks so much for stopping by :-)