The page proofs for my Trout Valley book arrived from my editor a few days ago.  My husband pointed out to my four-year-old daughter that my name is on the front cover because I wrote the book.  She was quick to point out the flaw in his statement.

“Her name is spelled M-O-M.”

She asked what the title of my next book would be, the one that is “pretend” and “made up” (i.e. fiction).  I admitted that I had been struggling with choosing a new title because a couple of months after I started writing it, I saw a new bestseller on the bookstore shelf with the title that I had thought I might use.  She had a few suggestions of her own.

“How about Harry Potter?”

“Already been done.”

“Jack and the Beanstalk?”

“There’s a book by that name too.”

“How about Katymashalla?”

“Well, that certainly is unique.  I doubt there’s another book with that title.”

“Or,” she suggested, “You can just name it Once a Long Time Ago There Was a Camel Who Couldn’t Find Any Water.”

“There are no camels in my story, but keep the ideas coming, sweetheart.  You’re on the right track.”