An old sonnet and a new title

[mollyringle]

 I've had a busy November, but delightfully so: I've begun revisions on the guy/guy modern romance featuring a character named Sinter, whom some of you may remember from earlier versions and other posts of mine. 

This book was formerly titled different things over the years through its various revisions: Dramatically Inclined, Boy in Eyeliner, 32 and Raining... And in discussion with my wonderful editor Michelle at Central Avenue Publishing, we came up with yet a new title for it this time around: All the Better Part of Me. 

This quote comes from Shakespeare's sonnet 39, which begins:

O, how thy worth with manners may I sing, 
When thou art all the better part of me? 

It's a love poem, which is apt; and it's one of the many, many sonnets thought to be dedicated to the mysterious Fair Youth (or Young Man), which is also apt. (You can read here, among other places, about the speculation behind Shakespeare's romantic life and the people he wrote the sonnets for.) And of course, my novel's main character, Sinter, is an actor, and lots of Shakespeare references were already in the story, so the apt-ness just keeps on coming.

We'll be doing edits and cover art and other prep work for a while here, but one thing you can do if you're on Goodreads is put the book on your to-read shelf there, as it now has a listing. Here is its back-cover synopsis:

--

It’s an inconvenient time for Sinter Blackwell to realize he’s bisexual. He’s a 25-year-old American actor working in London, living far away from his disapproving parents in the Pacific Northwest, and enjoying a flirtation with his director Fiona. But he can’t deny that his favorite parts of each day are the messages from his gay best friend Andy in Seattle—whom Sinter once kissed when they were 15.

Finally he decides to return to America to visit Andy and discover what’s between them, if anything. He isn’t seeking love, and definitely doesn’t want drama. But both love and drama seem determined to find him. Family complications soon force him into the most consequential decisions of his life, threatening all his most important relationships: with Andy, Fiona, his parents, and everyone else who’s counting on him. Choosing the right role to play has never been harder.

--

I'm glad to have this news for my gratitude list as the holidays approach! I hope you all have a long list of things to be thankful for too. Happy reading and writing, especially to those of you brave enough to be tackling NaNoWriMo. :)

Comments

[pith]

Congrats! Love the new title!

(And as one of those doing NaNoWriMo, I am so ready for this month to be DONE.)

[mollyringle]

Thank you! The title was kind of an impulsive choice, but it's been working for me.

Ooh, congrats on tackling another NaNo! Hope it develops into something wonderful. :)

[peripety]

It sounds like a charming story, and I love the title!

[mollyringle]

Thank you! The title has been working for me as I live with it longer. :)