As I bumble along in life I come across little triggers that make me consider a new book's title. Looking out of the living room window today as the weather outside continues to dump snow on us despite being the end of February, I wonder where the squirrels are. 'Snow and Squirrels.' What would that be about I wonder? No, it's not doing anything for me either. On the same theme of winter I have learned recently that at the top of ski hills in the Kootenay Rockies the trees that are encrusted in snow are called 'snow ghosts.' Now that is more like it. 'Snow Ghosts' - I can see the plot unfold. Skier goes missing on ski field, rescue party find no signs of him. Turned into a snow ghost by a wicked wizard of the mountain. Ah, perhaps not! Already it is being influenced by the primary teacher inside of me.
Rather like my first novel's title 'The Last Field in England' that spurred me on to write the tale of Martha, Rudi and Trojan in end of 21st century Newcastle and then became a whole different title altogether, my second novel has a working title that has been bouncing around my brain ever since I came to Canada in 2006. 'An Immigrants' Tale' sounds like it is about one immigrant doesn't it? It is actually about two immigrants and so I am trying to do something clever with an indefinite article or a definite article and use the apostrophe to subtly suggest two people's tales. I don't think it works yet. 'A Tale of Two Immigrants' would be the easy default to Dickens, but I may be accused of taking advantage of a rather more famous novelist's success.
'An Immigrants' Tale' is unfolding and is close to half way through. My great great grandfather emigrated to Canada around 1911 and I emigrated here in 2006, almost a hundred years apart. I have wondered how different our emigration experience was and if we met would we have any common ground. Did I have it easy stepping off a Zoom Airlines compared to him or did he have less bureaucracy to deal with than I did? We both lived on Vancouver Island and he is buried in Duncan, B.C. I regret not finding his grave. I am not one for tracing family history but I am interested in the history of emigration and immigration.
Once this next novel is finished I will continue observing everything around me until the next title comes along. One title at a time I think. I just opened some photos looking for an image of 'Nuts', our resident squirrel when it's not snowing. I found instead a photo folder called 'Bear and Bees.' Probably more of an action novel than 'Birds and Bees' would be, don't you think?
