When I wrote Blinding Justice, I wrote it as a standalone
novel. It wasn't until after I had published that people began to ask me if
there would be any more stories, particularly about Blue's family.
That got my creative juices flowing, and here I am nearly
two years later with a whole slew of ideas for books, and Book 2 just about
ready to release. (Valentine's Day 2015!)
I started to consider a title for the series, and I couldn't
let go of the idea of "The Boys of Syracuse, Kansas" as a nod to The
Bard. (Not that my works are necessarily Shakespearean, more that I respect his
work, and the moniker struck a chord.)
But what about each individual book? Should I link the titles in some
clever way, à la
Evanovich or Robb?
When I began to consider names for Book 2, the title
"Last Second Chance" really resonated for me. Tim, the hero, is
nearly at the end of his rope, and all he can hope for is one last 'second
chance' to get his life right. My heart went out to this brooding ex-con with a
newly minted heart of gold.
With no small measure of consideration, I decided that each
book would feature the word "Last" in the title, and that meant I
needed to change Blinding Justice—which I kind of had to stretch to make work
in the first place. Eventually, with Dana's help, I landed on "Last Shot at
Justice", and we redesigned the cover to fit the series concept.
I hope you find this glimpse into my decision-making process
interesting. It is by no means a small thing to make such a change as the
marketing ramifications are far reaching, but I hope the record will show that
the new concept is a solid step in the right direction.
Thanks for reading!