Title

Titles are so important. I'm happy with this one, EMBERS, especially with John O'Donohue's "embers of kinship" phrase, and also because it alludes to the title of a song on Jim Byrnes' Fresh Horses referenced in the story.

My first working title was Clara. It is the name of a small town in Ireland. But there are many female characters in CanLit named Clara, and I wanted to avoid any unfortunate crossover. Also, to me, the book is not about Ireland. It is about what a Canadian woman learns about herself and her country while she is on a trip to Ireland.

Another title was Accommodations because so many of Wyn's adventures take place in motel rooms and B&Bs. And I like the idea that, all her life, Wyn has attempted to accommodate herself and her life choices to address her often unconscious needs. 

I also toyed with Claritas, with Shine, and with Turning Into Light (from an Eastern poet, Hafiz). I was serious about this "writing light" idea. Also some sources say that the name Bridget translates as Bright Light or the Bright One, the one who hangs her cape on a ray of the sun. 

Finally, before EMBERS, I was working with The Rocking Girl. It is the name of one of the sculptures Wyn has made (like the Stone Angel). I like how it evokes the image of a rocking child, self-soothing. Sometimes indicative of a child who has been emotionally neglected. Then I Googled it and found it to be a rather famous sari dress shop, which again would have been a red herring.

EMBERS fits literally and symbolically while including the genealogy and the art-healing ideas. I still like it.

Hafiz,

Is it true that our destiny

Is to turn into Light

Itself? 

- The Gift, [p.159]