And the Winning Title is...

crush. candy. corpse.  

This is my first book with James Lorimer Company Ltd. Publishing and it's been a wonderful experience.  It should have happened back in 1987 when the acquisitions editor turned down my first novel ever:  Blueberries and Whipped Cream.  Such a lucky book that turned out to be, film options were sold, Australian rights, a couple of years ago German, Swedish and Norwegian rights.

But this is going to be an even luckier book because the spirit of my mother will bless it.
It's dedicated to her and she died as I was completing the last edit. Much of my experience visiting
with Mom in the Alzheimer's unit is fictionalized in this book.  Things that nearly happened, that I imagined happening as I sat hoping for some response from my mother.

Anyway, we've been agonizing for a couple months.  Or maybe it was just me.  But a reader, Charlotte Zronik, came up with the title and everyone, including the booksellers who previewed the mock cover, loved it.  Thank you Charlotte.  You may have a career in marketing and PR in the future.  Certainly you have an autographed book coming your way.

Coming from my magazine world, initially I thought, with the lower case letters, that the first three words were the "dek" and the all-caps WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FORTY-FIRST HOUR? was the title. But that's just cool graphics.  I do like alliteration but this is a bit of a tongue twister.  Say it quickly and you'll see.

But nobody really has to say anything out loud. They just need to buy the book and read it.