Artistic Adventures with Victoria

As I near the finish line with this latest book, I’ve moved into one of my favorite phases: the final touches. This is where the details come to life—polishing the images, tweaking the text, and, of course, asking myself deep, philosophical questions like, “Does a Pegasus flying above the clouds even cast a shadow?” And if it does, what would a shadow look like on clouds? It’s funny how finishing up a story about magical creatures can lead to these sorts of musings, but here we are.

One major task still remains: choosing the title and wrapping up the cover. I’ve been planning the title from the start, making notes as I go, but it’s always an important decision. My previous books followed a loose pattern:

• An Unexpected Friendship: Alexia and Phoebe
• Alexia, Phoebe, and The Treasure Island
• Alexia, Phoebe, and the Unicorn of the North: Mystery of the Northern Lights
• Alexia, Phoebe, and the Pink Flamingos: Adventures of a Girl and a Unicorn in Africa

For this new one, I’m excited to introduce the fifth book in the series:  

“Alexia, Phoebe and the Game of Hide and Seek: Adventures with the Pegasi”

I love how this title keeps the same adventurous spirit while highlighting the playful nature of the story. But, as with any creative process, there were plenty of other ideas along the way.

For example, at one point, I considered:  

“Alexia, Phoebe, and the Fairy Princess: Secrets of the Magical Realm.”  

Sounds like an intriguing title, right? But here’s the thing: the fairies weren’t part of the original concept. They actually popped up as a way to solve a plot issue. In doing so, they shifted the story in a slightly different direction—adding layers of friendship and teamwork I hadn’t planned for at the start. While it changed the tone of the book, I’m glad for how it turned out, but it wasn’t quite the light and playful adventure I had envisioned.

Since the heart of this story revolves around the Pegasi and the Game of Hide and Seek, I also toyed with titles like:  

“Alexia, Phoebe, and the Cloud City: A Game with the Pegasi”

“Alexia, Phoebe, and the Hidden Mountains: Adventures with the Pegasi.”

Ultimately, though, I felt that these titles brought too much focus on location. The story already starts with Alexia and Phoebe traveling to the Island of Flowers—a magical place where the fairies make their home—so adding extra locations would have overcomplicated things. And honestly, I really liked the name “Island of Flowers,” so I didn’t want to leave that out. Plus, the story is really about friendship and adventure, not the geography. So I kept things simple and true to the heart of the story.

Of course, there were a few more “creative” ideas during the moments when I felt a little stuck. Titles like:
“Alexia, Phoebe, and the Angry Red Dragon – Final Chapter of the Adventure.”
Dragons are always tempting, right? In fact, I think I could easily spin that into a future project. How about “Dragons’ Cookbook: How to Feed Your Dragon”? Who wouldn’t want to know how to keep a dragon happy and well-fed? You know, just in case.

Or when I was starting to feel like the game of Hide and Seek was going on forever:  

“Alexia, Phoebe, and the Game of Hide and Seek… and Seek… and Seek Again.” 

Because let’s be honest, sometimes the writing process feels a bit like that!

And now, with the title settled, it’s time to finish the cover. I took a peek at the current version, and while I’m not entirely satisfied just yet, I’m looking forward to making it shine. After all, this is the last piece of the puzzle before I can share the adventure with everyone.