Even though it won’t be released until June of 2010, my first book—a spiritual memoir about growing up in the conservative evangelical subculture only to question my faith as a young adult—is really starting to come to life. Last week, I finished the last of the major edits, got a thumbs-up from my editor, and found out what the official title/subtitle is going to be. Next up – cover designs!

It’s not unusual for an author’s original title to be changed by his or her publisher. Though I was nervous about what the folks at Zondervan would come up with, I knew that my “baby” was in good hands. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much freedom I’ve enjoyed throughout the writing and editing process, and I can say with complete confidence that the book you will read is the book that I wrote.

The goal with titling is to come up with something that sets the right tone for the book and that is accessible to a wide range of readers. Here are eight of the titles that were discussed:

1. Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions (My original title.)

2. Monkey Trials: A Survivor’s Guide to Religious Doubt

3. Once Saved: Confessions of a Recovering Fundamentalist

4. Faith Unraveled: A Survival Guide for Faithful Skeptics

5. This (I Think) I Know: How to Question Everything You Believe About God And Live To Tell About It

6. New Creatures: The Messy Business of Spiritual Evolution

7. The Upside of Being Wrong About God: A Story of Faith, Doubt, and Spiritual Survival

8. The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up:  A Memoir of Doubt and Faith

Want to take a guess at which title stuck? Leave your guess as a comment, and on Friday morning, I’ll take all of the correct guesses and randomly select from them a name to be included on my list of people to receive a free signed copy of the book.

You can only guess once. Family members, Zondervan employees, and anyone with inside information about the book obviously cannot participate. In order to be considered for the contest, entries must be placed by 12:00 a.m., eastern, on Friday, September 11.  I’ll announce the winner and the title of the book on Friday, September 11 at 9:00 a.m., eastern, right here on the blog.

For more information about the book, read the synopsis.

Have fun with it!

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