Title confirmed for my latest novel on Mongolia

The title for my latest novel on Mongolia has taken many iterations and variations. I can now announce that the title is THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE: A MONGOLIAN LAMENT.

The Mongolian novel is a fictional portrait of strength and resilience in the country's longest and harshest winter on record. A flu epidemic takes hold. Hospitals can't cope with the influx of patients, predominantly young children, and families take extreme measures to protect their loved ones. Cattle, crops, and children are dying.

For readers familiar with my previous novels (The Sudan Curse - 2009, Kashmir on a Knife-Edge - 2010, and Liberia's Deadest Ends - 2012) this is the return of Jorja Himmermann, Australian aid specialist, working in Ulaanbaatar. A synopsis will be posted in due course.

I estimate that the title changed up to 30 times during the three years of writing. Working titles for the manuscript included the obscure and ridiculous - Dancing in Silence, Moon Cuckoo, Devoid of Hue, Bone Marrow Stew, Ying Yang Yak, and Seventy One Parrots - to the reasonable - Mongolian Medicine, Mongolian Milkmade, and A State of Stillness. I didn't mind Wool Winters, Silk Summers, but the novel wasn't about summer. Supreme Ultimate Heroes didn't quite fit either.

The next stage in the production process is an editorial assessment and line editing, as well as a cover, back page, and dust jacket design. No release date has been issued yet, but it is likely to be released near the end of the year. I'll keep you posted.

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