House of Seven: Bird Call

My new novel, House of Seven, received its name from my friends on Facebook. One person suggested I name it something that puts less emphasis on the house and more on the occupants. One suggestion I like is House for Seven. Other friends like the title I’ve been using House of Contentment.

After the discussion of the title, I moved on to some word studies. The results were impressive, and they’re posted on Facebook on my timeline (Mary Cooke).

Today I’m thinking about birdcalls. In the opening scene, Trousdale and Rosa Linda Miller, threatened by an attack from some evil people, use a birdcall to signal one another. Having written the scene and decided on the type of bird I wanted to use, I asked my Facebook friends what their favorite birds are. (The complete conversation is on my timeline.)

Here’s a summary of the first seven hours of the results. The question is simply “What is your favorite bird call?”

Bird Making Calls Listed (Reasons, specific calls, and contributors are on my timeline.)

Bob White	6
Blue Bird	1
Meadow Lark	3
Starling	1
Acme	1
Barred Owl	1
Cardinal	3
Robin	3
Whippoorwill	6
Pileated Woodpecker	2
Goldfvvinch	1
Meadowlark	1
Mourning Dove	4
Chickadee	1
Mockingbird	3
Hawk	1
Hoot Owl	1
Dove	1
Turkey	1
Loon	1
Veery	1
White-Throated Sparrow	1
Red-Winged Blackbird	2
Chicken	1
Buzzard	1
Redbird	1

As always, my Facebook friends have helped me more than they can know. The Bob White and whippoorwill tied for first place. The little survey proved the bird being used in House of Seven is not only well known, it is popular.

A few years ago, when I wrote The Dream Bucket I asked my Facebook friends to help me write some of the scenes. The results were outstanding. Writing is fun and playing with words is delightful.