By Christy Baker Knight
The title for my completed water-time mystery changed many times, but in a moment of clarity I realized that my protagonist's strength involved her ability to look at the clues from an artist's perspective. This is the paragraph that connects Star's personal journey to the title:
I looked at my art hanging above the mantel. Before I had begun the painting, Ms. Boyd said I had to choose between cold-press or hot-press paper. While they both started with the same water process, the cold press left the texture of the paper in a rougher, more natural state while the hot press flattened every fiber, creating a perfectly smooth surface for detailed work. Without much thought, I knew to choose the one that wouldn't get in the way of the paint. If only my decision to stay or go were that simple.
Hot Pressed also refers to the pressure Star is under to solve the mystery, the high-altitude summer sun, and the forces of nature at work, so it ties the plot together with other themes running through the novel.