Blame it on the Name, for Shame

Names are tricky, especially when you're selecting them for your characters. For the most part you want to select a name that reflects your genre, though there are plenty of exceptions to this rule.

A quick tour of the bestsellers on my bookshelf reveals these finds:
Lavinia and Tobias in Amanda Quick's historical romance, Late for the Wedding
Eve and Roarke in JD Robb's futuristic romance, Indulgence in Death
Lev and Rikki in Christine Feehan's paranormal romance, Water Bound
cult leader Ethan in Brenda Novak's romantic suspense, White Heat
wizard Gandalf and unlikely hero Bilbo in JRR Tolkien's fantasy, The Hobbit
magician Harry Dresden in Jim Butcher's fantasy, Fool Moon
every man David Beck in Harlan Coben's thriller, Tell No One
sleuth Lincoln Rhyme in Jeffery Deaver's thriller, The Broken Window

I've barely tapped the potential of my bookshelf, but you should see a pattern. A name evokes a certain type of character, triggers a memory, inspires curiosity, or even intrigues a reader by its very difference.

Up and coming authors show the same skill. Here are a few that I've reviewed:
down-and-out Addie in Celia Yeary's western, Addie and the Gunslinger
psychic Diana Racine in Polly Iyer's mystery, Mind Games
Deanna and Daws in LK Hunsaker's modern fiction, Moondrops & Thistles
archer Heather in SG Rogers' paranormal fantasy, Tournament of Chance
Edmund and Kiera in Stephanie Burkhart's steampunk, A Gentleman & a Rogue
Kendi and Jackson in Cheryl Pierson's romantic suspense, Temptation's Touch

And, what list would be complete without a few of my characters?

• intrepid Cleopatra Jones from my mystery series - a gal with the weight of the world on her shoulders
• birdwatcher & data analyst Hannah from House of Lies - a heroine who's plunged from her safe world into danger
• reporter Molly Darter from Murder in the Buff, an every woman who rises to the occasion

Some names seem off limits to me. For instance, I wouldn't ordinarily use any of these names for my characters: Hannibal, Cher, Rambo, Hitler, Napoleon, Barrack, and a host of other famous people through the years. I might use their personality types though, or use a famous name as a weight they have to overcome every day of their lives.

And then there's unisex names like Chris. There's a couple I know, Chris and Ward. Ward's the female and I always call her Chris. I also know women named Lloyd and Sudy. Unusual names are common in the south, as are double names like Mary Lee, Betty Sue, and so on. Select names which reflect the genre or give a regional flair for best identification.

In selecting character names, make it easy for the readers to remember them. Give them strong tags and attributes. Make them three-dimensional so readers color in the face behind the name.

How do writers come up with names? Different ways. Name lists. Personal experience. Online lists of names. Yearbooks. Commencement programs. Obituaries. Prayer lists. Phone books. And when all else fails, mix and match author names from your bookshelf!

Please share your thoughts on names. I'd love to hear from you!

Maggie Toussaint
In For a Penny and On the Nickel out now on Kindle
www.maggietoussaint.com

Cousin Sister

Family trees have unique branches

Last night while we were out and about, we chanced to meet up with my cousin Sister. She has a "real" name, but family members have always called her Sister, because that's what her three brothers called her while we were all growing up. So even though she isn't my sister (she's my first cousin), I call her Sister, too.

This got me to thinking about family names. Besides my cousin Sister, I had an Aunt Bubba, and Bubba is usually a nickname for a male.

We have lots of Bigs and Littles in our family. Big Hunter, Little Hunter, "Savannah" Hunter, and now Baby Hunter. When I named my oldest daughter after my best friend Suzanne, we got Big and Little Suzanne. In an odd twist of fate, Big Suzanne is married to Little Hunter, though their sizes and weights are the opposite of their descriptors.

We have two family members that went by initials: T.P. and T.C. Both men had Thomas as their first name, so you might think we had a family aversion to the name Tom, but T.C.'s daughter named her son for him, and he goes by the "first" name of Tom Crawford.

Oh! I nearly forgot this one. Another first cousin was a second child. She grew up hearing her sister Gay saying the word "Mama" for their mom. So Little Syb called their mom "Gay's Mama."

I also had an aunt named Tootsie.

I've laid a portion of my family tree out there for you. Care to share about the "different" names of your family? A free download to one lucky commentor. The prize drawing will be on Friday afternoon, so it's not too late to post.

Maggie Toussaint

Coming in March:
Death, Island Style - a little sun, a little fun, a dead guy in the surf
Murder in the Buff - murder blooms in the nudists' organic garden