Naming a character is something I don’t take lightly. I think the name should reflect the characterization in some way. Look at the movie “Silence of the Lambs.” Wasn’t Clarice Starling a perfect name for Jodie Foster’s character? And Hannibal Lecter? Perfection!

Sometimes the name itself isn’t as “related” to the characterization, but it still means something. Sometimes it shows their personalities. Goldie Perlman in my Pauline Sokol romantic mystery series is a good example. Goldie is a six foot tall, ex-army intelligence soldier. Yet, he’s also a transvestite with fantastic (can you say Marilyn Monroe) taste. Very classy. I can’t imagine him named Bill. Not that there is anything wrong with a Bill. But that sounds like a pocket protector-wearing CPA who works for the IRS to me.

Sometimes a name will come to me as I write the character. Other times I spend a great deal of time in my “Name the Baby Book.” I also use a Writer’s Digest book called Building Believable Characters because that breaks names down into nationalities. I’ve recently written a short story with a villainous doctor who cheats the insurance companies. Dr. Adrian Dupre. Harsh name. Harsh character.

When I started to write my hunky hero in The Pauline Sokol series, I knew I wanted a guy with only one name. That said it all. No one knows if that is his first or last name (not even me). His name is...Jagger. Now doesn’t that fit a gorgeous, mysterious hunk of an investigator? I’d trust my life to Jagger! (Please, God, that I meet him in real life)

I had decided upfront that I wanted to write a Polish American women. A kickass one. Smart, sexy, and a size four. My grandmother came to mind. Pauline Sokol. She was a real matriarchal, strong woman, both mentally and physically. The Polish are hard workers, and Sokol means eagle in Polish. So, I named my character after my grandmother, who died on her ninety-third birthday—and the first book of my series, A Dose of Murder, came out on her birthday!

Fabio Scarpello is the sleazy boss and apparent owner of Scarpello and Tonelli Insurance Company. His name fits his cigar-smoking, polyester-wearing character.

So, don’t take naming your characters lightly. It’s important and a very easy way to get a message across to the readers without having to write it out. Did you know Scarlet O’Hara was really named Katie Scarlet? Somehow that didn’t suit her selfish/independent personality. I’d also heard that originally the character was going to be named after a flower. Can’t remember if it’s a petunia or pansy. But imagine? She never would have come across as the same Scarlet character!

We become like the name we are given at birth, so psychologists say. This seems to be true of characters as well; writers tend to slant attitudes and actions to fit the name. It’s always been important to me get it right, then. When looking at names in baby name books—my source for many given names—I check their country of origin to see they match the character’s nationality, then whisper the possible choices a few times until I find one that “sounds” the way it should. For surnames, I’ve often scanned research books and the encyclopedia. I also have a dictionary of surnames with their origins.

When I first started writing, however, I had a decided preference for hero names beginning with the letter “R.” My husband was Jerry Ronald, my sons Ron and Rick, so it seemed a natural. After a few books with these "R" names hit best seller lists, I became superstitious about it, afraid to choose a name that started with anything else. Eventually, I began to run out of “Rs”, though, and the use became just too stilted, too obvious. I bit the bullet and forced myself to move on to other letters. But I still wonder, from time to time, if an “R” name wouldn’t be a good thing!

For my six-book Masters at Arms series, set in 1840s New Orleans, I wanted authentic French Creole names of the period. While researching in the city, I went to the old St. Louis Cemetery, located just outside the French Quarter, and copied names from the tombs there. When done, I had a list of 64 female given names, 53 male given names, and over 200 surnames, which I then transferred to a computer file in my research folder. Every character name in the series has come from this list. But as I left the cemetery that day, the gatekeeper was shocked to see me. He hadn’t known I was inside; the gate was kept locked except for scheduled cemetery tour groups. I had accidentally walked in on the heels of one--I’d heard them in the distance, but wandered around by myself, pen and notepad in hand. Being in this “City of the Dead” cemetery, he said, with its narrow, winding pathways through tall monuments and mausoleums which made great concealment for attackers, was highly dangerous for anyone alone. I’d literally risked my life for these authentic names. I supposed you’d have to say my muse and my guardian angel were taking care of me, making certain I had the chance to “get it right.”

Once I have a basic plot in mind, character names are my next step.  Using a name-the-baby book and online resources, I choose names that not only fit the character but the book’s tone.  For example, Close to Perfect, my March 2008 release is a romantic comedy – sexy and fun.  I wanted my guy – Josh Wyatt – to have a strong name, but one that also made him sound young (early 30s) and hot (without being too obvious like Rip, Stone, Pierce, Mr. Hunk – you get the picture).  To me, Josh sounds luscious yet accessible.  For my lady, who’s one helluva bodyguard wrapped in feminine allure, I wanted a soft first name (to contrast with her spirited nature) and decided upon Tess.   It fit perfectly with her heritage because her given name is Teressa, to reflect the Cuban background of her mom, but it’s been shortened and Americanized to Tess to show her dad’s culture. 

In my novella Tempt Me, Tease Me, Thrill Me, part of the Bad Boys with Red Roses anthology, I again wanted a strong name for my guy and decided upon Sean Logan.  Honestly, I got the idea for Logan because of actor Chris Noth.  That was his character’s last name in all those Law and Order series.  Chris (or Mr. Big) is very hot and I definitely had him in mind when I created Sean, who’s a drool-worthy Chicago detective.  For my heroine, Cait Campbell, I wanted a first name that sounded somewhat tough.  She’s a no-nonsense attorney and is about to become a judge as the novella opens.  The sparks flying between these two strong-willed people make this romantic comedy sizzle, and I wanted their names to reflect that. 

In my yet-to-be-released novella White Lies. . .Hot Nights, I actually created a first name for my guy who owns a ranch near Dallas.  Because it’s a romantic comedy, I didn’t want the name to be dark.  However, I did want it to sound like a Texan and came up with MacKenna, which he shortens to Mac.  His last name is Roy, because it also seemed Texan.  For my gal, I chose Shelby Cox.  To me, Shelby sounds tomboyish and it fits her lusty personality – at least when she’s in Mac’s arms. 

The way a character’s name sounds is extremely important to me.  Again, it has to match the tone of the story.  When I find a name I like, I do check its meaning.  No matter how great a name reads, if it means something like ‘weak man from the slimy bogs’ I’m definitely not going to use it. 

I think names are rich with meaning. They carry a feeling--maybe even a little prejudice--with them from person to person. Most of us form preconceived notions about names we've encountered before based on our experience with them. I always strive to give my characters a name that suits them.

Of course, in my first book, Enchanted; Erotic Bedtime Stories for Women, I didn't have to come up with names because the characters were already named in the original fairy tales they were fashioned after. And in The Twelve Dancing Princesses I created my own names for each princess based on her individual story (ie., Princess Attentia needs more time and attention to achieve orgasm, Princess Doitalla has issues with doing too much and control, Princess Tartia uses her body to get what she wants, and so on).

In Enchanted Again, my latest release coming out in November, I got my first real opportunity to actually name the characters that I created. And it was harder than I thought. I spent a lot of time debating over names, sometimes even getting half way into a story before I made a final decision. Here again, some of these characters were pre-named by the nursery rhyme their story was inspired after, such as Peter, who was already named in the rhyme Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater; had a wife and couldn’t keep her. Peter inherited his name as the jealous husband, but what should I call his wife? Before I could name her I had to know her story. Was she harassed unfairly by her jealous husband? Or did Peter have good reason to distrust her? I had to decide who she was before I could give her a name, which, by the way, turned out to be Joyce. I think it fits her nicely.

I’m currently working on my fourth book, Enchanted Dreams, which features tales of paranormal erotica and I still have several characters left to name. I just christened Emilie yesterday; she’s a timid wife who finds herself desperately trying to hide her encounter with an alien. Not easy to do when you’re carrying its child. She’s terrified and isolated; could she be insane? I named her Emilie because, for me, it is a name that reflects a vulnerable soul in need of protection. Why do I feel that way? I have no idea. And I recognize that it is likely that my readers could have an entirely different impression about that name. Perhaps any old name from the phone book wo uld do just as well. Even so, getting the name right makes the character more real for me, and I have to believe it’s worth the effort, if only to help me write a better story.

 For me, choosing a character’s name is one of the most important decisions I make when I begin to write a book.  Selection of the hero and heroine’s names are, of course, the most important, but each name in the book requires some consideration of the type of person I am trying to portray to my readers. 

Occasionally, I get lucky and the name simply pops into my head.  Not always.  Sometimes I spend days, even weeks trying to figure out exactly who the main characters are.  If the hero’s name, for example, eludes me, I become obsessed with finding out; I even have trouble sleeping.  Names roll around in my head day and night, each being considered and cast aside, until a particular name converges with the picture I have in my head. 

I keep massive lists of names.  Pages of English men and women’s names, Spanish names, Russian names, French names, Italian names, and on and on.  I can’t plot the story, can’t work out the romance between the two main characters until I know the names of the people I’ll be writing about.

In HEART OF COURAGE, out the end of December, the final book in the Heart Trilogy, the hero’s name is Thor.  He is a tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed Norseman, a man from an isolated place that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years.  Thor is huge and incredibly strong, a massive man, as his name implies.

The heroine is Lindsey Graham, which, for me, has a bit of a modern ring.  And by the standards of life in the 1840’s, Lindsey is a very modern young woman. 

Choosing exactly the right name is extremely important.  I hope, as you read my books, you will see the image of the character I had in my head when I wrote the story. I hope you will watch for Thor and Lindsey in HEART OF COURAGE and that you enjoy! 

Names are the most basic descriptions of a literary character. In naming a character, there's a chance to layer a whole story behind the story. As an author, I give a lot of thought to naming my characters. Since the stories I write often have mythological themes, I often look to mythology for meaningful names. This was especially true when I named the hero of my current release, Immortals: The Crossing (Dorchester, Oct 2008.)    

Manannán mac Lir, the hero of Immortals: The Crossing has a real tongue-twister name. What's up with that? Mac's name is borrowed from Celtic mythology. The Celtic god Manannán mac Lir appears in Scots, Welsh, Irish, and Manx legends.  

Manannán is described as the son of Lir, the Celtic sea god, or, sometimes, is presented as the Celtic god of the sea himself. He's associated with the Underworld and the Isles of the Dead that lie to the west of the Celtic lands. In Irish lore, Manannán is considered one of the Tuatha De Dannan, semi-divine race that settled ancient Ireland. On the Isle of Man, the Manx people considered Manannán a protector. He's also associated with the faerie world, and is sometimes said to be married to a Faery Queen.  

There are many stories and legends concerning the mythological Manannán, but for Immortals: The Crossing, I chose to borrow only the name and some elements of the original myths, and weave my own tale. In The Crossing, Manannán mac Lir, or Mac, as he's generally known, is indeed the son of the Celtic sea god, Lir. Rather than have a Sidhe queen as a wife, it's Mac's mother who provides his Sidhe link. Niniane, Queen of the Sidhe and Mac's overprotective mother, would much prefer her only son spend all of his time in Annwyn, the Celtic Otherworld. But Mac, like many Sidhe, is fascinated with the imperfections of humanity. He lives exclusively in the human world, where, like his mythological namesake, he plays a guardian role.  

One of Mac's titles is "Guardian of Celtic Creatures in the Human World." The main races he protects are the Sidhe (tall, Lord of the Ring elven-types), and faeries (the winged "little people"). As Immortals: The Crossing begins, a faerie village comes under an attack from death magic. Mac rides to the rescue--and encounters a mystery, and a mysterious witch, he doesn't expect.  

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into Mac’s mythological name! Check out my website, www.joynash.com, for more mythological secrets behind Immortals: The Crossing and other books!