What's In a Name?

For men I know I fall easily for Jacks, Nicks and Sams.

For women I just love southern names : Emma Jean, Jolie, Jenny (don't know if Jenny is indeed a southern name actually)...

In anywase I would have some trouble falling for a Harold

Charlene, I'm the same in searching for names for my characters that must fit them. If the name doesn't feel right, then I don't use it. I do tend toward the hero names like Damien, Jarrod, Nick. And for the heroines name like Briana, Lana, Danielle.

Yvonne, you like Grace and Ethan for names? That's the two main characters in Nora Roberts' Rising Tides. Have you read it? A great read.

I just rushed to check my copy of Valentine's Vendetta but that's the Aust/NZ edition and they got that right. What a pain! We must have similar tastes, I had an Ethan in Trophy Wives and I'm proposing a Grace (Gracie) right now!

I think we had to change a couple of names around in the Diamonds series because we had too many J's or something but it was early in the piece. And in the Dakota Fortunes series, my h was given to me as Violet, which took a bit of getting used to but it seemed to fit. And then someone discovered there had been a Violet Fortune in one of the other Fortune series, so I had to change it to - Skylar. Erk. I guess I was used to it by the time I'd finished writing it.

Charlene I love your 'cowboy' names, and that you sometimes use horses for names! I love horses (at the track, not to ride) and dh owns parts of horses. I know a horse called Broken Bobby (cos he broke his leg, duh) or one my bil owns is called Blue Gum Motel Shines (bleagh) but I will look out for some (entertaining) possiblities.  

Nice of you to keep we stay-at-homes company while everyone is away at Nationals.

I did use Nic (Nicolo) in one of my Dante books.  I'll probably use it again with a "k" in a future book.  I flat-out adore the name. 

I think your three Carlinos sound extremely Italian, lol.  I've used...  Marco, Stephano, Alessandro, Luciano, (I'm thinking), Lazzaro, Primo (for the grandfather), Draco (we won't go there), Severo, Gianna, Adriana, Vittorio, Constantine.  Okay, that's all I can remember.  Some are Salvatores.  Some are Dantes.  Some are Romanos. 

Still don't know what I'm going to do for a nickname when I get to Draco.  Not sure I'm going to have a choice, lol.  I stuck it on him and now that they want the cousins stories, I'm gonna have to use it.

Best, Day

My Italian stories are set in the US, usually San Francisco, because it's my favorite US city (with Seattle a close second).  But I always have it that their parents or grandparents are from Italy and that they all speak Italian at home.  Family will often use full names, friends will shorten to Rafe, Luc, Nic, Sev, etc. 

But the first round of Dantes had a little of the Old Country lingering in their voices.  Just a lyrical something, because IMO Italian is so lyrical.  And the heroine in the 4th book, Adriana, was from Italy.

I love the sound of the villa.  You've got to use that.  I like writing cowboy stories, too.  Haven't done a "real" cowboy story in a dog's age.

Best, Day

Hi Charlene - you're so right, naming is crucial. I once tried writing a story where my hero's name was Aidan, because I love the name, and because he'd been a secondary character in an earlier story, but that story just wouldn't happen for me until I changed his name.

Charlene,

I'm with you.  There just isn't enough time to read all the books, despite wanting to stay current.  It all boils down to priorities and that has to be to get our books written.  Then I want to read my favorite genre or authors and often it isn't the one I write--not because I don't love it/them--I DO!  But because I need a mental break from it.  Sort of cleansing the palate.  So I read YA and Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Suspense for pleasure and in between try and stay current with Desire, particularly my favorite authors.  Okay, now I feel guilty.    Too little time, too many books.

Best, Day

I just saw an interesting article about the effect names have on people (boys in particular in this article).  You can check it out here.

>>I live in constant fear I might lose my own ideas.  I feel it keeps me fresh to come up with newer ideas, plots and characters and not repeat something another author has done.   And even if the idea is similiar, at least I'd take comfort knowing I didn't "steal" from another author.  It's silly, but I always want to be original and never be swayed by what another author is writing.  Does that make sense? <<

 I agree 100%.  I read constantly and I do worry that I'll incorporate something I read years before.  My memory of the book is long gone, but I'm concerned that some aspect of the plot has gotten stuck in my brain and I'm afraid it'll pop out as this wonderful new idea that really isn't.  I think all authors who write multiple books a year over many, many years worry about that.  Not sure what we can do about it, other than worry, since we'd all rather write our own ideas that help ourselves to anyone else's.  It's the inadvertent part that makes us a wee bit nervous.

 Best, Day

Sebastian and Alesia from Sarah Morgan's "Sale or Return Bride" I think are the two names I never forgot becauseit was so unusual and it was a great read. Also Code from "Do not Disturb Until Christmas"

The Seth I loved was in Nora Robert's Chesapeake Blue.

Interesting what you mentioned about a heroine having your name.  Almost never does a heroine have my first name (either the shortened form or the whole name), and it's not really that unusual.  I wonder why?   I wonder if others associate it with an old-fashioned name or something.  I guess I'm too close to it to get those feelings about it, but there are some names that sound so wrong on a young child to me because I associate them with someone's great grandmother. 

Same is true of songs.  I've never gotten to hear an impassioned song about a woman with my name, with the exception of a song from Rocky Horror Picture Show and a reference in a Weird Al Yankovic song.  I love Weird Al, but I don't think it's every woman's dream to have Weird Al immortalize her name.  Oh, well.  I feel sure you've probably had a song or two dedicated to April, even though I can't think of any right off the bat except Pat Boone's "April Love".  I suppose that doesn't count since I think he's referring to the month there.

But I can totally agree with you that it would be kind of a thrill, particularly if she had the same hair color as I do and/or same eye color.  Guess I'll just have to live without that thrill.

I didn't mean that I thought April's name was old-fashioned or outdated.  I was questioning my own because I never see it as heroine's names in books or as a love interest's name in songs.  So, I was hypothesizing that perhaps my first name is considered by some to be too outdated.

I can see how it would be exceedingly weird and/or creepy to write about a heroine with your name.  It would no doubt feel like an invasion of privacy or TMI or cheating on your DH or something.