Would you live on Starvegut Street?
Apr 29, 2022 5:11 pm
Where names come from
I was driving down some back roads this weekend and passed by two small lanes, one on either side of each other. On one side is Starvegut and the other side is Sunstone. Even though they are probably equally pleasant, I don't think I would like to live on Starvegut street. That would be like living in an apartment called El Diablo or El Camaron (true names I've seen). It shouldn't matter, but it does. Names are important.
I have different ways of choosing names for characters. For faeries I have a random name generator site I bookmarked long ago. For vampires sometimes I'll go by U.S. census data lists of surnames. For secondary characters I often choose names by consulting the top ten list of baby names for the year of their birth.
But sometimes I want a special feel. For Morgan, I wanted a witchy name, and she was originally Rowan except that she was introduced in the same book as the cult of Artemis were-deer so I thought there might be some confusion as the cult members all took plant names. House Sanguinatus members all have cool, one-word names that usually mean something dark or gloomy, like "Sorrow" or "January." Those are super fun to think of. (I'm willing to take suggestions if you have one-word warlock names you like).
But usually, I choose names that will let you know something about the character's age and socioeconomic background. David Emory, for example, is one of the whitest WASP-y names I could come up with. He sounds like the kind of guy who would inherit money. Marcello and Sophia got Italian names because I decided a family that immigrated to California to make wine might as well be Italian. Susan got the last name Stillwater both because she runs deep and because the name makes me think of classic rock. Fain is named after a road we used to pass driving to Prescott, Arizona.
Where did the name Kit Melbourne come from? I fell in love with the name Kit Marlowe and just made it sound a little new-world by giving her the same name as an Australian city. Melbourne sounds like a more auspicious place than Bloody Basin Creek or Deadman's Pass, don't you think?
Have you ever refused to live in a place because it had a name you didn't like? I'd love to know I'm not the only one who thinks about this kind of thing.
Growing up in foster care wasn't easy on Ava. Ane now at the Dragondale Academy of Druidic Magic, she's way behind the other students and in a foreign land. Together with Dardyr, the dragon with a dark past, can she find the home she's been looking for her whole life? (Free)
As plague rages across neighboring villages, Morgan is accused of witchcraft and becomes a fugitive from her own village. Escaping with only her mother's strange book and stone, she disappears into The Great Forest, and the rumored beasts that reside there. (Amazon KU)
Alaskan bush pilot, Piper Tikaani, can’t seem to stay out of trouble. The old gods of her people have come back to play. Only their idea of fun is world ending. Unfortunately for Piper, the only magic she has to fight her enemies is shapeshifting, which has only ever gotten her in more trouble. (Amazon KU)
Ridge's job is keeping paranormal cryptid existence on the down-low and protecting the public. As Enforcer, Mckenna is security for the most brutal gunrunner in the Gulf. Sparks fly when these two take on a freak monster interfering with a sting operation. (Free)
Gratuitous Cat Picture
I'm pretty sure Zinko was there first.
Other Novels
