One of the most important parts of a book—besides the conflict of course LOL—is your character’s names. I put as much effort into naming a character as I did my kids…okay, probably more since I don’t have to consult anyone else. However, it’s not like you can just go around throwing out names willy-nilly. I once named a secondary character only to have my WIP to come to a screeching halt. And I’m talking painful! I had to back up and change his name. Then ended up with a fully formed secondary character who had the hots for the heroines best friend.
In HANDS ON (June 2007) I gave all my heroines names that could have male or female nicknames to represent their dual lives. In Make U Sweat (Aphrodisia September 2008), the heroine in the first novella is Reece—and she made sure to give her daughter a name that’s decidedly feminine. Her sister’s name is Roberta. I must say, if my name was Roberta, I might go by Robbie Jo too.
In NAILED (Aphrodisia, June 2008), I was presented with the challenge of giving my heroine not one, but two names! Convinced that her sister’s death is no accident, Julie Burt goes into hiding.
But wait….there’s more!
You see, Julie has a cat named Clyde. And being that God blessed me with a twisted sense of humor, I decided Julie’s new name should be Bonnie.
As in, you know, Bonnie and Clyde.
A name with such, um, illustrious antecedents needs a killer last name to go with it. Thus Bonnie James was born—yes as in Jesse and Frank James. Even my hero, who’s no slouch, catches the “James” reference.
And my hero? His name is Wynn…pronounced Win as in “I always win.” Considering he’s a bounty hunter, it’s a great fit. And don’t tell him I told you this, but his mom calls him Wynnie.
A name/a nickname/a pet name is one of the foibles that can give real insight into a character. By the way, Clyde was named after my neighbor’s cat….but that’s another story.
HANDS ON – Now Available from Aphrodisia
KINK in Built – Now Available from Aphrodisia
NAILED – Aphrodisia June 08
MAKE U SWEAT – Aphrodisia September 08
SCREWED – Aphrodisia March 09
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