Amie Stuart | What’s in a Name?
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.
Amie
amiestuart.com/
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
Labels: Amie Stuart, contemporary, erotica, nickname
posted by Fresh Fiction @ 8:00 AM
22 Comments:
I'll say that you have a fantastic way with names, Amie! I love how clever they are.
I don't think I have the knack for cleverness, however, I do spend a lot of time trying to pick the a name that SOUNDS right for my characters. But, it's really subtle. Meaning, if I have a serious, no-nonsense heroine, I choose a name that sounds like that, (i.e., Celeste, in my SECRETS VOL 13 novella), or a name that sounds fitting for a bad boy, (i.e., Johnny in a current WIP).
Picking the right name can be hard, but it does make a difference.
Hmmm. Now you've got me curious as to the story behind your neighbor's cat. :-)
Great article! Can't wait to read NAILED!
LOL! You actually get to CHOOSE your characters' names? Wow...what a cool concept! It's interesting how all of us work--I get the names before I get the story. My characters sort of show up and tell me what's going to happen next. You don't honestly think I could make up names like Anton Cheval or Stefan Aragat, do you? :-)
Very cool...and I must say, you do get some gorgeous covers!
Rachelle I DO keep in mind what someone's like when I choose names...my current heroine is Sabrina and she's a vagabond Tarot Card reader who travels around to Ren Fairs!
Amie,
Love your Bonnie and Clyde story. And, BTW, Hands On is such an awesome cover!
I spend literally weeks on picking out names. It is one of the hardest things for me to decide on. I mean whoever heard of a Scottish Highlander named 'BOB'. lol
~Kimberly
Kate I think we're ALL cover blessed.
And I'm lucky....99% of the time (I think--you watch someone's gonna throw me for a loop) I do get to choose. It's really funny though how sometimes I'll "get" a name and then end up with a fully formed character popping up out of the either =)
doh--ether
Oh, I know you do, Amie. What I was trying to say is that you combine the two. You are able to pick a name that's suitable AND be clever. I'm lacking in the clever area. :-)
Hi Amie!
I love the Bonnie & Clyde thing. I once had a cat named Clyde. Sleak black animal who wasn't afraid of anything. lol
And I agree about the cover of Hands On---wow!
Tracy G.
www.tracygarrett.com
I love naming the animals in my books. ;-) I spend a lot of time thinking about them, too.
This from the once-teenage Kathrynn who named her first horse Ceaser-Octavian-Augustus-Dennis"
LOL!
Yes, "I Claudius" was a hit on Masterpiece theatre at the time.
Kim thanks!! I hart me some covers!
I don't envy you the research you must have to do to write historicals (I'm lazy really)--and as to Bob well there was Robert the Bruce!!! hehe
Rachelle...it's the machinations of a twisted mind with way too much free time *ggg*
Tracy our Clyde was gray...I miss him *sigh*
Kathrynn...LOL you know when I was a kid, my friends and I used to keep LISTS of names for all the horses were someday going to own. I wish I still had them *g* Now, I usually give my pets "real" names. The dog in my current wip has the most animal-like name of any so far (I think--it's Scamp).
Scamp is a Beagle...my son saw the pic I printed of one and immediately thought I was hiding a secret pet from him. I swear.
Hi,Amie,
It's amazing to me how much research authors have to delve
into for their books! Even into names for pets in the stories!
The most un-pet-like name for a
pet that came into our family
was "Gerald." Gerald was born
in a box of pom poms in the University of Houston band hall. Two of my children were members
of the marching band. They had a
friend by that name whom they described as "goofy." Gerald (the cat) came into the name because
of his goofy behavior. It seems that while his litter mates nursed at the appropriate site, he tried
to nurse at his mother's paw!!
Pat Cochran
I heart Wynnie ....
Names - sometimes they come to me fully formed along with the character. Other times I delve into baby name books (I have a lot of them), looking closely at the meanings of names. In one WIP I had named the heroine Maddie, short for Madeline. But she kept fighting me and halfway through the WIP I had to change it to Madison, the name she wanted. Characters, if they would only cooperate ...
How fun is that? You DO have great names! I never put too much thought in it. I swear, sometimes I pick a letter at Baby Names.com and say okay...I'm closing my eyes and picking.
Another time I made it a reader contest. They named the hero/heroine in my book!
Love the names, Amie! My heroes usually come with names and baggage (and chips on the shoulders), but the heroines can be a chore. My dog-earred baby name book will attest to it. Horses take longer to name, and I don't know why since I was raised around horses and named plenty of real ones.
You get the best covers!
It's about TIME you gave Clyde his due.
(snort!)
Bailey there's nothing so humbling as a mother's nickname for her child!!! LOL
Pat what a wonderful story!!! I love hearing things like that. Especially about cats--I'm a total cat fan *sigh* I actually started Nailed with Clyde already in mind *g*
Jan *squee!* Isn't that just like a girl?!?!!?
Raine =) Clyde will ALWAYS get his due!
Shellie....one of the hardest character names I ever picked (that was so grammatically wrong but I know you know what I mean sooooooo), I ended up digging up a website filled with 60's names. What a gas!
Bonnie and Clyde---cute!
LOL thanks Estella!
OMG! I critiqued Nailed and it never occurred to me about the Bonnie and Clyde reference. I'm an idiot. :D
I agree with names. I have to have something that sounds like the character or forget it. haha
Mik no you're not!!!! I'm honestly glad it's NOT something that jumps out at you and says, "OH HOW CUTE! Lookie what she did."
LOL
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