Author Sutton Fox, author of CENTER RING (on sale right now for Lyrical Press’s Christmas Bash), joins me today with her unique take on naming characters.

BREATHE: Do you feel your character names are influenced by the theme of your story? Why or why not?
SUTTON: No. At least not consciously. For example, Center Ring is the second book in a series. All the main players were named long before I wrote the first book. In my head the name must fit the character, and ring true for me. I don’t consider the theme when it comes to names.

BREATHE: If you wrote in another genre, would it affect the names you picked for your characters? Why do you think this is?

SUTTON: It might. If I wrote historical, I’d use names from that time period. Or if I wrote paranormal I believe I’d be free to be a little more creative with character names because there’s more room for pushing boundaries. Since I write contemporary and romantic suspense I tend to use names consistent with modern day people. I think it makes it easier to suspend disbelief.

BREATHE: What is your favorite character name—either your own or somebody else’s? Why do you like this name?

SUTTON: Tohrment. He’s one of the brothers in J.R. Wards, BDB. This is just one example, but I really like all of them because torment by itself is a powerful word, used as a name, it just reaches out and grabs you. At least it did me. I simply had to know who this character was.

BREATHE: Do you feel a character’s name affects the way you write him or her?

SUTTON: Yes. Character names can represent many things to the reader, strength, weakness, or many things in between. It’s important that the character’s name is a good fit.

BREATHE: Are there any names you absolutely will not use for a character?

SUTTON: Rumpelstiltskin. It’s a classic. Anything else is fair game.

EXCERPT from CENTER RING:

A late afternoon sun shed weakened rays through the patchy clouds, sprinkling tattered bits of sunlight over the ground. It was colder today. Julia pulled her coat closed against the nipping breeze and hurried into the building. She desperately wanted to ignore the incredible hulk following her around, but the manners Lacey had made sure she knew and understood wouldn’t let her. As a silent tribute to the only woman she’d ever willingly called Mom, Julia slowed her step and turned with a smile.

“Mr. Jameson, I’ve a staff meeting and conference calls for what little is left of the afternoon. Since I’ll be in my own office in the Cameron building, I’m sure I don’t require your services. If you’ve things you need to do, or reports to file, I’ll have Kelly find you a vacant office.” Using her best dismissive tone, she turned to walk inside.

She felt his heat when he pulled her close. His voice, almost a whisper, sounded low and seductive. It teased its way slowly across nerve endings long ignored, ignited embers she’d banked long ago. She rose to her full height and, with the help of Jimmy Choo, looked him straight in the eye.

“Mr. Jameson, as far as I’m concerned the only ‘good side’ you have is your ass heading out of my life.”

www.suttonfox.com

Today I am thrilled to be joined by fellow Lyrical Press author L.K. Below, author of urban fantasy novella STALKING SHADE, as my quest for the perfect character naming process continues.

BREATHE: Do you feel your character names are influenced by the theme of your story? Why or why not?

LK: My character names are often influenced by the theme of my story. In Stalking Shade, I spent a lot of time choosing Lori’s name. I wanted something simple but that fit her prickly goth exterior. Something like “Scissors” such as one of her friends, just didn’t fit. I wanted something accessible, that her parents might have named her, but at the same time something curt. “Lori” was just close enough to my given name of “Lindsay” that it was on my list of names that I wanted to use. Not to mention it fit Lori’s character completely.

The love interest, Terrence, I chose by chance. When I first started writing the book, I didn’t think he would play as big of a role as he ended up playing. So when I stuck him in the novel to annoy Lori, I didn’t take nearly as much time in choosing his name. But it stuck… and so did he.

The names which perhaps held the most meaning were the code names of those in The Order. For instance, Lori’s code name is Shade. It reflects her gothic nature, the mystery of the book, and plays a heavy role in the titles I chose for the trilogy. (Book 1: Stalking Shade, book 2: Out of the Shadows, coming April 2012, book 3: This Blackened Night, coming soon).

BREATHE: If you wrote in another genre, would it affect the names you picked for your characters? Why do you think this is?

LK: I do write in other genres, so I say absolutely. My choice of name depends on the character’s nationality or species, the time period during which they were born, and many other factors. For instance, in an Irish-themed contemporary romance, I chose Seamus as the name for my hero and because my heroine is from an Irish-settled part of New York City, I named her Kelsey. The names I choose have to fit my characters. I give them identities based on the names I choose.

BREATHE: What is your favorite character name—either your own or somebody else’s? Why do you like this name?

LK: My favorite character name happens to be the name of one of my first characters. Even though I’m still working on revising that particular book, I love the way the name rolls off the tongue. The Russian-flavored fantasy novel features a heroine by the name of Ekaterina Kataranovskia. It’s elegant and regal and fits her station perfectly… even if her nickname of Katya fits her brazen character a bit better.

BREATHE: Do you feel a character’s name affects the way you write him or her?

LK: Absolutely. As the character forms in my head, I come to associate him or her with that name. I will never be able to name another character Lori. Because when I think of Lori I think of the prickly goth I’ve taken along the journey in The Order trilogy. The name and the character are now inseparable to me.

BREATHE: Are there any names you absolutely will not use for a character?

LK: I try not to use names of people I know. Of course, this is not absolute. In one particular book, the sister of the main character has my sister’s name, Samantha. But the name fit her. She refused to take another. Somehow, I’ve learned to separate that Sam from my Sam. But it took a little while to wrap my mind around it.

Excerpt from STALKING SHADE by L.K. Below:

“See?” the bartender was telling the taller man. “If you want a night with Lori, it won’t be tonight. Wait and try some other time.”

Wise advice.

“What if I’m interested in more than a night?”

Lori nearly spewed her coffee on a couple walking past. She would need to keep an eye out for this guy. He gave a whole new meaning to persistence, and he hadn’t even approached her yet. She could only hope to scare him off by giving him the cold shoulder once he did.

Luckily, Ritchie came to her rescue. “Then you’re definitely outta luck, my man. I’ve known Lori for four years and she’s never had anything longer than a one night stand. She doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon.”

“I like a challenge.”

Lori resisted the urge to bang her head against the counter. She needed to evacuate. Now. DEFCON One.

She smacked her cup on the counter as Scissors muttered to Ritchie, “Does this guy have a death wish?” Presumably he was already en route to intercept her.

Lori fumbled with her change, starting to sort out what she owed. Changing her mind, she left the cash on the counter and shoved the bus pass into her pocket.

“Leaving so soon?” A deep, masculine voice. She recognized it with an inner groan.

Too late.

She turned slowly, thinking to nip this in the bud. He stood an inch or two taller than she did in her heeled boots, which made him at least six-four. His hair was black, cut short, and he had the most brilliant blue eyes she had ever seen. His easy smile proudly displayed a set of fangs. She narrowed her eyes. A faux-vampire.

Freaking wonderful.

Find Stalking Shade on sale at http://bit.ly/StalkingShade. Visit L.K. Below online at lbelow.blogspot.com or on her website at www.lbelow.net.

The big Christmas Bash just began over on Lyrical Press today! Check it out for some great reads at a great price. I’ve asked my fellow Christmas Bash authors to join me on my blog in honor of the event, and as you all know, I’m obsessed with character names. Creating characters is one of the biggest honors a writer has, almost like you’re breathing life into a real person, so hitting on that perfect name for them is sometimes difficult. Check out how Autumn Piper, author of WAITING FOR REVENGE, feels about it below:

BREATHE: Do you feel your character names are influenced by the theme of your story? Why or why not?

AUTUMN: I do feel character names are (or should be) influenced by a story’s theme, and likewise, the mood of the story is influenced by the names of characters involved. Sometimes I research a character name and find out what the name’s origins are, and what it means in different countries. (I did this for my pen names also, by the way) In Waiting for Revenge, I named my main character Mandy, short for Amanda—worthy of love—which sounded to me like the name of an affable, approachable, forgiving person. And Mandy has indeed been pretty affable, up til when her husband decided to get it on with the town ho during a pre-Thanksgiving celebration with friends the night before the story opened. Everybody figures Mandy is such a pushover that she’ll forgive her husband for cheating and move on. All except for one other character (and she doesn’t call her Mandy, she calls her Amanda, not just because she’s a no-nonsense old lady who gives out salt-of-the-Earth advice, like telling Amanda to “take a page from the Black Widow Spider”), who demands Mandy hold her husband accountable and set an example for her kids, rather than try to save the marriage for the kids, like so many people would recommend.

BREATHE: If you wrote in another genre, would it affect the names you picked for your characters? Why do you think this is?

AUTUMN: Yes, character names should be genre-specific. A butt-kicking heroine in an action-packed suspense story should have a suitably tough name, whereas a demure heroine in a historical romance will probably have a more girly name. My characters have contemporary names because I write contemporary romance. But if I wrote futuristic, or historical, I’d need to give them entirely different names.

BREATHE: What is your favorite character name—either your own or somebody else’s? Why do you like this name?

AUTUMN: I think my favorite character name so far is Cleveland Howell—he’s the son of a Texas cattle mogul in my western contemporary, Lone Star Trouble. (My husband and son love to tease me about this name, but I love it anyway. It just feels as pretentious as Cleve’s dad seems to his Colorado nemesis, Kiersten.) Another of my faves is “Drew”, which is the name my heroine in Trouble Under Venus assumes. The FBI guy she can’t seem to get away from calls her Nancy Drew because she keeps snooping into his business, so once she succeeds in her time-travel mission to 1980 Miami, she adopts Drew–the first name she can think of.

A crit partner once pointed out I’ve made 2 of my heroines’ ex/dead husbands “Luke”. Both guys were ne’er-do-wells, but I’ve honestly never known a Luke I didn’t like. So… who knows where that comes from, but Luke appears to be my favorite bad guy name.

BREATHE: Do you feel a character’s name affects the way you write him or her?

AUTUMN: No, I’d say the reverse–I name a character based on who I plan to write her/him to be in the story. For example, the marriage counselor in Waiting for Revenge is a real fruit loop, so I made him an Aspen cast-off who goes by only one name—Baldwin (could’ve formerly been either his first name or surname, nobody knows, and Baldwin is just loopy and conceited enough he’ll never tell). His new-age, organic approach to therapy and this one-name bit with no “Dr.” included helps the reader identify with Mandy when she completely rejects everything Baldwin advises. How can such a doofus give useful advice, right?

BREATHE: Are there any names you absolutely will not use for a character?

AUTUMN: I don’t think I’d ever use Damien, unless I wrote a story about demons, which I don’t see happening, and I’m not wild about Steve or Stephen (as names, anyway. I’ve got a cousin with the name, who I like a lot, LOL).

Excerpt from WAITING FOR REVENGE:

I believe we’re the only couple we know from our generation still together. That’s very sad. Lasting marriages seem to have gone the way of console TVs and AM radio. They’re still out there, but you don’t hear much about them anymore. And, like many marriages, a lot of those TVs aren’t working, but folks can’t bring themselves to abandon them.

This counselor just joined a local practice of several mental health specialists, located in a new Roman-looking office building full of other everyday professionals. Nice. The accountants can look out their windows past the faux-stone pillars and watch the crazies and folks with their marriages on the rocks come and go.

What Will People Think Phobia makes me deeply fearful someone we know will see us, but there’s no way around it. Sooner or later, all the fools I graduated with who looked at me with envy at our ten-year reunion for my sexy, successful, doting husband will know I couldn’t keep him. I could keep him if I want to, I guess, but they’ll think I couldn’t.

With a courage-faking breath, I follow the other half of my failed marriage into the office, where he tells the receptionist we’re here to see “Baldwin”.
“Baldwin?” I repeat in a whisper, when we are seated in a corner. “Not Dr. Baldwin?”

Mike shakes his head. “He’s from Aspen, and he only has one name, not a last one, or first one, whichever. Just one name, and he doesn’t use ‘Doctor’. He wants to be on a level with his clients. That’s what they told me when I made the appointment.”

I’m laughing inside. Our therapist is a nut job! Mike has commissioned a totally off-the-wall counselor to try to mend a marriage I refuse to see fixed. My life has become a twisted comedy, funny to an onlooker, but soul-rending to me.

Baldwin emerges and ushers us into an office with several tiny fountains tinkling, incense burning, and zen music playing. I roll my eyes at Mike, and he tries to conceal his amusement. This is the kind of joke we would get off on. In the past, that is.

We’re both smiling entirely too much when Baldwin faces us on the loveseat, seated in an armchair across from us. He’s in his late twenties, with long straw-like hair, and bangs in dire need of trimming—bangs! Although he’s dressed in a suit, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he wore Birkenstocks with it.
Our hippie therapist proceeds to take a rough history of our marriage, ages, and frequency of lovemaking. The last seems odd to me, especially when he dwells on how much enjoyment we each derive from our love life, on a scale of one to ten.

Mike lies like a rug, and says it’s always been a nine or ten for him, up until this last week when I started holding out on him. Does he want me to tell this guy what he did?

I tell Baldwin it’s been anywhere from a six or seven to a ten, up until I saw Mike boning our friend’s girlfriend the night before Thanksgiving.

Mike’s selectively honest mouth drops wide open. Apparently, he didn’t expect his sin to be disclosed in the therapeutic process.

Buy WAITING FOR REVENGE now!
Autumn Piper—Got Romance?