I started this series because of my own struggles with naming characters. I always feel that if I don’t get the character’s name right, I can’t write him or her correctly. Sometimes the names are easy. The name Josie in SECRETS OF THE LOTUS was incredibly easy. I wanted something unusual, innocent and beautiful and Josie fit the bill perfectly. More recently however named and renamed a character and couldn’t get him to behave or look the way I wanted him to until I settled on the name Liam. Liam is now the main male character in ALWAYS FAITHFUL, which, though finally completed, is still my work-in-progress.

To wind up the series I asked some of my former guests two more questions, with the promise that I would also answer them. They are basic yes or no questions, but I did ask the others to go into some detail if they wanted.

BREATHE: Could you take the name of a person you dislike and create a character you’d consider lovable?
ME: I believe this is possible. Some of the names of people I dislike are actually very beautiful names in themselves.
JOE YOUNG: I don’t think this would be a problem at all. There aren’t many names of people I dislike that I associate only with that single person, and besides, I think it would probably feel good to “rehabilitate” the name of someone I wasn’t fond of by naming a lovable character that.
AJ BROWN: Yes. That would actually be fairly easy. Even folks we don’t like or don’t get along with usually have one or more redeemable traits. The key is finding those traits and focusing on them. Someone may be a jerk as a boss, but a great father to their kids. You can find something redeeming in that, right?
MARYANNE STAHL: Yes. The character takes on a life of her own over time.

BREATHE: Could you take the name of a person you love and create a character you despise?
ME: No. I don’t think I could do that, but it might just be that I wouldn’t want to. To me, a name of someone I love is a part of them and a treasure, so I think this is a boundary I won’t cross.
JOE YOUNG: This might be a sticking point, though probably just for a moment. I’d think, Do I really want to name this nasty character the same as she/he who I love? Well, yeah, why not, she/he would probably find it amusing. In any case, I’m thinking that, for both of these questions, I’m not sure how much they would ever apply to something I’d write. I’ve never thought to myself, well that character is lovable, that one despicable. Even my rather psychotic villain in NAME, Daniel, I kind of like.
AJ BROWN: Yes. Like the first question, even our spouses have things that annoy us from time to time (even if it is only once in a while, it does happen) so, like finding the redeemable qualities in someone you dislike, I think you can harp on the things you don’t like about people you love or admire just as easily, if not easier. I think it’s easier to create a person you don’t like than to create one your readers will have sympathy for.
MARYANNE STAHL: I possibly could, but I don’t think I would.

So what did I learn from all this? I now know that other writers have systems for naming their characters. I know some names are sometimes off limits, but for the most part if a name fits a character, I should go for it. (I’m thinking about writing a novel using only first names of people I went to high school with, so look look out for that BHS!) And I’ve learned that a rose is a rose…except when it’s not.

I cannot tell you how thrilled I was when Ellen Meister agreed to be my guest for this interview. I’ve admired her writing for several years and I was lucky enough to have her editorial expertise available to me while getting my own novel ready to send out to publishers and agents. Ellen is the author of SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA, THE SMART ONE, and her highly anticipated (by more than me!) upcoming novel THE OTHER LIFE, due out next month.

BREATHE: Are the meanings of your characters’ names important to you or do you just search for a name that fits?

EM: I search for a name that feels right. And of course it’s hard to explain why one name seems to work for a character and another doesn’t. It’s usually a gut reaction.

Sometimes I’ll research the meaning of a character’s name AFTER I’ve selected it, just out of curiosity. Usually they fit. But I’ve never renamed a character because the meaning on some baby name site doesn’t jibe.

BREATHE: Looking back through your first two novels, I find some interesting choices, for women’s names in particular. In your second novel, the names Bev, Clare and Joey perfectly illustrate the differences between the characters, which is essential to the story. Which of your character names (in any of your work) is your favorite?

EM: My favorites are the ones that seem to reflect the personality so perfectly they make my work easier. In my first novel, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA, I had carefully conceived three main characters and named them Maddie, Ruth and Lisa. Then, as I was writing the first chapter, a best friend showed up at Maddie’s side. Her name was Beryl, which was perfect for this wisecracking woman.

I also like Joey, the nickname for one of the sisters in THE SMART ONE. Before I named her I knew I wanted something more boyish than androgynous, and “Joey” felt so right it instantly defined her.

BREATHE: The name of your main character in THE OTHER LIFE, Quinn Braverman, is very unique. How did you go about selecting it?

EM: Quinn was a tough character to name. When I first conceived the book, I was calling her Marla. But as I struggled with my opening chapters, it hit me that I was using the wrong name. Her mother was an artist and would have chosen something more unusual. Quinn was the first thing that popped into my head, but it was hard to make the mental switch after I’d been calling her Marla for such a long time, so I kept researching names. At last I realized that nothing beat Quinn, and so I rolled up my sleeves, started writing and presto, it all came together. Quinn was the right choice.

The last name, Braverman, was inspired by a next door neighbor.

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

EM: Sometimes. Clearly, my experience with Quinn in THE OTHER LIFE proved that it can be hard to move forward when you have the wrong name.

BREATHE: Are there any names you will never use for a character? Why or why not?

EM: I don’t think any names are off limits, but I’m careful not to give similar names to any characters within the same work. It can be hard enough for a reader to keep track of characters, and I don’t want to make it any more difficult than it has to be. I even try to stay away from using the same first letter for any two characters, unless there’s a point to it. (Anyone remember Goofus and Gallant?)

More about THE OTHER LIFE:

What if you could return to the road not taken?

Quinn Braverman is keeping two secrets from her loving husband, Lewis. One is that the real reason she chose him over Eugene, her neurotic, semi-famous ex-boyfriend, was to prove to her mother that she could have a happy, stable relationship with the guy next door.

The other is that Quinn knows another life exists in which she made the other choice and stayed with Eugene. The two lives run in parallel lines, like highways on opposite sides of a mountain. There, on the other side, the Quinn who stayed with Eugene is speeding through her high-drama, childless life in Manhattan. Here, the Quinn who married Lewis lives in the suburbs, drives a Volvo, and has an adorable young son with another baby on the way.

But the important part of the secret—the part that terrifies and thrills her—is that she knows it’s possible to cross from one life to the other. So far she’s played it safe, never venturing over to see what’s on the other side. Then a shocking turn of events rattles Quinn to her very core, and she makes the reckless choice to finally see what she’s been missing.

There, she not only rediscovers her exciting single life, but meets the one person she thought she’d lost forever. Her mother.

But Quinn can’t have both lives. Soon, she must decide which she really wants—the one she has…or the other life?