I'm sure many of you are familiar with Denise Swanson, author of the mysteries that feature Skye Denison, a school psychologist in Scumble River, Illinois. Today, she's joining us for a guest blog in which she's talking about names. Thank you, Denise.The Name Game
I’ve always been fascinate with names—maybe because I always hated my first name. Granted, Denise is better than my parents’ first thought, which was to name me Ernestina after my father. But I would have much preferred a more elegant name like Kathryn or Laura—which were my grandmothers’ names.
As a teenager, I used to write down the names of characters from books that I read. I had a system where I would group the names under heroes, heroines, and villains. I still have those index cards and find that my taste has changed a bit, but not too much. I also collected baby-naming books. When my mother first discovered my cache of these books, she was convinced I was pregnant—and since I was thirteen at the time, she nearly had a heart attack.
I continued to buy baby-naming books, finally having a legitimate reason once I started writing. Two of my favorites are Beyond Jennifer and Jason and The Baby Name Personality Survey. But I like the traditional ones, as well.
One of the best parts of starting to write a new book is picking out the characters names. Until I find the right name for a character, he or she doesn’t come alive to me. And even though names are important to me, I really goofed in my first book, Murder of a Small-Town Honey. If I’d had any idea that Wally was going to become a love interest for Skye, I would have chosen another name. Like the Johnny Cash song goes—Blake or Caleb or Max—anything but Wally. The worst part about choosing Wally is that I went to kindergarten with a Wally and everyone is now convinced I was secretly in love with him. Geesh!
Another lesson I learned from early books is that like clothes, names go in and out of fashion, and it’s important to give your characters names that are appropriate for their ages. For instance, most Debbies, Nancys, Barbaras, and Denises are from the Baby Boomer generation. I’ve made a few goofs in this area, as well.Still, I love names. And in writing my newest book, Murder of a Bookstore Babe, which debuted March 1, the character’s names are a much better fit. I chose Risé for a strong, but unique woman, Kayla for a young woman with big dreams, and Orlando, a battle scarred Vietnam Vet who wants the peace of being a small town baker.
Do you like your name? If not, what would you choose and why?
--Denise Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Scumble River Mystery series featuring Skye Denison and the new (coming in 2012) Devereaux’s Dime Store Mystery series featuring Devereaux Sinclair. She’s been nominated for the Agatha, Mary Higgins Clark, RT Reviewers Choice, and Daphne Du Maurier awards. She enjoys hanging out with her husband and black cat. You can catch her on Facebook or at http://www.deniseswanson.com/.
Thank you, Denise! And, good luck with Murder of a Bookstore Babe.
Murder of a Bookstore Babe by Denise Swanson. Obsidian. ©2011. ISBN 9780451232809 (paperback), 254p.
