What’s In a Name? #Giveaway
by Alanna Lucas
I spend quite a bit of time researching names for my characters. I sift through various dictionaries of names, baby books, mythology, and even art trying to find the perfect name that suits my characters personality.
In Dancing Around the Truth the heroine loves horses. I chose Philippa’s name because it means lover of horses or horses’ friend. Being a lover of horses, and having a beautiful white mare of her own, it was crucial that the name of Philippa’s horse also reflects that affection.
I enjoy bringing elements of mythology into my characters lives. When deciding on a name for Philippa’s horse, I turned to Celtic mythology. Philippa’s mare, Epona, was named after the Celtic goddess and patron of mares and foals.
It is no coincidence that a dog accompanies Philippa in her initial quest to discover the truth. The goddess Epona is often depicted with a dog at her side. Silvanus, Philippa’s rather large and intimidating dog, was named after the Roman tutelary deity who is the protector of woods and forests. My heroine tends to be a little impulsive at times and needs all the protection she can get.
What draws you to a character name? Leave a comment for a chance to win an e-copy of Dancing Around the Truth.
SECRETS & LIES
Mrs. Philippa Keates thought she’d found her happily-ever-after when she eloped, but two years and no children later she is named a widow. Then a woman claiming to be her late husband’s wife appears, and Philippa demands answers.
AND LOVE
Benjamin Weston, the illegitimate son of the late Baron Albryght, has made a name for himself conducting investigations for those willing to pay a high price for discretion. When a childhood friend shows up on his doorstep, begging for his assistance, Weston fears most of all that she will discover the truth…and thus bring further scandal to herself, the only woman he has ever loved. But as he unravels her mystery, as secrets of his own begin to come to light, soon it becomes clear that there is more at stake than just Philippa’s reputation—and nothing less than her heart.
EXCERPT
Weston reached for the cool handle and eased the door open. A whiff of lavender, vanilla, and wet dog invaded his senses.
Wet dog?
Before he could register what was happening, a petite figure draped in black pushed past the door and stormed into the house followed close behind by the largest dog Weston had ever set eyes on.
Without explanation as to why she was on his doorstep, Philippa began to chatter out, “I thought…you meant for us to fr-freeze out there.” She rubbed her arms with quick movements. The dog shook its body from head to tail, spraying the foyer with the none-too-pleasant smell of wet dog.
Weston stood dumbfounded. Wasn’t Philippa just here this afternoon? He was still holding the door open, trying to comprehend why she was here at this hour.
“What are you doing here?” Weston shut the door. Closing his eyes, he sucked in his breath. Give me patience. “Do you know what time it is?”
“I haven’t a clue.” She turned her crystal blue eyes on him. “It took forever to reach Knights Hall.”
“How did you get here?”
“I walked.” She said those two words like they were commonplace. Perhaps in the middle of the day with a chaperone they were, but at this time of evening, and in the rain, they were the two most inconceivable words spoken by a lady of her station.
“You walked here?”
“Yes.”
“You walked here in the dark…in the rain…unchaperoned?”
“It wasn’t dark or raining when I left. And as for unchaperoned, Silvanus was with me. He would have protected me.” She turned her attention to the large wet dog. “Isn’t that right?” she said in a jovial voice. “You’re the best dog ever.” Silvanus’s tail wagged wildly at the sound of her high-pitched praise.
Weston did not doubt the dog’s ability to scare off any would-be attacker, but he was still no substitute for a proper chaperone.
“Why didn’t you ride? Or better, why didn’t you stay home and send word?” As the words were spewing from his mouth, Weston could see Philippa’s face redden with agitation. He didn’t care. Her carefree spirit had been endearing when she was a child, but now she was headed for bedlam with this sort of activity.
Weston’s blood boiled with the thought of what trouble she could have found herself in. “I cannot believe you thought it was a good idea to venture out…”
Interrupting his tirade with a stomp of her foot, she yelled, “If you would just be quiet for all of two seconds, perhaps I might explain what I’m doing here.” Silvanus’s eyes narrowed on Weston as if he was the source of his mistress’s aggravation.
Weston opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it after the glare Philippa—and her dog—cast his way. He knew better than to argue with her when she was in one of these moods.
“I needed to speak with you again, and sending a note would not suffice. I walked here because I do not ride anymore.” Her sentence started strong but trailed off in a whisper.
The lingering pain in her eyes struck his heart.
Philippa cleared her throat. “I didn’t want to raise suspicion, so I informed my maid that I was not to be disturbed. As for the hour, I hadn’t realized just how far it was, and besides, the walk was quite refreshing…”
Weston thought Philippa could go on all night if he did not interrupt her. “Why exactly did you come here?”
Philippa pulled a letter from her pocket. “I found this.”
Weston’s world was about to come crashing down.
Alanna Lucas grew up in Southern California. From an early age, she took an interest in travel, incorporating those experiences into her writing. When she is not daydreaming of her next travel destination Alanna can be found researching, spending time with family, or going for long walks. Alanna Lucas is a member of the Romance Writers of America.
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Being unique and different. Esp if not common or not heard much.
I agree Gretchen. Thank you for stopping by!
This may sound boring, but I like names I can pronounce – or at least guess the pronunciation of fairly easily. If I can’t, every time I read the name, my mind worries over how to pronounce it and it is very distracting. I even had this problem with Hermione from the Harry Potter series to start with. How does the io sound? Is the final e pronounced or not. Lots of Welsh and Scottish names worry me like that too because I know they very rarely sound like they look. I think if an author is going to use an unusual name, a little pronunciation guide somewhere at the front of the book would be helpful. Of course, nowadays you can just look up a soundbite on Google, but it wasn’t always like that.
The unusual and unique do it for me.
Thank you for having me today, Collette!
As always, it’s my pleasure!
I love it that you included horses in Dancing Around the Truth. When an author takes the time to connect their character’s names to their story the underlying theme really works for me.
I look for a hidden meaning in a name, maybe describing the characters attitude 🙂
The book /excerpt looks AWESOME!
Mina/Mindy
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Love the way you research names! This book sounds just terrific. I always thought I’d have a special bond with horses–if only I had a chance to own one–or even be close to one. Then I got the chance to ride–it’s a long way up there!
I used to ride and it was great fun, but I was always concerned about the distance to the ground. When you have a bad hip, you really don’t want to fall off a horse!
When writing in an historical period one has to be careful not to have a name that does fit the period. Usually my characters come to me with names attached and it is hard to change if that name is one that isn’t historically appropriate. I have one male in a WIP whom I am having trouble naming. Like most peers, he is known by his title and doesn’t use his first name much which makes it difficult to give him one.
I love names with unusual spellings. For instance, a character in the book I’m working on now is named Kateri. It is a variation of Katherine and she is also a patron saint of the Mohawks. I needed a name that transversed both Native American culture and the white man. Her spiritual attributes also mesh with Kateri’s!
I wish we could put a blurb in the back of the book about why and how we chose the names of our characters.
For females I like lyrical sounding names & strong ones for the men.
I like when a character or locale’s name resonates with other meaning. Interesting post, Alanna!
Thank you Alina!
Very interesting. I know the dilemma, since the name of a character is so important. Good article!
I like names that are easy to pronounce yet uncommon so they catch your attention.
Easy to pronounce is a must! I taught high school and I can not tell you how many names I mispronounced!
I love your story, I have trouble with names I can’t say, but that doesn’t stop me from reading a book. I also like it when names have a reason or connection to story. Happy to meet you.
I like names to fit the personality of the character
I love unusual names (having 1 myself which is why I go by Dee?)
I love unusual names too 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!
I like unusual names. But when I write, sometimes characters come with their own names. But I do research on the names. I have a small notebook with last names that I have collected over the years. I will look in It when I’m looking or stuck on a name. But I like the names you have chosen for this book. I am anxious to check this book out.
Love the way you find names for your characters.
love unusual names ,love how you come up with them
Thank you to everyone who stopped by!!
no particular preferences on names
I do feel some unusual names have a stigma attached. Other names can have bad associations or I disliked a person of their name. I appreciate many different names authors use. I hadn’t thought much about it until you mentioned how much research goes into your own books.
Thanks for the interesting post! Knowing this makes it just that much more worth it to read, having authors like you take such care to make the details of even a dog’s name important. I really appreciate that. I like to be able to pronounce the names, but then I just do the best I can and read the story. Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
Thank you to everyone who stopped by! My little man has chosen a winner for the giveaway……Mina Gerhart!