I have hundreds. Probably. I've never counted, but with several dozen novellas and novels, it's got to be a pretty high number. And since I write het romance, I'd say it's probably about even, genderwise (that was kind of an odd question actually). I suppose what I could say is that since I write for a mainly female audience, my main protagonist is usually female, but quite often it's the hero of the story who takes over.
3. How do you come up with names, for characters (and for places if you’re writing about fictional places)?
Sometimes they just name themselves. Kett
Sometimes I pick a name on purpose. Luke Sharpe
Sometimes they take a little renaming, as with Sophie Green
Sometimes I can't find a name, which is damnably annoying since I find it hard to write a character if I don't know what they're called. In these cases I poke around the internet, try Behindthename.com where you can search for the meaning of a name, as well as searching names from various countries, cultures or myths.
Place names are fun. The thing is you can make up whatever you like, especially for English places where we have towns and villages that sound like people's names (Wooton Bassett springs to mind, and Saffron Walden), like people's names in Lord of the Rings (Heaner & Loscoe), like medieval diseases (Maggot End, Nether Wallop), and occasionally like hairdressers (High Barnet). Hours of fun.
I named Turnbury in Hardest of Hearts because I wanted a name that suggested change, but also something sinister. Plus, it's quite literal: if you're turned into a vampire there, Emma will bury you.
For made-up universes, I tend to create names that fit with the general characteristics of the place. Sometimes I borrow real names, and sometimes I adapt them. For instance, the Realms
It's great reading about the origins of your books. I'm looking forward to the answers of all the other questions.
ReplyDelete