NAMES: CLUES TO CHARACTER

In my novel, Shelter of Leaves, names carry meaning. The first paragraph below is an excerpt from the deleted prologue.

Beside her swimming pool, Elaine closed her eyes against the sun. She imagined a drifting boat flanked by trees; crimson, marigold and burnt sienna leaves spun to the ground. Brilliant leaves signaled good fortune, after all she’d married a man surnamed Owen. The name meant “wellborn” in Greek.

Early on, I named a main character in my book Sabine. An image of Degas’ painting...