Finding the perfect name, with author Lisa Fox

Finding the Perfect Name
First, a HUGE thanks to Lisa for inviting me to be a part ofthis Extravaganza. I am so excited to be here today!
Finding the perfect name for your characters can be a lot ofwork. I know I have scoured numerous baby name books, websites and namegenerators in my time trying to find that perfect fit, the one name that willsay it all in just the right way, with all the right syllables and inflectionand meaning. And though I still spend my time searching all those placeswhenever I start a new project, I've never found any of my names that way.
My character names come from the oddest places. Let me giveyou an example. I write this serial soap opera free read paranormal romance everyweek on my blog called Moonlight and Merlot. Recently, I decided to introduce ademon-type bad guy. His name is Aster.
I'm sure I could have consulted all types of websites withancient Greek or Latin or whatever type names and pronunciations to get a good,solid, believable demon name but I didn't do any of that. I happened to beplaying a really awesome video game called Dragon Age when I stumbled acrossthe name. In the game, there are these priests who speak whenever you enter acertain city. They are preaching the equivalent of the bible in that world andone of the passages starts out with, "As there is but one world, one life, onedeath, there is but one god…"
Pretty straightforward stuff, but at first, I didn't hear itthat way. In fact, it was only when I turned on the subtitles that I learnedwhat she was actually saying. For the longest time I thought it was, "Aster is but one world…"
Aster. It was so perfect. So I stole it. Even though Ididn't really steal anything at all.
A similar thing occurred when I needed a name for my hero inSanta's Sleeping Beauty. Nathan isn't an unusual name, but still. It isn't somuch about the uniqueness of the name for me, but rather about finding theright one. Anyway, I happened to be visiting New York at the time I was writingit. I took the train into the city and if you are familiar at all with NewYork, you'll know that the Amtrak station is right on 34th Street,about two blocks from Macy's—where my characters meet on Christmas Eve night. Iactually had to walk past Macy's to get to the subway I needed and as I walkedby, a woman was standing in front of the entrance calling for "Nate." The wholecoincidental nature of the situation just seemed too perfect and I couldn'tpass up that kind of gift. Obviously, the gods of writing were talking to me,right? I had no choice but to listen.
Since I wrote Santa's Sleeping Beauty in July last year, Ithink it is only fitting that I give it away this scorching hot month!

Blurb: When Jordan takes a break from her last-minuteChristmas shopping to have a cup of coffee, she meets a handsome Santa with atwinkle in his eye and a sinful smile. He offers her a special Christmas treatthat Jordan is more than happy to accept.
Naughty never felt sooo right as together they sharean outrageous night of love that is supposed to end with the coming of dawn.
Or so they thought…
Find Lisa Online:
Website: www.LisaFoxRomance.comBlog: http://lisafoxromance.wordpress.com/Twitter: @LisaFoxRomance
Giveaway rules:You must be a follower of this blogIf you're not following Lisa, you should!You must leave a comment with an email addyThis giveaway will be open until the end of the month!