That Time I Named a Character Ethan Hawke (and a giveaway!)

I’m so happy to welcome my friend, Jill Lynn, back to Inspired by Life…and Fiction. Her newest release is about to hit shelves, and to mark this special occasion, she’s offering a giveaway!

Stories often change from when I plot and imagine them (and send them in to my publisher as an idea) until they become typed words on a white page. And I have to admit, I agonize a bit over my character’s names. Sometimes I ask for name suggestions on my Facebook page. I might even use a name in my draft and then switch it around until I find the right one. But once I find the perfect fit, I can’t imagine changing it.

As I was writing book three in my Colorado Grooms series, my character’s brother was initially supposed to have passed away when they were younger. But as the story evolved, I changed those details so that he had suffered a freak accident and below-the-knee amputation instead. Which meant he was alive and well…and could be the hero of book four. I wrote the story of these two brothers—Jace and Ethan—in book three. I did edits. And then I handed in the final draft to my editor. I wouldn’t see the book again, and by this point, I was very much ready to hand it off.

I often take a break if I can between books, but in this particular situation, I began book four shortly after handing in book three. I opened up the blank page and typed my first sentence about the main character named…Ethan Hawke. (Yes, spelled exactly like the actor’s last name.)

My mouth fell open. How had this happened? Jace Hawke is the hero of book three, and his brother Ethan was supposed to be the hero of book four. But I’d never written Ethan’s first and last name together until I started the new book.

I immediately emailed my editor, hoping the book wasn’t past the point where we could make a change to his name. She, too, was shocked she hadn’t caught that his name was Ethan Hawke during edits.

In case you’re sitting on pins and needles, we did catch it in time. And so, the book currently on store shelves is Evan’s story…not Ethan’s.