What’s in a name?

Good Morning from sunny Bristol,

When naming a character, I can spend ages trying to come up with the right name. One that fits the character, one I haven’t used before, one that’s not associated with anyone famous, the list goes on.  Even when I think I’ve sorted it, I often realise that name didn’t suit, so I change it. Take Louie Trump for instance, I didn’t name him, my best friend, Jane, did. We were away for a weekend of pampering and I was talking about Ill Conceived the second in the Meredith & Hodge series. I explained that a rather posh chap would be joining Meredith’s team and I hadn’t got a name for him. I described him and she came up with Louie Trump. This was almost eight years ago, I liked it, and Meredith’s side kick was named. Of course, had she suggested that name today, I would have rejected it, and I’ve had more than a few comments from readers since, but back then . . . who knew?

I think I got it right with John Meredith though. BUT other than a few vague references, his height, the fact he has hair (!) I’ve not really described him, and I’m often asked who I picture when I’m writing. It has been known to vary, but usually it’s the actor Philip Glenister. When I asked the readers on Facebook, I got lots of different answers, and the only similarity? They are of course, all very good looking!

I’ve shared some of the pictures of those suggested here, who do you think looks most like ‘your’ Meredith?

 

In other news: Not If You Paid Me has been sent out to the ARC team, and the first reports are back. They like it. One said, “Not sure why you struggled with this one, it’s a cracker!”  I hope you like it too. It will be available on the 17th June and can be pre-ordered HERE.

That’s it for now, don’t forget to let me know who your Meredith is.

Stay safe & happy reading