The Name Game

 

"Theysay we die twice - once when the last breath leaves our body and once when thelast person we know says our name." Al Pacino

What’s in a name? Inbooks, as in life, a lot. 

My first name originated withmy mom’s best friend, Sharon Lindsay, which led to a funny fullcircle of monikers because my favorite childhood actress was the Bionic Woman, LindsayWagner. I mean, what little girl didn’t want to jump from rooftops witha kinetic soundtrack punctuating every epic action? I wished my first name was Lindsayever after. Eventually, I married a man, attaching the end of my superhero’slast name to create Sharon Wagner.

My friend Danielle asked mewhy I chose Esme for my main character in The Levitation Game. Well, Ihave a sprawling answer for that. My first novel, Chorus of Crows, revolvesaround a retired farmer who battles Parkinson’s and unwanted visitors that mayor may not be real. It’s a horror story. I named my character after StephenKing’s favorite uncle, Oren. Growing up, my mother loved The Waltons ontelevision, so I called the character Oren Walton. Since my dad’s battlewith Parkinson’s inspired my novel, I gave a nod to Michael J. Fox (who alsohas Parkinson’s) in my second novel and named my central character Esme,after the actor’s daughter.

All my books will pay tributeto my friends and family, onscreen and off. I’ve weaved many real-life namesinto my stories. Ethelene, a character in The Levitation Game, is named aftermy Aunt Ethel. Plus, I loved the character Etheline from the Wes Anderson movieThe Royal Tenenbaums. I have a cousin named Lavinia, so I used that name in abook. Do you remember Matthew’s ill-fated love interest, Lavinia, in DowntonAbbey? I remember and have loved it ever since.

My character, Sedona, fromChorus of Crows, is a nod to the beautiful southwestern city, and the town alsoplays an integral part in the story. The most fun I’ve had with naming acharacter so far is the name Owletta from The Savannah Book of Spells. Imade it up entirely because the character looks like an owl. Sometimes, it’sfun to be an author! Well, I could go on and on. It’s one of the great joys ofwriting books, naming characters that become beloved fictional family members.

Fun blurbs and reviews arerolling in, and I’ve been sharing them on social media. Dawn C. won a free ConspiracyTheory game by sharing my content on Instagram. Neddy Games has given away almost 500 dollars worth of free games to my newsletter subscribers. So subscribe to win.

My book finally launches nextmonth. Hooray!

Look to your inbox on October 23rd for my Halloween newsletter. 

"Forgive your enemies, but never forget theirnames."

— John F. Kennedy.

 Sharon Wagner Books