What's in a Name?

For reasons I can’t fully explain I like some of my characters to share a name with someone outside the books.I have to say readers don’t usually notice. Indeed until now nobody has remarked on it.On Rob Kitchin’s blog The View from the BlueHouse, however, following his review of Icelight,  a comment by a Dr Evangelicus shows someone has seen that the Special Branch Sergeant Dickie Dawkins was christened Richard. Richard Dawkins, as readers of this will know, is also the name of a scientist famous for books like The Selfish Gene, and his public stance as an atheist.



Again in Icelight,  Cotton has a neighbor called Michel Shaloub, which is the real name of the actor Omar Sharif.




I wish I could say how and why I chose those particular names. And I have no idea why I thought that not Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) but his mother should have a character named after her in Black Bear.