It's eaiser than waiting for inspiration to strike.

I'm constantly asked (mostly by my therapist) where I come up with the names and characters in my books, so here's a rundown:

James Decker – he's mostly me, with a little of my son thrown in (because we're so much alike). But he's named after my brother.

Bear – my dog growing up. It's a pretty accurate description of him, too, except for the ghosty parts.

Josh – the character is based on my brother, the description was pretty much made up.

Alex – my daughter.

Sabrina –the character is mostly my wife, the description is just an older Alex.

Leanne – probably an amalgam of the best parts of every woman I ever dated. Hey, this is fantasy, right?

Charlie – Charles Coleman Finlay – one of the smartest, nicest people I know.

Greg – a friend since childhood.

Grin – my son
Winky – a fan, and beta reader.

Dr Jodie Snowden – someone I met on Second Life, she used to DJ at a dance club there.

Olie – a military co-worker from my early days.
Julie – a witch (Wiccan?) I used to know.
Michelle – my first real girlfriend.

Mr. Sinha – another fan.

Daylight – my most awesome friend and fan,

Various names you might see throughout my work, (or probably will, eventually) such as Gibson, Snider, Boyle, Dominey, Taylor, Grant, Turner, Kent, Ennis, Bryant, and Goldberg are all childhood friends.

Names to be added to the list: Morisseau, Gaynor, Glover, Hoak, Flatness, Cox, Singh, Street, Szego, Jemin, Cooke, and Hall, to name a few. Don't worry, I'll get around to you. 

Anyone nasty I totally made up.