The Spark Army discussion
What's in a name?
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I love these! Im so glad you stuck with 'normal' character names though, apart from those horrendous middle names. I love the name Jamie, just quietly. It's cutsey and manly all in one. Like take me to your lair, you sexy cutiepie.
Kelly (Diva Booknerd) wrote: "Im so glad you stuck with 'normal' character names though ..."Yes, Jamie and Kitty were immediate yeses for me. I think I knew Jamie would be called Jamie before I knew Evie would be called Evie ... which was about 5 minutes apart, Kell. LOL
It's interesting to me that Jamie and Kitty are apparently actually named Jamie and Kitty? I just assumed they were technically James and Katherine, but nobody called them that.I really like that Kitty's fancy middle name is Minerva, though.
Sass wrote: "It's interesting to me that Jamie and Kitty are apparently actually named Jamie and Kitty? I just assumed they were technically James and Katherine, but nobody called them that.I really like that..."
It's rather a posh American WASP way to use these abbreviated names as their full names. So yes, they legitimately are Jamie and Kitty and not James and Katherine. Yes, I love the outlandish middle names!
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And, I'm sorry, but every mention of Magnus makes me think:
And I love the name Jamie :) Although it does remind me of one of the Second Doctor's companions...
Cassie wrote: "*dies laughing*And, I'm sorry, but every mention of Magnus makes me think:
And I love the name Jamie :) Although it does remind me of one of the Second Doctor's companions..."
HA!! Yes, unfortunately I didn't know about this Magnus at the time. Ah-well, it never made it into the book.
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Am going to have to read Stray with Jamie now being called JC Magnus!
Hahaha, they all sound so... Good! And cool :-) I like interesting middle names, it sort of gives more of a story to the character and adds history to them (my middle name it Elizabeth) It would have been interesting to have seen this in the book, but I suppose if it wasn't needed, we didn't need it :-)
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PS. Love the GIF choices!
Kate wrote: "Rachael - that was brilliant! You've made my night.Am going to have to read Stray with Jamie now being called JC Magnus!"
OH MY GOSH, JC Magnus FTW - though it may make him sound like a Wizard-Rapper. LOL!
Natasha wrote: "Hahaha, they all sound so... Good! And cool :-) I like interesting middle names, it sort of gives more of a story to the character and adds history to them (my middle name it Elizabeth) It would h..."
Thanks Natasha. I love convoluted middle names, my 3 girls have double-barreled middle names. My eldest got Elizabeth with hers!
Eugenia (Genie In A Book) wrote: "I love this! It's always so interesting to find out the backstory behind characters and what you were thinking about Jamie's name. Thanks for sharing Rachel :DPS. Love the GIF choices!"
Thanks Eugenia! It was a fun conversation and stirred up all these funny memories. I'm sure I will think of other #SPARK cutting room floor details. I will have to have a think.
I love that they, (or in theory) have, middle names! I really don't think about the absence of middle names normally in novels, because it's so commonplace not to have them. But also thankyou for having less-than-desirable middle names, because it gives me hope that if a ace people like Evie and Jamie can survive the interesting middle name (curse), then so can I!
Lauren wrote: "I love that they, (or in theory) have, middle names! I really don't think about the absence of middle names normally in novels, because it's so commonplace not to have them. But also thankyou for h..."Ha, ha, Lauren! Now I'm very curious about your middle name!
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AMAZING GIF CHOICE!!! Not at all bias to the second one ;)Lauren is right though, characters in novels aren't a place you often find middle names so it's awesome to hear about the behind the scenes part of the book. It'd be great to find out more about what did get cut from the first manuscript.
Thank you and keep up the AMAZING work! <3
Renée wrote: "ha ha awwwwww thanks for sharing these snippets Rachael!!! I would have LOVED the shower/'firmly fastened towel' scene!!!! XD"Ha ha! Indeed, it would be a rather 'cinematic' moment, I think. ;-)
Hannah wrote: "AMAZING GIF CHOICE!!! Not at all bias to the second one ;)Lauren is right though, characters in novels aren't a place you often find middle names so it's awesome to hear about the behind the scene..."
Thanks Hannah, it was a great GIF bonanza!
I just had a fun conversation on Twitter with our own dear Kate of @FicThoughts (she who first coined the phrase #SparkArmy - glory to Kate). Tonight she posted an archive review of Spark from almost exactly a year ago! Ah memory lane. It's a great review and you can read it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Re-reading it made me laugh out loud because I completely forgot that she hated the name Jamie. I asked her on Twitter tonight if she'd been able to move past that. She said, no! Even after watching the 1st Season of Outlander, she still couldn't bear the name!
WHAT THE EVEN HECK?! HA! Then I confided, I have always harboured a distaste for the name Reuben then followed a brief discussion on name hating. As a solution I suggested she choose from my Jamie's middle names, "Jamie Christopher Magnus" so she could replace the annoying-Jamie-name as she reads Stray and find it less vexing. Then I remembered this detail of Jamie's middle names got edited out of the final manuscript and I started regaling Kate with clippings from the cutting room floor. After our lovely chat I thought, maybe the rest of the #SparkArmy might find the details entertaining also. So here goes:
*In the early versions of Spark Evie overhears Barb middle naming Jamie when she's cross with him. Jamie does not respond well to his mother's ringing-voiced "JAMIE CHRISTOPHER MAGNUS" Evie dies in the hallway, laughing under her breath.
*Barb was furious because Leonard informed her that he walked in on Evie and Jamie in Jamie's bathroom (I didn't get to explain this bit to Kate on Twitter because 140 characters). There was this whole entirely plausible excuse which I had WELL established - poor Evie was out of bandaids (abrasions from all the lethal combat training etc) and she went down to Jamie's room to raid his medical kit - naturally. She didn't know he was just getting out of the shower. Cue fabulous Jamie moment (I assure you - there was a firmly fastened towel!!!) And they were dating by this stage so of course it was a kissing opportunity. Jamie threatens to drag her back into the shower and she squeals ... Leonard comes investigating and BUSTED. Hence the middle-naming.
*Jamie inherited his illustrious middle name from his paternal Grandfather Magnus Gallagher (The Christopher was Barb's father's name). Magnus was the notoriously intimidating founder of Gallagher Textiles Industry famed for his withering glower that could reduce a man to diarrhea at a glance. He was also the master of the Gallagher-Unreadable-Face, which Jamie is also rather good at. Unfortunately this lovely thread never made it into the final version of Spark.
*Kitty also suffered the burden of an overpowering middle name "Kitty Elizabeth Minerva" (Elizabeth after Barb's mother) Minerva was her paternal grandmother and wife to Magnus - also a formidable woman. Jamie and Kitty held to a sacred code of never mentioning one another's middle names but in moments of extreme fury might be heard to wield them against one another - the ultimate burn.
*Evie rather fancies Jamie's middle name but dares not comment lest it bring on the Gallagher glower. She reflects with relief on not having a middle name as 'Evangeline' is burden enough.
There endeth today's behind the scenes reflections on the nearly 1st anniversary of #SPARK
Any thoughts on names?! What do you love and hate?