How do Bliss authors choose their characters names?

[Debbie]

We had a ton of fun as last week's Bliss Facebook party but there were a few questions that got missed because everything was moving so fast. So our authors will be stopping by here to answer them.

Andrea F's question was: How do you choose your character's names or do the character's name themselves?

Follow this discussion to see our Bliss authors' answers.

[Cindi]

Sometimes the names just come to me, and sometimes I have to go looking. I'll spend so much time finding the right surname, too, even though most of the time, they barely come up. I also do try to pick names that fit where they live. Since my Bliss series is in North Carolina, I look up common southern names & surnames specific to that area.

[Alycia]

Ooh. Good question. I love all the names of our Bliss characters.

[Rachel]

Some characters come with their names already there, others it takes more work. I love casting my characters and sometimes I choose part of the actor's name or one of their roles.

For Taste the Heat, I had way too much fun. Since they own a Cajun restaurant, I gave them food names...but I didn't want it to be OVERLY obvious, so I looked up baby names inspired by food and chose my favorites: Colby, Cane, and Sherry. ;)

[Debbie]

Rachel-how neat! I didn't even realize they were foodie names.

[Rachel]

Aha! So my plan worked ;) At one point, I have Colby mention her brother was named after sugarcane, but I didn't mention anything else he he

[Tracy]

I kind of get to know my characters, and then pick a name that will fit. Like Cindi, if my characters are from a certain region or country, I'll research names relative to that area. For instance, in my romantic thriller, Girl Three, there's a (sexy) French-Canadian diplomat named Philippe Lesort.

I'm working on a proposal right now where I've used a similar strategy as Rachel, where I've picked names relative to the theme of the series. That's been fun, too.

I guess my short answer is--I pick character names all kinds of ways! :)

[Ophelia]

Great question! With me, I'm kind of all over the place. I have a notebook I've been keeping for years with interesting/cool/unusual names.

I love nicknames, so my characters usually have more than one name.

And also--like with Mackenzie ("Mac") in Speaking of Love--I really like giving traditionally male names to my women.

I'm starting to write a brand new Bliss as we speak, and so far the names aren't set in stone. It's really early on in the process, so even I am excited to find out their names! :)

[Cindi]

Rachel, I didn't realize that either. You're a naming genius! :)

[Robin]

I've got a list of names I really like and I pick from there depending on the story. I'm always adding to the list, too. The names come from different places - I might have overheard it or saw it in the credits of a TV show, or sometimes I look through my son's school directory. :) I love names that aren't super common so those are the ones I keep an eye and ear out for.

Thanks for the great question!

[Claire]

Like Robin I have a list of names I really like, but frustratingly I rarely get to pick from there because my characters tend to arrive with a name attached. Sometimes I don't even like the name very much but I'm stuck with it because, well, it's the character's name. :)

[Rachel]

This process seriously fascinates me. As a big reader, I rarely come across a book with characters who don't match their names. I have met a few, but just mentally renamed them :)

It's little things like wrong or right names that for me can make or break a book. So I thank all you authors who give the characters the right name.

[Vicki]

Andrea,
I love naming characters! Although the characters have some influence over their names, I try to choose names that help reveal the traits of the characters. It’s like using “shorthand” for character development. I write novels set in the deep South, so using surnames for first names is pretty common. In addition, Southern people can come up with some pretty interesting things to call their children, so I have a lot of fun with characters’ names. In fact, I keep a list of unusual names I hear from where I live in the Charleston, South Carolina, area.

[Sara]

Great question! Veronica from Construction Beauty Queen got her name because I wanted to name my daughter Veronica, and my husband and I couldn't agree. So I used the name in a book instead. LOL! Now that I'm looking to continue the Small Town, Big Dream series, I keep a spreadsheet of names I've used and try to pick one where I haven't used the same first letter or anything that sounds too similar as another character's name, yet "feels" like it fits the character I'm writing.

[Donnajo]

That is such a good question. Never really thought how the names cames in books came up.
Sara I have to say that I loved Construction beauty queen. I didn't realize it was a bliss book. Probably because wasn't reading/reviewing the arcs back then.