Help Me Name My Character

My slightly-futuristic erotic series, the Tau Cetus Chronicles, has been very successful.

The first book, Programmed To Please… about a very human police agent named Jai Turner who goes undercover as a Beautiful Doll sex robot to bring down the planet’s most notorious weapons manufacturer… has been my best-selling book to date.

The second in the series, Programmed To Protect, features Jai’s police agent partner, Leith Wyatt, who actually does fall in love with a Beautiful Doll sex robot. I’ve gotten some wonderful feedback from readers who say the relationship between these two characters is completely believable.

I’m now working on the third book, called Programmed For Power. It centers on Tau Cetus’ dark and dangerous premier, a man named Theus. He’s been a secondary – but very important – character in the first two books, and now it’s time for his story.

But I need to give him a first name.

Authors know that character names are very important to the story, and a strong character needs a strong name. In the world I’ve created, the characters have somewhat common last names, but unique-ish first names. Chavis Smith. Talis Rainey. Titus Veraine. Celis Jaqan.

So I need a distinct and powerful first name for the premier of Tau Cetus. I’ve been playing with a few:

Olid Theus

Kehde Theus

Severin Theus

Tryon Theus

Riggin Theus

Berrien Theus

Wythe Theus

What do you think? I’d love to get some votes, or even some suggestions!  This book will be released by the end of the year and will be the final story of this series, so I’d like to leave readers with a name they’ll remember long after they’ve closed the book.

I’d love to hear your opinions!

Thanks,

Jenna

www.jennaives.com

How Do You Name Your Characters?

I use The Writer Digest Character-Naming Sourcebook especially for ethnicity, interesting first names I've seen as writer's pseudonyms, names I've come across in genealogy searches--super for historicals (check out Rootsweb.com to see what names were popular when), google searches for a particular popular name for a certain ethnic group, baby naming guides on the Internet or in books.

Usually I have an idea what I want in the very beginning, but sometimes I have to change names if they sound too similar or start with the same letter so I don't confuse readers. Jake, Jack, Jock

Sometimes, if I've had a bad experience with someone, that name becomes my villain's name. Most often though, the name is chosen for its villainous quality—Crassus and Bruin for the bad lupus garous in Don’t Cry Wolf, Volan in Heart of the Wolf.

Devlyn, Heart of the Wolf

I try to make my name consistent with the character--a wimpy guy wouldn't be called Brutus or Hunter. A fairylike woman wouldn't be called Peg. The wrong name can jar the reader.

Devlyn is the hero in Heart of the Wolf—to me he sounds devilish, roguish. Bella is the heroine, old world feel to the name, also different, and since they live so long, it appealed.

Using the right name, can add a bit of characterization! Using the wrong name can give a wrong impression.

Have you ever read a book where you cringe every time you read a name because it just doesn’t suit the character? Sometimes it’s impossible to please everyone. I met a guy who said his ex-wife’s name was Terry, but he wouldn’t hold it against me. Everyone has bad experiences with someone during their lives, so any name can have a negative connotation to someone out there. All we can do is come up with the best name we can.

In one book, the names were so complicated, I stumbled over them all the time. Make them simple enough that your reader doesn’t have that much trouble. Not only did I stumble over the names, it was hard to keep track of who was who. Not good.

Not that a writer can’t go for something that isn’t usually done. But somehow I just can’t see a strong virile Timothy, or can you imagine Captain Bligh named Marion?

How do you come up with names for your stories?

Terry Spear, Heart of the Wolf (April 08), Don't Cry Wolf, Sourcebooks, http://www.terryspear.com/