Naming the Romance Hero
Whenever I start a new book, one of the first things I do is name my main and secondary characters. Minor characters I tend to name on the fly, only giving them consideration when they appear on the page.
Sometimes, I’ll have the perfect names for the hero and heroine the minute I begin to conceive of a story. Other times, it can take a lot longer for me to find the perfect moniker. And, for some reason, I have a much easier time thinking of names for my heroines than I do for my heroes. Part of this is the image a certain name evokes, and the same name can cause very different images in different people.
So, I got to thinking about the names I’ve named my heroes. Thus far, I’ve used the names Nate, Ethan, Ben, and in the book I’m writing now, Scot. Though, to be fair, Scot was already named as he is the brother of the heroines in A TASTE OF MAGIC and A STROKE OF MAGIC, and when I first named him, I had no idea he’d eventually be the hero in a book of his own.
In the other proposals I’m currently working on, I have Grady, Jace, and Sean. Now, to me, all of these names evoke a certain image, and yep, for me that image is certainly one of a hero. Sure, the image changes a bit from name to name and man to man, but at the end of the day, each of these names bring about the image of a man who is strong and sexy. Ethan seems more intellectual to me than some of the others, while Grady seems more of an outdoorsy sort. Ben and Scot evoke similar images in my brain–you know, the sexy guy who lives down the street and always has a smile on his face, while Jace seems more roguish and perhaps a bit of a playboy, and Nate–well, Nate is solid.
What about you? Do certain names bring about specific images for you? If so, how well do you relate to a hero with a name that you don’t consider sexy or hero-ish (yes, I made that word up)? Have you ever really disliked a name enough that you couldn’t connect with a character of the same name? Inquiring minds want to know!
Don’t Forget!
This week we’re celebrating the release of THE LIFE OF GLASS By Jillian Cantor at The Novel Girls. You can enter to win a signed copy just by commenting at The Novel Girls, so what are you waiting for? Go now!
On Friday, I’ll share another excerpt from A BREATH OF MAGIC!
Tags: A Breath of Magic, A Stroke of Magic, A Taste of Magic, Jillian Cantor, The Life of Glass, The Novel Girls
