Monday, February 21, 2011

What's in a name?

I’m picky about what I name characters. I’ll search names for the right meaning and/or sound. For Undercover Sins, I chose some of my names carefully.
Demetrius has a Greek heritage that is often referred to, so I needed a Greek name for him. I’ve always been a fan of the name Demetrius, so I used it with a smile. I chose this name for the heritage and sound, not for the meaning.
Tynin was used for Ty simply because it could be shortened and Ty seemed plausible for a prostitute. His actual name, Gabriel, was chosen for the meaning. Gabriel is a hero name and the character certainly tries to be one.
Ty’s Lieutenant was simply named Lesley because I liked the sound of the name with his rank. Lieutenant Lesley just rolls off of the tongue.
Demetrius’s bodyguard was named Lee for no reason other than it was short, and flowed well with the nickname he often uses for Demetrius: Dem. It has no special meaning behind it.

In other stories, I’m far more obsessive with names, but it always comes down to how each name sounds with the other names I’ve chosen. This is all a matter of personal opinion though. How one name pairs with another could be drastically different for each reader and/or writer. I often fall back on favorites to name characters as well.

Last March I needed a new book series to read while traveling. I went to the mystery section in a bookstore and picked a book based entirely on the main character’s name. I’m not even joking. His full name had three parts and each name was a favorite of mine so I knew I’d love the series. Luckily, it turned out that I did enjoy the series, but I’m sure if the character had been bestowed with less favorable names, I would have moved down the shelf and chose a series set in modern day since I rarely pick up 1800s settings. His name just couldn't be ignored in that instance.

Does anyone else have a name they love so much that they’ll pick up a book based on just that?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Coming Soon

Undercover Sins
 Cover art by Paul Richmond

Police officer Gabriel Carter refuses to walk away from an assignment without seeing it through. So when he goes into deep cover as a male prostitute named Ty, he intends to do everything in his power to see his case to an arrest. He seduces his mark, Demetrius Prado, the second most powerful man in Las Vegas and a human trafficker, but the man is nothing like he expected.

The more Gabriel learns about Demetrius, the more twists and turns are thrown his way in the convoluted case leading to Demetrius’s rival, Arden, and beyond. It’s a case of mistaken identities and layer after layer of trumped-up cover stories, and Gabriel is sure there’s no way he’ll ever be able to trust Demetrius with his life… much less with his heart.

Available on March 7th: Dreamspinner Press store

Monday, February 14, 2011

Now up on Dreamspinner Press

This is me excited!

My little bio is now listed on Dreamspinner Press website: here

I also have the cover for my book. Once everything is confirmed, I'll post it with the blurb. I think it has finally, just now, sunk in that this is really happening. I'm very excited for March now.