What's in a Name?

What’s in a name? Everything!

           

I am fascinated by unusual and exotic names for heroes and heroines, the more unusual, the more I like it. For some authors, choosing the names for their characters is truly a painstaking process. Other authors have those voices in their heads and are told what the hero’s and heroine’s names are – oh, to be them!). 

One of my favorite authors has a hero named Kerrick and heroines named Endelle and Hanily. Are those great or what? Makes one wonder where they found them. A book of baby names? On the internet? Did they see it or hear it somewhere and stored it in the back of their minds for later. I admit, I do this – one never knows, does one?

            I suppose the trick is to make the names unexpected or surprising so a reader will remember but not so difficult the reader cannot pronounce them. Many, many years ago, I read a story with the most unusual heroine name I’ve ever seen. I was halfway through the book before I was finally able to pronounce it (and even then, I didn’t know if I was correct).  I read it from cover to cover, the pronunciation being the only hiccup in an otherwise great story.

            So, what’s the most unusual, exotic name you’ve ever come across in your reading? Did it stick in your mind like the author hoped? Or was it a hiccup for you?

Happy Reading!
Marie

Characters’ Names Starting with the Same First Letter

commenter from Maryland contacted me to ask if other readers find this annoying in romance novels. She says she is a very fast reader and when multiple characters’ names start with the same first letter, she has to slow down and confirm which character it is. For her, it gets frustrating. I can see where this might be an issue for very fast readers. Do people who read slower care about the first letter of the characters' names? Do other fast readers find this to be a distraction? Where do you stand?