WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Authors, including myself, like to come up with catchy, gitchy names for characters that will be memorable (and sometimes hard to pronounce:). When I was contemplating the name for my heroine (Julia Olwen) and her "cousin" (Celeste Edmund), I simply did an internet search to try to match the meaning of the name to the character traits. And voila, they were christened. Olwen is of Welsh origin and its meaning is "white footprint." According to legend, a beautiful maiden named Olwen was so gentle and fragile that white lilies would grow in her footprints. The name Julia signifies youthfulness. Obviously, I wanted her name to belie her thoughts and plan for revenge. Celeste Edmund was equally honorable as a character, but I wanted her to be stronger and more self-assured. Celeste means "heavenly" and the sir name Edmund is of Old English origin, meaning "rich protector." So, how did Nathan Davis get his name? I liked it. Nathan sounded strong to me and I stole his last name from a character my husband was using in a book he was working on. He says he doesn't remember, but we were sitting on the couch and I said I needed a common, Southern last name for my Sheriff and, as he was staring at the television, he said, "Davis. I like Davis." So, Davis it was. Later on (like months later), he said very possessively, "Hey that's the last name of my character." Don't you love how men don't really listen when their wives are talking? So, he will just have to pick another name if he ever gets around to finishing his novel! Nathan Lee Davis. It's strong, southern and simple. Just like Nathan. Actually, just like my husband.