Fictional characters sometimes have names I've never come across in real life. That's fair enough in sci-fi or historical fiction or where characters belong to a particular ethnic or social group where those names are commonly used, but it sets me on edge to read a novel set in real life in the present day where people's names are unrealistic.

It may seem boring, but I like my characters to have real-sounding names without reminding readers of any specific individual. The more frequent a name is, the less likely it is to have fixed connotations for readers. For example, if I choose to call one of my characters Elvis or Elton, readers' perceptions are inevitably going to be coloured by their knowledge of the famous holder of that name, but if I call someone David or Sarah, the name is going to have less baggage because readers are used to coming across multiple individuals with the same name. Even the most frequently used names will have strong connotations for some readers because of individuals who've been important in their lives, but I don't think that can be avoided.

It may just be me who flinches when a writer introduces a character called Cassandra de Beauface or Dirk Hard, but another thing I try to avoid doing is giving people names that are expressive or indicative of their personalities. It's very tempting to give unpleasant characters unpleasant names (to avoid offence, I won't give examples), but parents aren't perceptive or honest enough to do this in real life, so I try to select names that a person of that gender, social class and ethnicity, born where and when they are, might have been given.

When I'm choosing first names for characters, I tend to turn to published lists of name which were most popular in the year they were born. There are separate lists for I do allow myself a bit more fun with last names. Often there's a theme running through a book, whether it's place-names from a particular area or individuals involved in a particular occupation. I'm assuming that most readers won't notice and that the names will be untroubling. For anyone who does, it might be rather irritating, but I'm balancing that up against my own nerdy amusement.

Just occasionally, I'll give meaningful last names, but this will usually be where a character has chosen their own name. For example, Carrick likes puns and practical jokes, and the names he chooses for himself often express that character trait. (I've just realised that I'm doing something similar with last names myself, which is slightly disturbing)

Sometimes, I'll get part-way through a book and notice that the name I've chosen doesn't work. This usually won't be because it doesn't fit the character: the characters will have grown into their names. It's usually for an external or aesthetic reason. For example, Dominic, in Bibliomancer,* was originally called Nicholas, but the conversations between him and Julius ended up too sibilant, so someone had to change. Julius's last name was originally Drecking-Poole, but one of my early readers found that confusing with some other semi-famous double-barrelled Julius and I wanted to avoid the possibility of other people having the same experience. It's difficult to adjust part-way through, and to feel the same connection with the character, but sometimes it has to be done. Winifred started life as Mildred, but early on in Finding Christine,* I realised that Mildred wasn't grand enough for her. I also liked the idea that the parents on a baby born on Armistice Day might have chosen a name combining the Old English words for joy (wyn) and peace (fryth). It was a bonus that the name was so inappropriate for her.

* Please note, that at the time of posting, neither Bibliomancer nor Finding Christine has been published

So, getting to the point … The competition is to identify what theme links the names of minor characters in The Changeling Tree books. The prize for the first correct entry is to have a minor character in a future book named after you, after someone else (with their agreement) or with a made-up name (with my agreement). Enter in the comments on this post. Readers who've signed up for freebies and head-starts on my website have … well, they've had a head-start, so don't waste any time if you think you know the answer.