Dear Reader,

Picking a name for a character can be difficult. Not as hard as naming your children…but still. Spending time with these characters means you have to like what you call them.

Choosing side-characters’ names is much easier. I have a list of most popular baby names and I draw from it.

Main characters get a lot more attention.

For example, in the Marrying Miss Kringle series, each daughter’s name has a meaning that reflects either their physical appearance or their natural Kringle talents.

Robyn–The new bird of winter. Robyn is the first born and was suposed to be an only child. BUT, she was also supposed to be a boy. So, when she came out a girl, it was a surprise–like seeing the red breast of a robin.

Lux– Light. Lux Christmas Magic is made of light. Light is also knowledge. Lux is a smartie. Her addition to the family enlightened them that things were going to be very different.

Ginger– Spice. Ginger spiced things up when she was chosen to be the next Santa. Her spice is the kind that welcomes everyone into a warm home or soothes nerves after a hard day in the workshop.

Stella–Star. Like the star on the top of the tree, Stella draws the eye. She’s a charmer who works to bring Christmas cheer to one and all.

Frost–Fresh, white, pure. In this case, Frost was named because of her frosty white hair. But, it’s kind of misleading because she is the one Kringle who can tell a lie. She’s also the one Kringle who would never have the desire to mislead someone.

The other names in the series also have holiday connections. Gail Kringle is named after a neighbor I grew up with. Her husband is a full-time Santa and her birthday is on Christmas. She’s a wonderful woman and I couldn’t think of a better example of a Mrs. Kringle.

I hope this sheds some light on the process of picking names. In my latest release, One Tough Christmas Cookie, I named the female lead Faith, because she needed a dose of faith in her holiday.