So you probably looked at this site or read the book and thought, that’s a pretty dull name. Why is the character named something so unoriginal?

Well, I first started playing Tom and Jim with my sister at such a young age, I don’t even remember when it was. I’m not even sure where the name Tom came from, but I think I probably picked it because it was the primary boy’s name used in the books I learned to read with at school.

As I got older and the pretend games turned into more of a story, it became necessary for Tom to have a last name. I remember my siblings asking me what Tom’s last name was. At that age, I really didn’t know a lot of last names other than my own family, friends, and schoolmates. I figured my choices were Smith or Jones. The name Tom Jones was already taken by a singer, so I went with Smith.

Once I’d settled on Tom Smith, there was no turning back. After so many years with a character, I wasn’t going to change it. And having a plain name can come in handy in the spy world.

Sidenote: After picking Smith for Tom’s last name, it left Jones to be Jim’s last name. But I did change that one for the book to something a little more interesting.