Hello! I've turned in my final edits for Raising Rain and I've started working on my next book idea, including creating character descriptions, names and locations. So today I posted at Novel Matters about the importance of choosing just the right name for your characters, and I explored how well thought-out names can be used for overt description or as subtle tags. It's interesting that Harper Lee chose the name Boo Radley to describe a potentially creepy guy, and Dorothy's last name in The Wizard of Oz is Gale. It fits how much Hannibal (Lechter) rhymes with cannibal, and how Merry and Pippin start out as innocent, fun-loving hobbits and occasional comic relief. Their names just fit!

Visit us at http://tinyurl.com/b7vvum to read more and to add your comments about your favorite names. Do you have a great resource that helps generate names? Let us know!