Names. That seems to be the question asked most when discussing the characters of my novels. How did you choose the names? Why did you choose the names?
Until I found the recent document of my first attempt of writing the story, I believed Willow was always Willow. This was the name she came with and the one I couldn’t change. (If you care to read the first few words I wrote on the story back in 2010, click here. As you will see, Willow was called Darce. I forgot about that.) Bracken was originally Talon, a character from another story I had written, but when his personality morphed, he was no longer that character, everything about him had changed so much, including his physical appearance, I could no longer keep the name. Talon belonged to someone else, a boy with a beautiful smile and a golden halo of curls. So Bracken became Bracken, and when Ash came along, it was at that point, I realised there was a theme to my names. I had two choices. Change some of the names, or embrace it and theme-name an entire city. Despite the hesitation I felt, I went with the latter. This brought about names such as Dune, Bear, Skylark and Falcon. It made naming characters that were from Nuovo fun, and rather easy.

The Mudders were another story. Some of the names changed from the first draft to the last because it was pointed out that quite a few of them began with D. Why? I have no idea. I guess I like the letter.
When choosing names there are many methods I employ. Sometimes a character simply comes with a name, such as Luke. Other times, a little research into the meaning behind the names is involved. Or, it is just a matter of trying out different names until one sticks. None of my characters are based on real people, although some share traits of people I know. For example, Granny Ava’s snoring is a direct re-telling of my Nana’s sleep patterns. When my family stayed with my Nana, she and I would share a room. Being the good little girl that I was, I disliked telling my Nana to shut up, but they were the only words which would stop her frightful snoring. Simply telling her to be quiet, or giving her a gentle shake wasn’t enough.

Each of my characters needed to have their own stories, their own motivations for the choices they made, and not simply because it suited the plot. There were a few characters cut from the story because of this, those that did not add to the story line, and then there were those that were developed because they did. Originally, Bracken had an older brother called Narcissus. I liked this name so much, I gave it to a minor character that was later introduced in the Boy in Uniform story, though he is known as Narc.

Here is a brief overview of the three main characters:

Willow Stanton is the main protagonist of the series and the perspective through which Girl Behind Glass and Girl Beneath Stars is told. It is her story. A story where she has led a sheltered and naive life under the protection of the dome and the watchful eyes of the Establishment. She has no idea of life before the dome, and lives believing whole heartedly in everything the Establishment tells her. Her dream is to join the Guardians so she can see what life is like outside the dome. She is focussed on her goal and knows what she wants. When she finds herself outside the dome, she is shaken, and must adjust the way she looks at life, and what she believes to be true.

At the beginning of the story, Bracken Rush is Willow’s best friend. He is one of the only people she knows who is willing to question certain aspects of life within the dome, the boy who is in love with her, and the son of the governor of Nuovo. He goes through the greatest transformation during the story with the help of the serum, resulting in conflicts between him and almost everyone he loves. He loves Willow at the beginning of the story, and still loves her at the end, though the type of love changes. After the introduction of the serum, Bracken is left tormented. Plagued with violent tendencies that had no place in his life before, it changes him so greatly, he no longer knows who he is. Boy in Uniform is told from his perspective.

Luke Forbes is a laid back, happy-go-lucky guy with a smile that melts hearts. Since he is more of a people person, than a cause person, he is willing to see the good in most people, although, Bracken’s close relationship with Willow, starts Luke and Bracken’s friendship off on rocky ground. His struggle comes through the relationship with his father who has turned to alcohol in an effort to ease the guilt he feels over the death of Luke’s mother. His father would often take his feelings of guilt out on Luke, and this is when Granny Ava stepped in and took Luke under her wing. Luke admires Willow for the resilience she has shown and her willingness to learn new things.

The next post will be published on 3rd September.

Behind the Glass | Dreaming | Inspiration

*If you haven’t read Girl Behind Glass yet, it is currently free in the Kindle store – http://goo.gl/KUGZrA