Where character names come from ~ by Chrys Fey

I'm turning my blog over to Chrys Fey today. She's going to give us a little insight on how she names those terrific characters. She's also brought us a peek at her two new releases. Take it away Chrys!

Thank you, Sandra, for letting me borrow your blog for the day to talk about my current releases, Witch of Death and Ghost of Death.

I have several techniques I use to name my characters. Many of my characters are named after names I picked for my future, unborn children. I figured I wouldn’t have dozens of babies, so I had plenty to use. Libby and Reid, the main detectives in Witch of Death were named this way. Another option that is fun is looking at movie credits and street signs. Yes, I’ve named some characters after streets. Sometimes, though, I do name characters after real people.

Jolie Montgomery, the ghost in Ghost of Death, is named after Angelina Jolie. Why? Because I think Angelina is an amazing actress as well as a smart, strong, and beautiful woman. I love all of her movies, and many of them inspire me with my thrillers. And she’s not only portrayed Lara Croft, my favorite videogame heroine, but also Maleficent, my favorite fairytale villain. She’s a fascinating woman who does honorable work as a US Ambassador. When I pictured the MC of Ghost of Death, I envisioned a young Angelina Jolie. And that’s how Jolie got her name.

However, she’s not the only one named after a real person. I am a huge fan of Big Brother. It’s my summer guilty pleasure. Last year, season 16, was crazy! Crazier than all the others. If you watched, you should recognize the names Cody (the pretty boy) and Zack (the guy in the pink hat). When I had to name Jolie’s and Geena’s boyfriends, Big Brother had just ended and these two names jumped out at me.

Geena Stone, Jolie’s BFF, is also named after a person, my dear friend and fellow blogger, Gina Stoneheart. Gina has been a wonderful confidant over the years. I vent to her my writing woes and other life dramas, so I knew I wanted to honor her by naming a sweet character after her. Now I hope she likes the story. ;)

WITCH OF DEATH

Blurb:

Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical murder involves working with a witch.

Liberty Sawyer embodies the look of your classic evil witch, so, it’s no surprise when she uncovers the murderer is a witch that she becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t convince him otherwise, more people could lose their lives to dark magic, including her.

Book Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK

GHOST OF DEATH

Blurb:

Jolie Montgomery, a twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up in an alley next to her corpse. She has no memories of her murder or the night she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s face before he or she took her life. Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in the only way a ghost can...by stalking the lead detective on the case.

Avrianna Heavenborn is determined to find the person responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets closer to the killer’s identity with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with her every step of the way.

But if they don’t solve her murder soon, Jolie will be an earth-bound spirit forever.

Book Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / The Wild Rose Press / NOOK / KOBO

BIO:

Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes and 30 Seconds. She is currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes that’ll serve as book two in the Disaster Crimes series.

When Fey was six years old, she realized her dream of being a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida where she is waiting for the next hurricane to come her way.

You can connect with her on Facebook and her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!

Author Links:

Facebook / Blog / Website / Goodreads