Lucimar
asked
Elizabeth Hoyt:
How do you choose the couples and your names of persons of your books?
Elizabeth Hoyt
I usually choose the couples by thinking "Who is the opposite of this person or would challenge him or her the most?"
Names are in some ways more complicated. I try to pick historically appropriate names for the class that character is from. And, of course, I'd like the name to mean something, too. So Maximus is a Latin name because the upper class went through a Classical naming phase in the Georgian time period. The name means "big" and he's the most powerful aristocrat in England. Winter is a Puritan name (the Makepeace family is never identified as Puritan in the books, but they are middle-class Nonconformists.) Winter himself is a tightly bound character who has 'frozen' his personal life so he can help the less fortunate in St. Giles.
Sometimes, though, I just use a name I like. Hence, Asa Makepeace. ;-)
Names are in some ways more complicated. I try to pick historically appropriate names for the class that character is from. And, of course, I'd like the name to mean something, too. So Maximus is a Latin name because the upper class went through a Classical naming phase in the Georgian time period. The name means "big" and he's the most powerful aristocrat in England. Winter is a Puritan name (the Makepeace family is never identified as Puritan in the books, but they are middle-class Nonconformists.) Winter himself is a tightly bound character who has 'frozen' his personal life so he can help the less fortunate in St. Giles.
Sometimes, though, I just use a name I like. Hence, Asa Makepeace. ;-)
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more