Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Addicts discussion

Is it just me or does a name really put you off a book?

An example being "Jericho Barnes".

Sometimes a name can put me off a book. For example, I picked up a cat shifter book once and all the hero's names were that of their cat animal, ie: Lion, Panther, etc... I couldn't get past it.

Usually, a name bothers me when it feels like a placeholder name used during a first draft and the author never bothered to go back and chose a more appropriate name for their characters.

I know what you mean. I felt that way when I read Book 1 of Tamora Pierce's Beka Cooper series. "Beka Cooper"--it just sounds weird in a fantasy type book where most of the names and locations are made up. But then again, I thought the whole book was silly.

They can for me. Last year a read a contemporary romance with a 21-year-old heroine called Mabel. (Her name wasn't mentioned in the blurb or I wouldn't have picked it up). I don't think there are many women around under the age of about 70 with that name.

I do find some of the new-fangled made up names, particularly in New Adult romance laughable, but it won't put me off reading a book.

Not usually. I'm more put off by lots of names that are spelled a lot the same. So, like, having two or three characters and all their names start with "A" and they're all in scenes together all the time. I speed read so sometimes stuff like that confuses me.

I don't mind if a character has a weird or off-putting name, but it definitely helps if the author or other characters make light of it.

Not really. I kind of expect it at this point in the genre(A vampire named "Draven", "Bones", or "Wrath"). But once you get to know the characters, the name loses a previous association that would have made it cheesy, and instead becomes cemented with the new association specifically with that character and their personality.

Yes, Jericho Barrons is kinda cheesy "try hard". But at this point, being a big fan of the Fever series, I actually have a knee-jerk defensiveness about it. Objectively, though, I can admit, when I first learned his name, I did roll my eyes and had that moment of "Really? XD ".

A cheesy try hard edgy/cool name has never made me put a book down or specifically dislike a character. If they're done well, they will change my entire perspective on the name and make me defend something like "Bones"(oh, God, lol).

Stephanie wrote: "Is it just me or does a name really put you off a book?

An example being "Jericho Barnes"."

I liked his name!

I have an entire lecture on J.R. Ward's naming convention in Black Dagger Brotherhood, and this is a lecture multiple people can repeat, at least in part, because they've heard it so many times. Highlights include the fact that I literally couldn't figure out what she was going for at first with Rhage and Zsadist (Rhage because he's the first one with a goofy name introduced) so I pronounce their names Raj and Jaadiste, as well as the time Phury had to come up with a human name and went with 'Patrick'. In every subsequent rant about BDB, he is called Fatrick.

I hate this enough that the whole series has become a running joke to me, and I was actually mad over liking the most recent book in the series. I'm forgiving to a point with bad names, but once I hit that point, I break.

LOL! Fatrick.

Anyone an author in this discussion? No?
Those who want to try an experiment, just imagine stepping into my shoes. You have a story in your mind, you have characters to fill with life. How would you name them?

The name is an anchor for the character, its development, its strengths and weaknesses. It's not that easy to find the right name to go with the character. Writing about a character, bringing it to life in the reader's mind, means you need to be able to associate with your creation, accompany it all the way. To be able to do so, that name can't be already taken.

Take Harry, for example. I either think of Harry Potter or Harry Dresden, so no, no legacy I want one of my characters to compete with. Believe me, the list will get smaller and smaller as you go.

I have to agree with Chloe though - using placeholders or attributes like Rhage (rage) and Phury (fury) is an easy way out.

I have no idea if I did a good job for my main characters, but I really tried. For some of them, the name changed several timed during the writing process.

Feel free to read the blurb and tell me what you think of the names given there. Feedback is highly appreciated. Thanks.
Fallen Angels

I'm a writer. I guess it is harder for some people than others to come up with names. And in my personal opinion, like I said, even if the name on the face of it seems cheesy or too "on the nose", if the writer is skilled enough, the character themselves erases any prior associations.

Like Bones from the Night huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. That's very silly, kind of makes me think "juvenile" because it sounds like what I would have named my edgy heart throb character when I was writing stories at 13.

BUT (huge "but") oh my stars, Bones is a great character. He starts out as that sleazy, charming bad boy and becomes this rough and tumble true romantic masculine character. Every time he speaks, my heart flutters or I laugh or both. "Bones" as a name no longer represents what it did because Jeaniene is brilliant and wrote somebody who could own the name Bones unironically and still come across as a truly sensual, bad boy alpha.

Depending on how well you wrote it, I might accept a male character named Bela. But just looking at it, it doesn't automatically appeal to me as a character name. You'd need to convince me, just like with Bones, to forget the name and focus in on the character. I also don't think I'd ever not read a book just because of a character name. There are some wacky ones, and I would have missed out on great books if I let it stop me.

Besides, it's PNR. Unless the author is really dealing with hardcore topics or dark material, it's all for fun entertainment anyway and not to be taken seriously. The fun names for beloved characters is a part of that, I feel.

I'm an author as well. There's certainly an art to character naming that can be tricky to get right, but I don't think that's license to give my characters whatever silly name I want and expect others to gloss over it. When I read a bad name, I don't look at it from the sympathetic author's perspective, I look at it as a critical reader.

That being said, I think you can get a lot of distance out of being deliberate but with reason in bad names. My Raylene knows exactly how redneck her name is and says as much when she introduces herself, but she's also trying to break free of her redneck family. I once read a rant from someone about giving women masculine names, so in my next book, the FMC is Gus. I make it a major plot point (the MMC is a bounty hunter looking for a man named Gus, who is actually her), and I've gotten no complaints.

If you can't get your names perfect, make it obvious. Don't lead your readers to believe you thought the name was good.

I never supported taking the naming of characters easy. I only wanted those readers complaining about bad character names to think twice before judging the whole book by them. That’s why I told the readers to try stepping into an author’s shoes just once, to make them see that writing is hard work if you try to do it right.

I'm a writer as well, and know it's not easy, but it's still hard to get over some very odd name choices. Yet I'm not perfect. One of my characters is named Analia (auna-leah) but a review pointed out that she read it as anal-eah. Even as I cringed, I had to laugh.

What is the worst character name you've come across? Mine would have to be Panther. I could never see myself calling someone Panther and not chuckling every time at the absurdity.

I can’t stand the names in a series mentioned here: Rhage etc. I found those incredibly cringe.

Amanda wrote: "I'm a writer. I guess it is harder for some people than others to come up with names. And in my personal opinion, like I said, even if the name on the face of it seems cheesy or too "on the nose", ..."

I agree here. A name can start irritating and go to be background noise.
I got over J.R. Ward's naming and just started reading through them. I think "shitkickers" coming up so frequently was more of a peeve in the end.

One that took a while to read over was Mirceo as it isn't a real name and a misspell of Mircea. Now there are names like Andrea that the Spanish change to Andreo but Italian know to be a male name with the "a" ending. Mircea doesn't have this, it is wholly a Romanian name, male and ends only in 'a'. Mircea (Meer-cha) is kind of popular there as Kings and princes of Romanian have had that name. Karen Chance uses it as do many others as it was one of Vlad Tepes or Vlad Drăculea's brothers. But why did it bother me changed to Mirceo? Well my hubby has that name and it was just wrong in my eye. Still got over it too after getting into the book. Narrators can kill me on it though, if they pronounce it like it looks, I have to go to the print book. I can take a misspell but not the mis-pronunciation.

Interesting question. Names can put me off a great deal. If they resemble family names it’s a no go especially in romance. I also teach so if it’s been a particularly difficult child a name can turn me away from a book in a heart beat.
Interesting fact.. Naming my daughter was especially difficult. My husband teaches too so finding a name without negative or other such traits was very difficult for us. Funny how personal experience can make or break a name.

Absolutely. I’ve passed on reading a book when the names on the back cover over viewing the story are cheesy

First of all, Jericho Barrons is HOT!! 😉

That said, yes. I can’t bring myself to read a romance novel where the h has the same name as my daughter (just...no). I also can’t read any where the H shared a name with the ex that totally destroyed me.

MG wrote: "First of all, Jericho Barrons is HOT!! 😉

That said, yes. I can’t bring myself to read a romance novel where the h has the same name as my daughter (just...no). I also can’t read any where the H sh..."

Those are really good points. For me they are disconcerting too, especially the book with the H having my dad's name. Not good.

For me, it's strange when I meet someone who has the same name as one of my characters, and I have to decide whether I should be like, "Hey, you have the same name as a character in this really steamy romance I wrote." *tugs on collar*

Kiersten wrote: "For me, it's strange when I meet someone who has the same name as one of my characters, and I have to decide whether I should be like, "Hey, you have the same name as a character in this really ste..."

Opposite problem here: a friend of mine gave his baby a name I loved so much I've given it to the heroine of my next book (and already established the character in the prequels). Thankfully, he doesn't read my stuff, and hopefully his wife doesn't either.