As I mentioned in the previous post, the name of a character is a big part of creating a character. I like to choose names that suit a particular aspect of the character.
In Hidden, all dragon and names given to the Arelian race were colours that matched their skin tones. This was actually stated in the book when Tully figured this out and confirmed it with Ciaran. The skin of Ciaran and his dragon, Shadow, was so dark, their meaning of their names reflected this. Ciaran means ‘little dark one’. Tully meant ‘peaceful’, which was a big part of her character arc. At the beginning of the story, she had a lot of anxiety, but through the story, she does become quite peaceful.
Here are some of the other main characters and their names:
- Bain: lives near a river
- Declan: goodness
- Donella Eir: Donella = dark haired elfin girl; Eir = goddess of healing
- Cedric: Chief
- Owen: Young warrior
Breaking Enchantments was the first book I published, and I wrote it when I first returned from living in South Korea for seven years. It actually one second place in a publishing contest with Word Alive Press in 2014 before publishing it. The story itself was written as a way to help me process the good, the bad and ugly of life in Korea.
Erin, the main character, has a Korean mother and Canadian father. Her name was inspired by a Korean name ‘Ee-Rang‘ which was the family name ‘Ee‘ and the Korean word ‘Rang‘ meaning ‘and’. ‘Ee’ was Erin’s mother’s family name ‘Rang‘ Stevens. Meaning ‘mother and father’. Perhaps a bit strange, but the name suited Erin as she was battling with her Korean and Canadian identities.
Erin’s aunt’s name was Soo-Hye, which meant ‘pure wisdom’. This fully suited the character as she was a voice of reason in the novel. And Erin’s cousin, MiYoung, meant ‘Beautiful Spirit’. She helped Erin accept her identity and heal from her negative experiences.
While Breaking Enchantments is available on a variety of platforms as an ebook, it is also being offered as a free book to those who subscribe to my website (which also functions as my newsletter). So if you’d like a free read, you know what to do.
(Picture created with Canva)
K. M. Wray 