Читать книгу Her McKnight in Shining Armour - Teresa Southwick, Teresa Southwick - Страница 4

Dear Reader,

On a plane recently I was making small talk with the woman seated next to me. I was tired and mostly wanted to close my eyes, but I didn’t want to be rude during the forty-five-minute flight from L.A. to Las Vegas and we ended up sharing information about our jobs. An avid reader, she was excited to meet a published author, which is flattering because I don’t consider myself all that exciting. Then she posed a question no one has ever asked before. How do I name my characters and do I ever change the names?

The first part of my answer was easy. In a continuing series I keep a list of existing characters and try to make sure no two names start with the same letter. In my humble opinion it’s less confusing when a reader is trying to keep everyone straight. For Her McKnight in Shining Armor I did change the heroine’s name. Starting a book is never easy, but this one was more of a challenge than usual. Originally I called her Emma but was having trouble getting this character to talk and decided to change her name. She’s a Texas girl and I wanted something very Lone Star State. The TV show Dallas is set in Texas and when I ticked off the characters, Sue Ellen struck a chord. A “voice” began to form. But she’s not a Sue or Susie, so I settled on Ellie and the name felt right. I had her voice and Chapter One took off.

A hero is only as satisfying to the reader as the strong, sassy woman who wins him over. Ellie Hart sashayed into Blackwater Lake on her four-inch heels and rocked Alex McKnight’s world. She was an incredibly fun character to create and I hope you enjoy reading her story as much as I did writing it.

Happy Reading!

Teresa Southwick