Entangled Publishing Author
Jennifer Shirk
for a look at her latest release
Kissing Kendall
&
a Guest Post!!
by
Jennifer Shirk
Kendall Grisbaum is finally taking charge of her life—pouring her heart into opening a new bakery business and even allowing her best friend Georgie to play matchmaker for her. Trouble is, the one guy she secretly wants is Georgie’s older brother, Brad, who is decidedly off limits.
Brad can’t seem to get his little sister’s best friend out of his mind. He and Kendall used to be close friends, too, and as a local policeman, Brad can’t help but play protector, looking out for Kendall. When he offers to help her renovate her new bakery space on the side, their friendship—and their attraction—flares back to life.
Amid the temptation of doughnut muffins and blueberry cobbler, a new temptation draws them both closer. Can they take a chance on love when it means risking their friendship, even when not doing so risks everything?
Grab your copy of KISSING KENDALL here...
Amazon
/ Barnes & Noble
Add KISSING KENDALL to your Goodreads shelf HERE
Naming the Characters by Jennifer Shirk
I love naming my characters. It’s one of things I HAVE to have done before I even can plot.
What’s in a name really? Why do we romance writers linger around names so much—especially for our heroes?
Well, I think it’s because a name carries an IMAGE.
And we all want our hero to have the image of being strong and masculine and handsome. We don’t want our heroine to fall in love with a wienie. So we don’t want a wienie name for our hero.
I think that’s why we see the standbys such as Jake, Jack, Sam, Nick, Matt, Ben, and even in my recent book Kissing Kendall…Brad.
They’re classic. It’s easy for a reader to picture a hero with a name like one of those.
When I decided on Brad, I wanted a name you didn’t see too often (like Jake or Jack) but still short and solid and no nonsense. After all, he was a policeman.
Successful. Intelligent. Solid. Athletic. Dependable.
(Seeing Bradley Cooper and Brad Pitt on the movie screen nudged me in the direction of the name Brad too.):)
Just to be sure, I did some research on the name Brad as well. According to the book The Name Game, “Brad” carries the perception of someone being very successful.
At surfing.
**cough cough**
But that totally worked! Because Brad and Kendall live in beach town and I figured he just had to do some surfing on his days off. You know, to keep in shape.
When he wasn’t out fighting crime. :)
Thanks so much for having me!!
How about you? What kind of Hero names do you like to see when reading romance novels? Classic standbys? Or the newer trendier names?
About the Author
Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy--which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.
She writes sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Samhain Publishing, Avalon Books/Montlake Romance and now Entangled Publishing. She won third place in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her first book, The Role of a Lifetime.
Lately she's been on a serious exercise kick. But don't hold that against her.
Feel free to follow her on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook.
Learn more about Jennifer here...
Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
15 comments:
Thanks so much for having me!!!
Names are seriously important. I can't write characters w/o putting some major time in on picking out their names.
Great post. Best of luck Jennifer!
Heather
I think it depends on the book, but in general, while I often like quirky names for the heroines, I tend to like nice sold classic names for the heroes.
I agree, Jennifer. I think a name carries an image and I have to know my characters names before writing. I love both of your character names! :)
The worst is when I don't know how to pronounce the name! My current book is full of cowboys. They've been fun to name. :)
I don't really have a preference name wise - just so long as the character and the name fit well together. Fun guest post.
Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
Yes, I don't like it when I don't know how to pronounce a name!
I think it depends on the book. I do like the hero's names to be tough and manly. lol Great post
Great post! I couldn't write a story without first finding out my H/h's names. It's just such an important part of them. You're right the name carries an image and helps define for the reader who they are. :-)
I'm like you - I have to know names first.
It's great to see Jennifer here, and I appreciate the "name" advice! I guess I lean more toward classic names. That way, if my book ever becomes a classic, it's all set. lol
Have a great week! :)
Thank you for joining us today Jennifer!!
Ali & Miranda
I love both!
Hero names are so important. I often have problems taking a character seriously when his name is feminine, like Dana (that is just my personal opinion though). I like names like Landon, Issac, Jacob, Aiden, Benjamin or ect... It doesn't matter to me if they are classic names or trendier ones but they have to sound manly and sexy.
Names are all important. I love all the standard English names like George, Charles, Edward, Henry etc.
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