I am midway through my draft of my second book about secret babies. My first book centered around Charlotte, her mother, Irene and her Aunt Alice. Guess who was the secret baby?
This second book centers around Rachel, Betsy (although I think her name will change), and Nancy. Guess who is that secret baby?
I noted above that I think Betsy’s name will change. Determining names for characters is a tough job. For me they have to have the right feel, the right sound, and reflect the kind of person that the character is. I’m not sure about you, but I have always felt that there was a “right” name for some people.
When I carried my daughter, I thought I would name her Katelyn Victoria. I really liked the sound of that name, it had almost a regal quality. But when she was born, I held her in my arms and felt that she wasn’t a Katelyn. I knew that she was a Katherine. And so she became Katherine Victoria. Just as regal, and more fitting for the person she is.
My brother’s name is Tim. He holds a special place in my heart. And I have lots of memories of the kinds of things he got up to as we grew up. He was always trying something new. I was surprised my mother’s hair didn’t grey early because of his antics. She liked order, calm, and control and he definitely upset that in our world. But I never thought he did that in a bad way. I was pretty impressed with what he tried. And, it coloured the way I looked at any Tim I met from then on. I expected the same sense of fun and adventure.
That’s the way I feel about Betsy. It doesn’t feel like the right name for this character at all. I think it reflects a time that she isn’t part of, it doesn’t roll off the tongue like Rachel and Nancy do. But I worry that for all that I have written about her, if I change the name, I might have to do rewrites!
In any event, Betsy’s name will change, but the secret baby premise is solid for this story. Look for its release in late October.
Oh, and there is a third secret baby book to follow. All I’ll say is that one of the characters is names Adrienne. And I have always felt right about that.
