Jan Sikes’s #NewRelease: Ghostly Interference

Ciao, amici! I’m so happy to get to introduce another many-time-commenter/first-time-guest-poster today. Jan Sikes is a name many of you are probably familiar with. She’s a wonderfully talented author who is incredibly supportive of other writers in our community, and I’m thrilled to get to return the favor and show her some support today.

Won’t you join me? Please help me welcome Jan as she talks about Ghostly Interference and her process for naming her lead characters. Take it away, Jan!

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NAMING CHARACTERS

Thank you, Staci, for giving me your blog platform to talk about my new book!

When I first started writing Ghostly Interference, I could not come up with a name for my male character. Every name I thought of did not fit him. I started out calling him Lance.

I confided in my sister, Linda Broday, who is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, about the struggle I was having with finding this character’s name.

She suggested that I interview him and ask for his name. I know that sounds crazy to some folks, but you authors know precisely what I’m talking about. Of course, this interview takes place solely inside your head. But I thought that was a good idea.

One morning, I was thinking about it in the shower, and I swear to you, this really happened. My character’s mother, Charlotte, began to tell me her story, which included her child’s name and how she decided on the name. I had to hurry up and finish my shower so I could write it all down!

That interview gave me what I needed and gave me in-depth insight into her backstory, which turned out to be an integral part of my plot.

At any rate, she told me when she was a teenager, she had the opportunity to meet Mick Jagger backstage at a Rolling Stones concert, and it was there she vowed if she ever had a son, she’d name him Jag.

BINGO!

There was the name I was after! So, Jag Peters is the male character in Ghostly Interference.

The female character’s name, Rena Jett, came effortlessly from the minute I conceived the story idea.

I don’t pretend to know the process, but I love the results.

I’m curious. How do your character’s names come to you? Have you ever had to struggle with a name like I did?

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BOOK BLURB

Jag Peters has one goal in his quiet comfortable life—to keep his karma slate wiped clean. A near-miss crash with a candy-apple red Harley threatens to upend his safe world. He tracks down the rider to apologize properly. Slipping into a seedy biker bar, he discovers the rider isn’t a “he”, it’s a “she”, a dark-haired beauty.

Rena Jett is a troubled soul, who lives in a rough world. She wants no part of Jag’s apology, but even while she pushes him away, she is attracted to him. When he claims to see a ghost—her brother—can she trust him? And could her brother’s final gift, a magical rune stone with the symbol for “happily ever after” have the power to heal her wounds and allow opposites to find common ground—perhaps even love?

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BOOK TRAILER

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BOOK PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

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ABOUT JAN SIKES

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

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I love character interviews. I’ve been known to do them once in a while, myself, and I always find them quite illuminating. Thank you, Jan, for sharing your process. I think those names are a great fit. And I wish you the best of luck with your new release.

What do you think, amici? What’s your process for naming characters? What do you think of Jag and Rena? How about you use the comment box below to start a chat with Jan? While you’re at it, maybe use the like, share, and buy buttons, too? We’d both be grateful. Grazie!