tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post4963000035063582464..comments2024-03-28T15:01:21.285-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: NamedroppingLeigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-89374362610777483702016-09-20T15:09:09.659-04:002016-09-20T15:09:09.659-04:00Bonnie--that's too funny!!! Gotta remember th...Bonnie--that's too funny!!! Gotta remember that: use the name of someone you know, and make him/her pretty/handsome/slim. Those are obviously the important things in life.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-42841111005797539662016-09-20T15:03:22.876-04:002016-09-20T15:03:22.876-04:00I enjoyed your piece, John. (I'm catching up a...I enjoyed your piece, John. (I'm catching up after Bouchercon, too.) I once named a lawyer in an AHMM story after a friend who's a lawyer. My friend had recently lost a significant amount of weight, so I described the lawyer as "trim." Of course, that was the one detail my friend seized upon when she read the story. "You called me 'trim'! Thank you so much!" she said. (I also made the lawyer smart, but my friend didn't care about that. She's always been smart.)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17673578800047888317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-16652175718971205062016-09-20T14:52:33.445-04:002016-09-20T14:52:33.445-04:00Jeff, I'm holding you to that promise.
Michae...Jeff, I'm holding you to that promise.<br /><br />Michael, I'm impressed! Glad you didn't turn out to be an ewok or a klingon. (By the way, I sure enjoyed the time we spent together at B'con last week!)<br /><br />After this discussion, and finding out that so many writers do this name-inclusion thing, I think I'm going to do it even more often.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-90497651828815650442016-09-20T12:19:43.339-04:002016-09-20T12:19:43.339-04:00I was once a character in one of Thomas F. Montele...I was once a character in one of Thomas F. Monteleone's science fiction novels. I died a hero.<br /><br />And I have, on occasion, used the names of other writers in my stories.Michael Brackenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01072019804281421944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-41254208013143002882016-09-18T19:58:42.402-04:002016-09-18T19:58:42.402-04:00Leigh; "Janice Law Library?" Good one! J...Leigh; "Janice Law Library?" Good one! John, I'll consider the reservation made!Jeff Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00316081079528920123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-37672081062495029352016-09-18T18:41:32.420-04:002016-09-18T18:41:32.420-04:00Just got back home from Bouchercon--many thanks to...Just got back home from Bouchercon--many thanks to all of you for the comments!!<br /><br />Rob, I remember Leonard's use of Otto's name in that book. I just assumed it was sort of an "in joke"--but it did throw me out of the story a bit, when I encountered it. All of a sudden I found myself thinking about the writer instead of about the writing, which is something Leonard probably should've mentioned in those famous rules of his.<br /><br />Janice, you're right, the trick is never to say anything bad about them or have terrible things happen to them. (Unless you're sure they wouldn't mind.)<br /><br />Melodie, I doubt I'll ever be famous enough for anyone to want to auction off my characters' names. And congrats to Wolfgang. <br /><br />Leigh, I like that approach!!<br /><br />Jeff, I'd like to reserve a place for my name in one of your upcoming stories, if you have room. And if it gets published, so much the better!<br />John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-84566881245539382552016-09-18T00:09:05.934-04:002016-09-18T00:09:05.934-04:00Jeff, that was a (Janice) Law Library, wasn't ...Jeff, that was a (Janice) Law Library, wasn't it? I hear the place is a real warren.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-82566469420489879582016-09-17T22:40:48.824-04:002016-09-17T22:40:48.824-04:00I scrambled-up the names of a few of my old colleg...I scrambled-up the names of a few of my old college buddies for use in a few stories, (not all of them published!)And I had a reference to a college's library as "The Lopresti Library" which didn't make it to the final published draft. (Alas!)Jeff Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00316081079528920123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-39641408033679351952016-09-17T18:53:25.293-04:002016-09-17T18:53:25.293-04:00I more often use personalities (father, brother, f...I more often use personalities (father, brother, friends) without always realizing it, but I spend time 'listening' how a name sounds, feels, and what it means. But I often use partial names of people I know. And for a bad guy, I used the office back-stabber's name reversed. His mother would have been so proud.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-76257710019938718272016-09-17T15:24:41.658-04:002016-09-17T15:24:41.658-04:00At a Burlington Humane Society gala this Spring, t...At a Burlington Humane Society gala this Spring, they auctioned off a character name for my next novel. I am happy to report that Wolfgang the Pug has a co-starring role in my WIP. <br />A few years back, I had a woman contact me who was an ardent fan of my Rowena time travel series. She was 'that fan, at the right time' that I needed to remind myself why I was doing this (that is, writing for readers instead of for cash.) She did wonder for my ego. I asked if she would like to be in my next Rowena novel, and she was thrilled. I gave her a very nice part. I think that's the key. If you are going to use someone's name in a novel, and you like the person, make sure it is a person they wouldn't mind their name attached to. <br />Or be evil, and do your worst :) <br /><br /><br />Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-55834998171699445822016-09-17T08:25:54.660-04:002016-09-17T08:25:54.660-04:00A number of famous novelists have like Rob's s...A number of famous novelists have like Rob's sister, sold off character names, usually for charities.<br /><br />I would find that hard- you don't want a friend to be the victim or, even less, the perpetrator- but I guess it would be an incentive to have lots of red herrings and possible suspects.janice lawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-9454290369693750782016-09-17T00:57:37.283-04:002016-09-17T00:57:37.283-04:00Lovely piece, John. Thanks for mentioning my stor...Lovely piece, John. Thanks for mentioning my story. I was so pleased when I found a way to name my killer without libeling anyone likely to sue!<br /><br />At least once one of these connections bugged me. In Elmore Leonard's Up In Honey's Room he named a Nazi Otto Penzler. Perfectly reasonable German name, but we all know someone by that name.<br /><br />My sister, novelist Diane Chamberlain, sometimes auctions a name-appearance for charity and once the winner was a man with a Japanese name. Problem was her book was set in North Carolina during World War II. She found a way to make it a compelling part of the plot, of course.<br />Robert Loprestihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08844889305615182897noreply@blogger.com