Names are a pain!

One of the most challenging things about my stories are the names I choose.

Sure, it's easy when I'm basing my character on a friend, but even then I don't want to use their exact name. It doesn't matter if they offer it, I don't want to reveal everything about my friends while I write.

And then the names have to flow well. Having two children, I remember the endless lists that I made as I tried to find the perfect pairing of first and middle names that also sounded good with my last name. It felt like a neverending battle most of the time.

When I first started writing, I used a ton of family names. First, middle and last.

Then as I moved on to my friends. Close friends, colleagues, acquaintences and even some pets. (I'm not telling who those are though...)

If all else fails, there's always the web. And I have made good use of it.

But when you're writing a romance novel, you can't just pick any name. It also has to sound, well, sexy.

What woman wants to shout out "Engelbert!" at the height of her climax? I'd most likely get it wrong and he'd think I was cheating!