fiction fridays: guest post by regina jennings

A Rosa is a Rosa is a Rosa

By Regina Jennings

I have a bad record of buying cosmetics based on the name of the product instead of the shade. OPI nail polish gets me every time. I go looking for a sensible bronze and instead bring home “Ladies and Magenta-Men.” Yes, it looks ridiculous on my stubby nails, but how can you resist that moniker?

Names and how they are chosen interest me. The original idea for Sixty Acres and a Bride came from reading the Ruth and Boaz story, so it only made sense to keep the names Naomi, Ruth and Boaz for the early drafts, but I knew they would eventually change.

Once I determined that the widow Ruth was Mexican, I started looking for a name that would reflect her heritage. According to my sources, the Spanish derivative of Ruth was “Rut”—probably not the best name for a heroine. Instead I chose Rosa, readily identifiable as a Hispanic name, but familiar to our English-language ears.

Then there was Boaz, or Bo as his friends called him. Now, some may snicker, but I happen to have a nephew named Boaz. He’s in third grade and is quite the ladies’ man. While Bo worked for a cowboy’s name I didn’t want to associate him too closely to the Biblical Boaz, so he was named after another of my nephews—Weston.

In naming the mother-in-law I noticed a peculiarity. Names that sound like grandmothers to me are now being used for children. If I have a Rosa and a Lucy, who is the older woman? Same goes with Emma, Anna, and Dora. Certain names have made a comeback and now bring to mind younger ladies. Rosa’s mother-in-law’s name needed to belong to a mature woman—so Louise emerged.

With all the main players named, you’d think the pressure was off, but no. Sixty Acres and a Bride is a stand-alone novel, but the book had several characters that were protagonist material. As we looked into future plots, we realized that some of the names chosen for minor characters had to be reworked. For instance, Augustus and Nicole would have had a very interesting love story if their paths had crossed, but Augustus isn’t going to get his chance to be a protagonist. Now he’s a wonderful character, but the editors didn’t feel like “Gus” was a leading man’s name (my apologies to all the Guses out there). We scrambled to change Gus’s name before Sixty Acres excerpts were released, and now “Nicholas/Nick” will be the hero in the third book. Of course, we couldn’t have Nick and Nicole together so she had to switch, too, but her identity will remain a secret.

Naming characters is fun, but takes a lot of thought and it’s hard to predict how readers will respond to the names you’ve chosen.

What are some of your favorite fictional names? Heroes and/or villains?

About Regina:

Regina Jennings is homeschooling mother of four from Oklahoma. She enjoys watching musicals with her kids, traveling with her husband and reading by herself. Regina graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a history minor. She has worked at The Mustang News and First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. For more posts by Regina or information about her novel, Sixty Acres and a Bride, please visit her website, www.reginajennings.com.

Sixty Acres and a Bride:

She’s Finally Found a Place to Call Home… How Far Will She Go to Save It?

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to their Texas family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have just three months to pay.

Though facing eviction, Rosa falls in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. They welcome her vivacious spirit and try to help her navigate puzzling American customs. She can’t help but stand out, though, and her beauty captures attention. Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, Rosa must decide to what lengths she will go to save her future.