Storm Glass (53 page)

  Some names I do make up:) For
Magic Study
, I wanted the Sitian people to have earthy names so I chose Fern, Irys, Roze, Leif. I also seem to like jewel names-Perl, Topaz, Garnet. One of the characters is, Cahil which means inexperienced (so that should give you a hint about his personality).

  When I'm starting a novel, I'll decide what the theme is or the overall feeling of the novel. Then I'll comb through my baby books and write a list of names both male and female that fit into the theme. For
Storm Glass
, I wanted powerful names and ones that had meanings about the sun, wind and rain, so my list included Kade (powerful), Raiden (thunder god), Nodin (wind), Aydan (little fire - he's my glass maker), and Ulrick (ruler of all). All these names are listed in the baby book and they were so fun to find!

  I know there are writing books available about naming your characters. Also when deciding on names, I try and avoid weird spellings and unpronounceable names, basically because I don't like it when I'm reading a book-it stops me dead as I try and figure out how to pronounce them (guess I shouldn't have daydreamed when my class was learning about phonics in 6th grade!).

  And sometimes, my editor makes me change a name. In
Magic Study
I had Gale (Tula's sister) and Goel (bad dude) and she said I had to change one because they were too close and could confuse the reader. So I changed Gale to Opal and then used the name Gale in
Fire Study
since Goel didn't…er…isn't in that book.

  My son also pointed out to me (he's reading
Magic Study
now) that I prefer short names, which I hadn't realized, but when I thought about it-is very true. Guess I don't like typing long names!

Read more
about Yelena, Opal and the world of Sitia in these other titles by
New York Times
bestselling author Maria V. Snyder, available now from www.ebooks.eharlequin.com and wherever eBooks are sold:

POISON STUDY

MAGIC STUDY

FIRE STUDY

  And coming soon from MIRA books…

SEA GLASS

Books are also available in audio from Audible.com!

For more information on Maria V. Snyder and her books, visit:

  Her website:

  http://www.mariavsnyder.com

  Her MySpace page:

  www.myspace.com/mariavsnyder

  Yelena Zaltana’s MySpace page:

  www.myspace.com/yelenazaltana

  Poison Study book trailer:

  http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.channel&channelID=217972504

Join the conversation
about Maria’s books and more on fantasy and paranormal romance, at www.paranormalromanceblog.com and in our community discussions at eHarlequin.com (http://community.eharlequin.com).

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-3218-5

STORM GLASS

  Copyright © 2009 by Maria V. Snyder.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.

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11/05/2009