As an educator, I know the hardest readers to encourage to read are boys. Therefore, when I write a book, I gear it toward boys. I realize if the topic is appealing, girls may read it, too. I deliberately include a strong male as one of my characters.

In my first book, Heath is the protagonist (main character). His best friend is also a male and so is Heath’s care-giver.  Heath meets a girl, and this begins his first experience with boy-girl attraction. The three bullies in the story are all male – two boys and one man.

In my second book, all the main characters are male though there are females involved. Since my books are a series, some of the same characters exist in each book. For example, in my third book, a girl is the main character, but two boys from my second book aid her in solving the mystery.

I think it’s important to select interesting names. My author-mentor taught me names were important to a story. She encouraged me to keep a “names list” and add to it every time I heard a name that interested me. I also added names of streets, cities, etc. that appeal to me. As a girl reading Nancy Drew mysteries, I enjoyed traveling with her to new and strange locations. This helped create images in my mind of dark winding staircases, treacherous cliffs, abandoned country homes, bustling streets in a city where an intriguing business appeared. Anything that created a sense of mystery and visual experience interjected me  personally in the story. It kept me reading and reliving the scenes long after I finished the book. Images aided me in comprehending the content.

What about you? Are names important to you in the books you read or write? I would enjoy hearing your take on this. Thank you for your reply.