The "real" Trixie

About Me

When I first started writing "Ghosted," I had a rambunctious corgi pup. One evening while I was perched atop a wooden stool, typing away on the book I was creating, I heard a gnawing sound. When I looked down, my puppy was chewing on the crossbar that held the legs of my chair together. If I hadn't caught her, she probably would have dumped me on the floor. I instantly added her into my story. Her name was Jillian.

I can feel you frowning.

"Jillian?" you are thinking. "Isn't that your name? What kind of arrogant jerk names her dog after herself?"

Thankfully, I am nowhere near that egotistical. I did not name my corgi after myself.

In fact, it is the opposite. When it came time to choose a pen name, I decided to honor the irrepressible, flat-out-fun, smart, lovable "real Trixie" by adding her name in front of my own.

This sparks a question: What's in a name?

Well, a lot, especially in writing fiction.

For me, names are the beginning and the conduit through which the character flows. I've noticed it over and over again. If I don't have the right name, nothing he/she does or says seems natural, or there's a complete blockage in that character's course of action. That's when I search through the section entitled NAMES in my writer's notebook. I know when I've hit on the exact right one because I don't have to consciously think about how that character will act or react from then on out. I just know.

Isn't that cool?

It's kind of like magic. I love it.

I wish you happy reading and happy writing (if you are so inclined).

- Jillian C. Stone