About the Book
Genre: Cozy Mystery, #3 in A Sweet Nothings Lingerie Mystery Series
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
Release Date: February 2014
Synopsis from Goodreads:
From selling camisoles to solving crimes, the ladies of the Sweet Nothings lingerie shop in Paris, Tennessee, will make this Valentine’s a day to remember…
For Valentine’s Day, Emma Taylor and her aunt Arabella have organized a special evening for men only to shop for their sweethearts in the Sweet Nothings lingerie shop, complete with champagne and hors d’oeuvres. But when a former valentine shows up, Aunt Arabella is not her usual bubbly self.
Art dealer Hugh Granger is still a charmer, though. He invites the women to a ball he’s having to celebrate his birthday and his return to Paris, Tennessee. But when Granger is pushed from the balcony, it paints a sinister picture for Aunt Arabella, who gets framed… for her old flame’s murder.
Author Guest Post
A Rose by Any Other Name
By Meg London
There are any number of details that go into writing a book besides the plot. One of my favorites is picking the names for my characters. My editor and I collaborated on the names for my Sweet Nothings series—she chose Brian, Guy (Emma’s boyfriend in Murder Unmentionable), Arabella and Liz. I was left to name my protagonist and the new characters I created. I have a couple of baby name books that are a huge help—and my husband still gets nervous when I get them out despite the fact that we are now old enough to be grandparents! And the phone book (now on-line rather than in hard copy!) is invaluable in looking up last names.
If I want a name to fit the time period of my character’s birth, social security runs a wonderful web site (http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/) that lists the most popular names for each birth year. Emily was popular the year my protagonist was born so I decided to tweak that a little and call her Emma. It seemed to suit her personality.
Since the book takes place in Paris, Tennessee, I researched the ten most common last names in Henry County where the town is located and chose Taylor. Thus Emma Taylor was born.
Marjorie Porter is the grand dame of Paris—from an old, established family, wife of the mayor and wealthy socialite. She’s married into the Porter family—one that equals her own in status and wealth. Again, I researched the most common names in Henry County, and Porter seemed the perfect surname for this family.
Sylvia Brodsky, who helps Arabella and Emma at Sweet Nothings, is convinced she is descended from the Grand Duchess Anastasia, so she obviously needed a Russian last name. Brodsky is the name of a famous Russian poet, isn’t too hard to spell or pronounce, so Sylvia became Sylvia Brodsky. Earl was on several lists as a popular man’s name in the south, so Sylvia’s boyfriend became an Earl.
The strangest thing I have uncovered about naming characters is that almost all of my books have a major or minor female character named Deirdre! Why Deirdre, I have no idea! Must be something subconscious.
BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!
Now you can win a paperback copy of A Fatal Slip by Meg London. Thanks to Berkley, I have one paperback to giveaway to one lucky winner.
Just a few simple rules...
1) You must fill out the form below.
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The giveaway begins on February 13th (midnight est) and ends on February 20th (midnight est).
The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.
Good luck!
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I love learning about how people choose names and make decisions about deetails in their writing.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about this author and this delightful book. Thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteFascinating. Always amazing just how much hard work goes into every story.
ReplyDeleteFun post! And the book sounds fun too.
ReplyDeleteThat was interesting. I didn't realize choosing a name could be so complicated.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fun series. I enjoyed your post. Thank you for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteI always wondered how authors came up with all the names of characters, now I know. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever been in a lingerie shop so this setting sounds new and interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered where a writer gets the names of the characters. I don't know that I've ever come across a character whose name I thought didn't fit. Maybe I'll take a bit more notice of the names - think about them more.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun post. I'm always interested in the how and why of character naming.
ReplyDeleteI think choosing a name for a character sounds like great fun.
ReplyDeletethe covers of this series is quite cute & oh-so-naughty!!! love them!!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a wonderful book. I love the setting and the cover. Thanks for having the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI like how the book sounds. Hope to win a copy.
ReplyDelete