Those Damn Blues
Jul212010
So there’s this family in the new book and their last name is Blue, and their mother is nuts, so she named her three children Navy, Lavender, and Skye. Yes, I know, but when I did that I thought this was going to be a madcap mystery/farce. Then the damn book turned into a Crusie on me. But I’m keeping the Blues anyway. Then Navy got married and had a little girl and I named her Violet because her mother wasn’t insane and even though her mother-in-law was insisting on another Blue name, she figured Violet was a lovely real name and she liked it so, what the hell, make everybody happy. And now Vi is an important part of the book. So far, so good.
Except the hero’s name is Vince and there’s a dachshund named Veronica. Lotta V’s there. So, two questions:
1. Is that too many V’s? Will having Liz thinking about Vince and Vi be too confusing. Vi and Veronica?
2. If so, what other decent, non-nuts name that goes with Blue can the kid have? I really like Vi, but I recognize that reader clarity is more important than my likes. The only thing I can come up with is Periwinkle, and her mom calls her Peri, but that’s not exactly a normal name.
Help. Thank you.
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294 Comments to 'Those Damn Blues'
On July 21, 2010 at 7:05 am KAT said...
Sapphire, Indigo, Iris or Pansy (if you want to go with flowers on the blue side). Wikipedia lists”Alice Blue” as a shade of blue.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:06 am Jenny said...
Damn, that would be great except I just did a little girl named Alice in Maybe This Time. That would have been PERFECT.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:23 am Tabs said...
Jade? Blue-green instead of blue-red?
On July 21, 2010 at 7:26 am kyrathered said...
I think you should keep the nutso names because all small towns have someone who does *that* to their kids. But maybe change the hero’s name? I suggest naming him Mervyn, but call him Ace, and make Ace’s real name a subplot mystery for Liz to solve. But I am crazy as a bedbug, so maybe not.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:41 am Sarah said...
London, as in London blue sapphires.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:43 am ubergeekmom said...
If you must change names then azure and sky are both lovely shades of blue. I’m not bothered by the Vs probably because all the males in my extended family have J names — lots of fun when you’re stuttering mad and can’t remember which one was the cause of the anger.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:10 pm noirem said...
I was thinking Sky as well. It’s not common but it’s not unheard of. Maybe I’m just related to too many hippies?
On July 21, 2010 at 8:04 am Ruth said...
Yes, too many V’s! IMO gets very confusing for the reader.
Peri could also be spelled either Perry or Perri.
What about Azure, Tiffany (actually a common name–what’s it doing here? lol), Wedgwood, Aquamarine (cld be spelled Aqua’Marine if you want to go in that direction), Indigo, Midnight, Bluebelle (she can be called Belle), Turquoise, Peacock, or, to get even a bit giddier, Dark, Light, Pale, Powder
Anyway, I like weirdo names. Weirdo names are good!
On July 21, 2010 at 11:40 am Bonnie C said...
Tiffany Blue. LOL! Love it!
On July 21, 2010 at 8:06 am Clothdragon said...
The family name thing — I have some friends where there were four boys in the family. Eric, Sean, Cory, Ross. When Eric married and had his baby, they told me they’d decided to call him Morgan. I thought, well, it fits with the Irish thing his parents had going on, so it will probably go over well with them.
I didn’t realize that it was less an Irish thing and more a 4 letter thing for his parents, Mary and Rick. None of us had noticed this when Eric had married his Lori — but the 4 letter wife name probably did go some distance toward giving her hope her naming tradition would carry on.
–So, I don’t think the names are over the top at all. And I wouldn’t have any trouble with all the v names, especially in a book where the names are pointed out like the colors would need to be.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:35 am Donna said...
There’s always Crystal, but I like Sapphire a lot too. The kid would be tortured if they named her Baby . . . um. From the Wikipedia thing, Columbia and Carolina are both real names, and so is Maya.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:36 am Ruth said...
How could I have forgotten?
*smacks head*
Robin’s egg…Call her Robin…an officially recognized actual name…
On July 21, 2010 at 8:47 am Jenny said...
Hmmm. Or they could call her Robin Egg Blue, and her nickname could be Egg.
That might be too cute.
I liked Vi. It had such a sweet but odd little ring to it for a little girl.
On July 21, 2010 at 12:17 pm kyrathered said...
Egg was the nickname of the heroine in the Agatha Christie book Murder in Three Acts.
So it wouldn’t be without homage and precedent.
On July 21, 2010 at 1:34 pm Jenny said...
Ooooh, that’s nice.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:08 pm kyrathered said...
Yes, well … I am fabulous.
On July 22, 2010 at 8:05 pm Jackie said...
I just met a charming 3 yo boy called Eggy – short for Edgar – wanna make a bet he’s been called that for more than 3 years?
On July 21, 2010 at 8:37 am Wendy said...
How about giving Skye (beautiful and not too crazy) to Navy’s daughter and inflicting Periwinkle-shortened-to-Peri on Navy’s sister instead?
On July 21, 2010 at 8:48 am Jenny said...
Skye’s too sophisticated a name for a little kid. Yes, I know all Skyes start out as little kids (Hi, Skye) but this is fiction. It has to sound right.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:02 am JulieB said...
Actually, I disagree about it being too sophisticated. It reminds me of hopscotch. We always has “sky blue” up at the top. But I also like Perriwinkle (my first thought as well – and a color I love) and Robin’s Egg. I don’t think enought people would associate Carolina with a blue.
On July 21, 2010 at 5:33 pm Gina said...
Carolina Blue like the UNC Tar Heels. If my nephew had been a niece, that would have been the name the daddy insisted on.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:52 am KellyJ said...
Scarlett O’Hara’s daughter was named Bonnie Blue Butler, so maybe Bonnie would work.
Vi/Vince is a little close for comfort. Would it be easier to change Vince’s name?
If not Violet, how about Denim (Denny for short), or Carolina? Aster is a blue flower, so maybe that would work.
I like Violet the best, though.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:55 am Eva said...
The Vince can’t go. That’s gotta stay. Not enough Vince’s around. Good name. What about another A name? Aime? (Amy?)
Or Iolite, for the ioltie blue gems? (Greek, and it comes from the Greek word for Violet).
On July 21, 2010 at 8:56 am kris said...
The Wikipedia article has some great suggestions. I see someone mentioned Carolina already, but there are other really great options there – Bondi (okay, not a real name but it sounds cool), & Iris, for example. Or look to other languages. There’s many variations of ble in French, Spanish, etc, and one of them might be perfect.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:57 am SnarkMaiden said...
I don’t think it’s too many V’s personally – Vi and Vince look and sound different enough. You could have an initial subplot going over something monogrammed!
Most of the other blue names aren’t real names (Sky is only a real name in California f’r'instance and if Tiffany is blue it’s only to Americans – I think diamonds and Hepburn and no colour at all). Try a paint chip chart? gentian, amaranth, fuchsia, hyacinth… though faced with an ultimatum like that I’d be suggesting Five-Bar.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:31 am Rezgirl said...
I like Indigo (Indie for short?), Azul or Periwinkle instead of Violet. Violet is one “V” too many.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:07 am JulieB said...
I agree about Tiffany. Actually, I love colors but only realized recently Tiffany had a trademark blue color. Grew up in the Midwest — what can I say?
On July 21, 2010 at 11:45 am Bonnie C said...
I recognized Tiffany Blue long before I ever understood exactly what came in those pretty little boxes. But I grew up in Los Angeles, so…
On July 21, 2010 at 12:43 pm Jenny said...
I like Amaranth, but I already have an Anemone. Hyacinth, though . . . of course she’d end up Cynthie, and I did one of those in Bet Me.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:14 pm noirem said...
The problem with Hyacinth is Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series has a male Hyacinth and it would cause great cognitive dissonance.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:12 pm kyrathered said...
in fairness it is a male name from Greek mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_%28mythology%29
On July 22, 2010 at 12:13 pm glee said...
I work with a Sky and he is a manly man. Of course, I do live in California
My brothers and I all have names that start with “G”. We actually all had the same initials as my dad, so yes, families do that and I hated it until I was 10 or so when I figured out that having a unusual name was a good thing.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:21 am Skye said...
I like that Violet is a sweet and old-fashioned name for an almost-contemporary little girl. I know of lots of little girls with the name Skye these days; I chose my own name at 45. You could keep to the flower name idea of Iris or use a gem name such as Sapphire as sweet and old-fashioned. Of course, I seriously considered the name Chalcedony (a milky gem stone, of which blue is my favorite color) for myself, but then I am a tad eccentric.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:31 am Caryle said...
My hair dresser, a perfectly lovely and “normal” woman, named one of her little girls Perri. So, in my opinion, Peri isn’t all that strange.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:41 am Merry said...
I can’t imagine Vince as anyone but ‘Vince.’
True Blue?
Moody Blue?
Went to school with a girl named Peri, but she lacked the winkle.
On July 21, 2010 at 12:20 pm kyrathered said...
Aren’t all girls missing a winkle? :0)
On July 21, 2010 at 1:02 pm Merry said...
Forehead slap
On July 21, 2010 at 1:32 pm Jenny said...
Let’s not judge.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:28 pm kyrathered said...
Any Blackadder Part III fans?
God be praised! It’s a boy without a winkle! Then the doctor pointed out a boy without a winkle is a girl.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:04 pm Merry said...
k.t.r spake thusly: Any Blackadder Part III fans?
[Merry briefly puts on her persnickety hat]
Actually that was BlackAdder Part II.
[takes off the dang hat, which is a little too tight and really not an attractive color]
On July 21, 2010 at 10:35 pm kyrathered said...
Dear God! Merry is RIGHT. I have been hoist on my own petard. I shall slink off now, to die of shame.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:55 am Flamingo Cherry said...
I don’t have a problem with the “V” names. They’re clear and distinct to me. Violet works very well with the color theme. The other options are, in my opinion, obscure enough that most readers won’t actually get the color connection. Lavender – Violet works perfectly.
Do the names feel “crunchy” to you as they are? Do they work on all the levels you want them to? Then stick with them, because if you disrupt the harmonies that are working for YOU, it will ultimately unsettle the readers.
Of course, as always, YMMV. ;=)
On July 21, 2010 at 1:36 pm Jenny said...
Well, they feel crunchy now, but I can probably still change Vi. I think Vince is just Vince. Argh.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:59 am Sara C. said...
I know two Vi’s. One is in her late eighties and the other is 3. Names tend to skip generations so what was an old lady name becomes a kid name again. I like Vi. And to me it is different enough from Vince that there is no confusion there. And Vi and Veronica look so different on the page I think you’re good there too. But rename the dog before you rename the person.
On July 21, 2010 at 4:21 pm CrankyOtter said...
Ditto. Rename the dog before you rename the girl.
Violet is a distinct and known first name, very feminine.
Vince is a distinct and know first name, very masculine.
So most (english speaking) readers will not just see “Vi”blah but GIRLY Vi(tall-blah and MANLY Vi(round-blah)
Veronica could be an issue because it also gives an “old fashioned girl” vibe, but with the exception of the i, all the letters are small and round and the name is long. No one would mix up Vince with Veronica either. It’s possible that Violet/Veronica could be an issue, but since they’re all well known, distinct names with a history, I don’t think it’ll be the same problem as if you were writing, say, as steampunk novel and had Vincible, Veritable, and Veminicious – which is to say 3 made up names that are similar, asexual, and new to the reader.
It’s only since reading your blog that I was ever aware that this could be an issue for people, and it is something that was problematic in the Steig Larsson, but that was due to lack of characterization coupled with unfamiliar similar names. If you make it clear that Vera/Veronica is the dog and Violet has a strong character, I don’t expect trouble with 3 V names.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:03 am Jana said...
Yes, too many V’s. I would go crazy as a reader. Would it be easier to keep Violet/Vi (which I think is best of all the V’s because of the color connection) and change Vince and Veronica instead?
On July 21, 2010 at 10:05 am JulieB said...
Oh — Larkspur (Lark for short! Now I wish I had a baby to name!!) or Delphinium — Del or Della. They also seem to go with the flower/antique name and Lark is just fun.
On July 21, 2010 at 12:45 pm Jenny said...
Hmmmm. Delphinium. Del. It’s got a tough, old-fashionedness to it. Much more like Liz. That might do it.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:09 am robena grant said...
It doesn’t sound like a problem for me. But if you must change, how about delphinium and call her Dell or Delphie?
I have a family of Blue in my just finished murder mystery but the old lady’s name is Betty. : ) I liked the sound of it and she owns a dress shop, Betty Blue’s Boutique.
On July 21, 2010 at 12:46 pm Jenny said...
Delphie. AARGH. The little girl in Wild Ride was Delphie. No wonder I liked it.
Of course Del is not Delphie . . .
On July 21, 2010 at 2:40 pm Verona St. James said...
And isn’t the little girl’s name from Welcome to Temptation “Dil”?
On July 21, 2010 at 10:10 am JulieB said...
I really love how changing Veronica’s name is off the table. Must Keep.
On July 21, 2010 at 1:37 pm Jenny said...
Well, she’s sitting right here. She’d notice.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:28 pm kyrathered said...
Maybe if you offered her a larger role in a future book?
On July 21, 2010 at 10:10 am robena grant said...
Julie B…great minds think alike, and fools never differ. ; )
On July 21, 2010 at 8:47 pm JulieB said...
Yep.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:10 am WapakGram said...
I married into a family of all “J’s” including the dang cat. (7 of them!) I love the Vince and Veronica thing and Violet seems perfect as a compromise to the crazy. Go with your gut, Jenny, it’s never failed us yet!
On July 21, 2010 at 10:19 am hollygee said...
Lapis — nah, not a kid’s name. Delphinia, Lupin, Veronica (of course, there is that V, but it’s Ve). These are all the latin names http://www.gardening-tips-perennials.com/typesofblueflowers.html.
Marina (I kind of like that), Cerulean, Teal, Pacific, Indigo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Crayola_crayon_colors
It won’t help you for this, but have you discovered Kuler (http://kuler.adobe.com/)? Unless you name her for a hexadecimal.
On July 21, 2010 at 1:42 pm LilyC said...
Maybe be not Lapis, but how about Lazuli? Zuli for short? Actually, now I’ve said it, it’s growing on me. Thank God I don’t have kids to torture…
On July 21, 2010 at 2:01 pm LilyC said...
Oooo….or Zuul. Like on Ghostbusters….
On July 21, 2010 at 7:29 pm kyrathered said...
We sometimes call our oldest daughter Zuul, because some days … there is only Zuul.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:21 am Jennifer said...
Not too many V’s. They all sound very different, so there is no confusion.
I know two little girls named Perri.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:21 am Tori said...
I agree, it’s too many V’s. I really, really like the name Violet too though. Why can’t you change Veronica’s name?
I went and looked up Blue names just incase you do change Violet’s name, and I liked
Azure, Indigo and Neela (although it’s Indian in origin).
On July 21, 2010 at 10:25 am Tori said...
Actually, I think she should rebel and call her Scarlet.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:30 pm kyrathered said...
LOL
On July 21, 2010 at 10:46 am marly said...
I went to high school with a a boy named Royal. I like the “V”‘s, though. I don’t think it’s overdone and I like the quirkiness of a family who’d use the “Blue” names.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:54 am Office Wench Cherry said...
I once worked with two Corys, a trio of Ronalds that we had to call Ron/Ronnie/Ronald as they all worked in the same area and at one point had three aunt Anns – two of whom married my dad’s brothers so they had the same last name. Three different V names aren’t a problem.
On July 21, 2010 at 11:41 am Carol Anne said...
There are families who name all their children with the same letter – Jason, Justine, Justin, Jerry, Julie, Jamie, etc. Love Violet and Veronica could be nicknamed V-ronnie.
You are the writer, we are the reader, we love your books. Set a trend.
On July 21, 2010 at 11:41 am Mary Stella said...
My s-i-law is Perri. I love the name Violet for the little girl, but agree that having three V characters is confusing. Is there a reason you can’t/don’t want to change Vince’s name instead?
I understand keeping Veronica for the dachsund. The real Veronica would never be happy if you changed and she’d have to put up with Milton, Wolfie and Mona torturing her about it.
On July 21, 2010 at 1:39 pm Jenny said...
I think Vince is just his name. And he was a tough character to get, so if I change the name, he’ll change, too. I think it’s just a bad idea.
On July 21, 2010 at 12:02 pm Chris said...
I don’t think there are too many V’s. I think you could work your magic and have the V’s part of Liz’s. Maybe she feels obsessed with V’s or when she thinks of one of them she flashes back to another one because of the common V denominator or one of her conflicts-can’t date Vince because she can’t handle any more V names.. (I can’t explain very well) But all the V names sound different and don’t rhyme or anything. I think it adds a little quirkiness to the story. I have grown to love Vi and Vince. And of course Verconia needs to stay. Mary Stella is right the other dogs will tease her.
On July 21, 2010 at 12:18 pm Terrio said...
I handled Alice and Andy with no trouble. I don’t think Vince and Vi would bother me, even with Veronica the dog. I say keep ‘em.
On July 21, 2010 at 1:39 pm Jenny said...
I was worried about Alice and Andie, too. Good to know it’s okay.
On July 21, 2010 at 12:26 pm Kimberly said...
I may be the only one to suggest this, but I say change Vince and Veronica and leave Vi. She’s the only one who has a reason to keep the name she has. The others are good names, but you’ve got a legitimate reason to reconsider them.
As to the other suggestions of blue, I think the blue trend works best when the word you use is one that is commonly recognized as a shade of blue–like navy, sky, and violet. But some of the shades of blue that people have gotten off Wikipedia won’t be recognized by the majority of readers as shades of blue, so they won’t have the same quirky appeal.
The first two blues I thought of (thanks to Crayola) were cerulean and cornflower. Try coming up with a cute kids’ nickname for those two!
On July 21, 2010 at 12:47 pm McB said...
Blue – we could do so very much with that: delft and china come to mind. Then there’s cyan, colonial and … okay, I’ll stop.
The Vs don’t bother me, but I suppose you could introduce Veronica and then call her Ronnie? No? But seriously, unless Vince will be coupled up with Vi or Veronica (That’s the dog, right? So that one shouldn’t be confusing) I don’t see it as a problem.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:34 pm Pamela said...
Ooh, I like China. Although I’m not sure there’s a nickname there.
On July 22, 2010 at 11:45 pm Kelly S said...
Why does there need to be a nickname?
On July 21, 2010 at 12:59 pm Michelle in Colorado said...
Turquoise Blue with the nick name Tur.
Azure Blue,
Baby Blue,
Celestial Blue
Royal Blue
Indigo Blue
Cornflower Blue with ether Corn or Flower as a nick name.
Iris Blue
Steel Blue
On July 21, 2010 at 1:31 pm Jenny said...
Iris might be nice. Old fashioned but pretty and quirky. I like quirky.
On July 22, 2010 at 9:50 am Beki said...
Oh no. Blue Steel was the name of one of Zoolander’s “looks”. LOL
On July 21, 2010 at 1:01 pm Diane said...
I’m in the minority here but I do think that there are too many V’s. Two is fine, especially if one starts Ve… and the other Vi… but adding another Vi… just tips the scale for me. But, I admit, I’m probably easily confused.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:08 pm JulieB said...
I agree. Alice and Andie were different enough on the page. But three is tempting fate. Although I really like all three names.
On July 21, 2010 at 1:40 pm Brooke said...
I went to college with a girl named Perelandra, Pere for short. I think Peri works.
Although frankly I think Violet’s a keeper of a name. Is there any chance you can ditch “Vince”?
On July 24, 2010 at 12:45 am Meredith B. said...
Oh good heavens, really? One of my old college buddies named her daughter Narnia. I just think I might draw the line at naming people after fictional countries, regardless of how much you like the books. And I liked Lewis enough to write a 50 page paper on his stuff.
On July 21, 2010 at 1:40 pm Jenny said...
I’m confused, too. I may have to put up a poll. Jeez.
On July 21, 2010 at 1:46 pm AB said...
The three V’s don’t bother me… but it does look like it could be enough of an issue for you to change it. I like the Iris suggestion – probably helps that it’s my favourite flower. Or you could do Lilac, and call her Lil. Or Pansy?
On July 21, 2010 at 4:30 pm misspiggydon'twannabe said...
It confuses me when I’m reading a book and main characters have names that start with the same letter BUT I’m not confused when one is a man, one is a woman and one is a dog. I don’t like too many characters of the same sex starting with the same letter. I just don’t get the families who are obsessed with having every child’s name start with the same letter.
After the fact I realized that my two sons each have “ic” in their name. Now I think of them as the “ic twins” – even though they’re not the actual same age. I need to lie about my children’s ages to disguise how old I am. It’s pathetic.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:01 pm Ami said...
I say keep the names. I love Violet! FWIW, I don’t have to flip back pages to remind myself who your characters are, and a man, a little girl, and a dog are about as different as three people–even ficitonal ones–can be.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:07 pm Elisabeth Crisp said...
Darn, you missed the chance to use Celadon, a willow-green color : [as adj. ] paneling painted in celadon green.
• a gray-green glaze used on pottery, esp. that from China.
• pottery made with this glaze.
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from French céladon, a color named after the hero in d’Urfé’s pastoral romance L’Astrée (1607–27).
Celadonna? Not exactly a sane name, though.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:14 pm JulieB said...
That’s it. Jenny will have to do a 5th book. It will be green. And set in the spring. Or maybe it will be a St. Pat’s standalone.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:11 pm JulieB said...
My first impulse was to say keep all the names, because I liked them and I’ve been reading the blog long enought to be familiar with them. But then I realized I’ve been reading the blog long enough to become familiar with them (3 months, maybe more??) and Jenny needs to please the millions of other readers who aren’t here 6 times a day. (Yes, I think that is my average.) So.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:13 pm JulieB said...
But now looking at the names in the poll, I’m reconsidering. If Veronica doesn’t talk you might be OK. I’ll let it simmer some more.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:56 pm JulieB said...
I voted to keep the Vs too. I think they’ll work.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:21 pm Louis said...
Keep the Vs. They’ll become a classic Crusie
On July 21, 2010 at 2:37 pm Clever Cherry aka Judy Long said...
The V’s don’t confuse me. I definitely think you should honor your feeling that Vince & Veronica stay. I personally like Violet / Vi as well. If you must change I like the suggestion Delphinium / Del. It reminds me of one of my favorite children’s books, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Hinkes. (Chrysanthemum is made fun of in school until her teacher, whom the kids adore, likes her name & the teacher’s name is Delphinium.) I also like Lazuli / Zuli. I like Iris but I don’t associate it with blue.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:39 pm Jennifer said...
Much discussion (read excited shouting) in the kitchen on this. Husband suggests Beryl, Azure, or Berry. Niece likes Azul. Daughter votes for Opal, but likes Violet best.
On July 22, 2010 at 11:50 pm Kelly S said...
Ooh, I like Opal. I also like Iris.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:43 pm Ingrid said...
Why don’t you keep Violet and shorten it to Letty instead of Vi? That sounds very different from Vince and Veronica.
On July 21, 2010 at 2:51 pm Annie said...
Oooh. I like this one – I think you should keep Violet too, and I don’t find the V’s confusing, but this is a nice compromise…
On July 22, 2010 at 11:51 pm Kelly S said...
If the kid must have a nickname, then Letty is a nice compromise and allows for Violet to be her name. I’d support Ingrid’s suggestion.
On July 21, 2010 at 3:04 pm denisetwin said...
Indigo! I love that name for a little girl!
On July 21, 2010 at 3:07 pm McB said...
Jenny said … “Then the damn book turned into a Crusie on me.”
Uh huh. Gosh, must be a reason for that. What could it be? Must go ponder this.
Merry and Kyra, thank you so much for the spit take. You should take that act on the road.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:38 pm kyrathered said...
Sometimes, being this awesome is a burden … but I carry on.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:07 pm Merry said...
Wish I could take credit, but that one was pure Kyra
On July 21, 2010 at 3:22 pm me said...
Jean. (As in Blue Jean or in this case, Jean Blue.) Call her Jeanie.
Or name her after the mom’s favorite song, by Enya, Carribean Blue. Call her Carrie.
On July 22, 2010 at 11:52 pm Kelly S said...
okay, also liking the Jean suggestion
On July 21, 2010 at 3:29 pm Becke Martin/Davis said...
If it was me, I’d keep Violet and change Vince.
But if you want a blue, I’d go with True.
On July 21, 2010 at 3:41 pm Beth E. said...
My two-cents worth – I like the names as they are and don’t think they’d be confusing.
On July 21, 2010 at 3:50 pm inkgrrl said...
I’d second China for a little one and Iris for an adult. Skye is pretty common nowadays, but used to be rarer – it’s not from California, by the way, it’s Celtic
On July 21, 2010 at 6:28 pm AgTigress said...
“Skye is pretty common nowadays, but used to be rarer – it’s not from California, by the way, it’s Celtic”.
Celtic? Really? Well, it most certainly is not Welsh, and it doesn’t look very Irish or Scots Gaelic to me either. In the case of the island of that name, I believe it’s Norse. To this Celt, is sounds absolutely modern-American.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:48 pm Skye said...
The Isle of Skye is considered celtic/gaelic because of Scotland. But as far as I know the name itself is old Norse meaning something along the lines of island and shining light or somesuch. And it was until recently used almost exclusively for men’s names. Except for the occasional fierce independent. Now the poor guys have lost yet another awesome name to the girls’ side. Yay our side!
On July 21, 2010 at 3:55 pm Kira said...
I like Iris and China, but not as much as Vi.
I don’t like Vince as a guy’s name, makes me think of Vincent Schiavelli (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001704/), not so much Vince Vaughn. Who, according to IMDB, has sisters named Victoria and Valeri.
On July 21, 2010 at 4:08 pm Misty said...
Misty
On July 21, 2010 at 4:10 pm Eve said...
I didn’t read this post too carefully, so I apologize if any of these are doubles. But here are my two cents.
Carolina
Aqua
Topaz
Malta
Heather
Nicco (nicky?)
and lastly, there is a shade called Lindsay Eyes – it’s greyish blue
On July 21, 2010 at 4:11 pm Chris V said...
Misty? Like the song? You could call her “Tee”
On July 21, 2010 at 4:11 pm Eve said...
P.S. I like Vince for a guy, very cop like.
On July 21, 2010 at 4:13 pm Diane said...
Also, do you know that Violet Blue is the name used by an actual person who has an, er, interesting career? Just Google.
On July 22, 2010 at 11:55 pm Kelly S said...
hmm, could be setting the kid up – Wikipedia’s entry for Violet Blue
On July 21, 2010 at 4:18 pm Deborah Blake said...
I like Indigo, called Indy for short. I think 3 V’s is a bit much, but I suspect I’d cope.
On July 21, 2010 at 4:26 pm CrankyOtter said...
I went to school with a guy whose last name was “Rowe” and he was sure he’d be able to name his kids Death and Cannery. We told him he’d never have kids if he mentioned that on a date.
On July 21, 2010 at 4:33 pm Carol said...
Do the three V’s appear in a lot of scenes together? Otherwise, especially since Veronica probably won’t talk at all, I don’t think it is a problem. The three names look different and sound different.
Don’t change Vince! With a different name he would be a different person and we are all already very attached to Vince.
I vote keep the names.
On July 21, 2010 at 4:49 pm Reb said...
I think you’re probably okay with the names, just.
But if in doubt I reckon you should change Veronica. Tell her she has to suffer for her dog food by being nicknamed Ronnie. Or Nick.
On July 21, 2010 at 4:59 pm Anne B. said...
I don’t mind the V’s, but what about something kinda hippie? Like River? Or Dusty? Well, Dusty’s not hippie, but River would be. Smoky sounds too old and sultry (and reeks of emphysema). I like Iris and Delphinium/Del as well. Ciel is the blue-gray color of scrubs. Opals have blue in them and that’s an old-fashioned name. Or Tanzanite and you could call her Tanzy, which I love.
Okay. Done for now.
On July 21, 2010 at 4:59 pm Inge said...
Grey is a lovely uppercrust name.
On July 21, 2010 at 5:00 pm Erin said...
It makes sense to me that Navy Blue’s daughter would be Marina, but that’s assuming the crazy just gets distilled through this family’s generations. Other suggestions to keep the blue/aquatic things going would be Ocean, Pacific, Sea (the kid rebels and writes her name as “C. Blue”?), Surf, Atlantic, Aqua, Sailor (Hey, Christie Brinkley used it!), Tidal, Bay, or River.
On July 21, 2010 at 5:10 pm Jessie said...
Keeping to the blue flower idea:
Larkspur/Lark
Gentian/Gen (The “G” “J” sound is probably too weird).
Camassia/Cami
Chionodoxa/chio (This name falls into the category of too difficult. Not only do you have to look up the spelling, you have to look up the pronunciation).
Nolana/Nol
Lobelia/Bell
Lithodora/Dora (Not hardy in most plant zones so most people haven’t heard of it and it would just be strange).
Salvia/Sal (The mexican sages are autumn blooming and gorgeous vivid blues).
And really, changing Navy to Royal sounds great to me.
On July 21, 2010 at 5:16 pm April said...
True Blue
On July 21, 2010 at 5:18 pm robena grant said...
Drat, I knew I like Delphie for a reason.
Azzura in Italian means light blue, but then I suppose she’d be Light Blue Blue. Ha ha. You could call her Azzy.
On July 21, 2010 at 5:31 pm lee said...
The dogs with people names throw me – I am used to dogs named Rocky or Blockhead or Orwell. When I was reading Faking It, I kept having to redraw Steve as a dog. I’d count the people in the house and try to remember who Steve was and finally remember when he wagged his tail that he was canine. Of course, that problem eases after the third or fourth time through….
On July 21, 2010 at 6:11 pm Kira said...
Me, too! I kept thinking Steve was Andrew’s partner
On July 21, 2010 at 5:42 pm doris in munich said...
I wouldn’t regard it as too many Vs, plus Violet is a lovely name, as is Veronica (whose name imo is either an 40s actress or a dachshound, but I might have read too many arghink-posts
. I don’t care for Vince, but if that’s the hero’s name it can’t be easily changed, plus after having read the story I’ll very probably change my mind about the name – I did so with Gabe, too (formerly I only associated the name with a really smart and lunatic villain…).
On July 21, 2010 at 5:43 pm helen said...
I’m still stuck on why Navy’s mother-in-law is insisting on a Blue name.
And didn’t you ask for non-nuts names?
Then again, I’m stuck in my own act 16 without a clue, too.
Try Belle (and mother or mother-in-law calls her Bluebell)
Or Season (shortens to Sea, for Sea Blue)
On July 21, 2010 at 5:52 pm Diane (TT) said...
I do sometimes get confused if people have names that are too similar, but I think I’d be able to distinguish between a male cop, a little girl and a dog.
I like “Peri”, but Periwinkle really isn’t a real name. Indigo is good, if you really must change. I don’t get the “Vince” thing, because the Vinces I have known were not attractive, so it’s not a name that does anything positive for me. But if it shaped him, then it’s fine. Perhaps I will develop a fondness after reading him. For a whole series of Crusie books!
Definite positive vibes there.
On July 21, 2010 at 6:02 pm Nicole said...
I like Cerulean…shortens nicely to Cera. Hmmm. I’d pronounce that as Sarah – would too many people read it as “Seerah”?
On July 21, 2010 at 6:06 pm BJ said...
Chicory?
On July 21, 2010 at 8:59 pm JulieB said...
My all-time favorite roadside flower — tied w. Queen Anne’s Lace! And, my favorite shade of blue — which is pretty dern close to Periwinkle – my favorite crayon (along with the now retired maize).
On July 21, 2010 at 10:55 pm Micki said...
Oh! I like! Chicory chick cherie cherie, something something in a bananika.
(-: Excuse me. But Chick is a kind of tough girl name. However, although I went through a herb phrase and recognize it as a blue flower, the idea of “coffee substitute” is the first thing that comes to mind.
Still, really like the name . . . .
On July 22, 2010 at 4:27 pm CrankyOtter said...
Hopefully this won’t nest too far and break the 214 comments…
“Chickery chick, cha-la, cha-la
Check-a-la romey in a bananika
Bollika, wollika, can’t you see
Chickery chick is me?”
Chicory definitely brings coffee to mind, not blue.
On July 23, 2010 at 5:23 am Micki said...
(-: Thank you!
On July 22, 2010 at 7:17 am Lora said...
I can handle all the V’s. Last year’s class, 9 of the 22 kids I taught had K names. If I can keep them straight, Vi and Vince ain’t nothin.
On July 21, 2010 at 6:07 pm Deb Z. said...
I think Vince is a keeper and I like Vi for the little girl. The world should be able to handle three V’s, but if you feel the need to change one, most dogs have two names that fit them.
On July 21, 2010 at 6:11 pm Alyssa Goodnight said...
I actually like True Blue. Is it too rhymey? Shade? Twilight?
That’s all I’ve got, coming late to the game as I am.
On July 21, 2010 at 6:12 pm Kira said...
Bridgit. Veronica could just as easily be a Bridgit, no?
On July 21, 2010 at 6:16 pm AgTigress said...
I don’t think I’d be particularly bothered by three V names, though I dislike the name ‘Vince’.
On July 21, 2010 at 6:54 pm Muria said...
I agree with the serveral people who have said since the characters are drastically different (man, girl, dog), the V’s wouldn’t mess me up too badly. Also, when I say them in my head (and I will), the fact that they SOUND different will help. And the fact that my grandmother’s name was Violet.
Locally, I have issues with three school buildings, all of which start with “H.” It took about two years after moving here to be able to keep them straight (and that was mostly because my son was going to one of them). It probably doesn’t help that they’re all 7-8 letters long. I think Veronica’s ok because it’s so much longer, and Vi’s ok because it’s distinctly shorter than Vince. If it were Vince and Violet, it might be a bigger problem.
I suppose I should put my opinion in the vote too, though.
On July 21, 2010 at 6:57 pm Muria said...
Forgot to mention, I’m probably immune to excessive V problems, as I’ve been reading the Vorkosigan series for the last 5 years or so. When half the characters’ last names start with “Vor”, it’s a little hard to complain about three measly V’s.
Admittedly, it was a lot harder to keep track of who was who for the first few readings, but the books are so awesome, it was worth the effort.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:58 pm Micki said...
(-: I KNEW there was a reason why I liked Vs . . . also the Bujold series had quite a few heroines name Ellie, Elena, Ekaterin . . . although, since they were all girlfriends, it wound up being quite a nice little theme.
Seriously, I don’t have a problem with the Vs. I think as long as you are aware of the problem, you’ll find ways to make it clear who is the man, who is the little girl, and who is the dog. (-: Unless they are all three involved in the fast-paced, action-packed finish . . . . I dunno.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:07 pm robena grant said...
If you want to keep the V sound, how about Eveline and call her Evie?
On July 21, 2010 at 7:27 pm Sheena said...
Call me old-fashioned, but what was Navy’s husband’s last name? Was there a reason they went with the mother’s surname and left him completely out of it? Just wondering. I don’t have a problem with the V names, but I do like Iris – it’s very pretty and snappy and homage to a great writer. Maybe I just like ‘i’ names, I also really like Indigo. or Pansy?
On July 21, 2010 at 8:30 pm Jenny said...
Navy was the son. He married Margot Wilcox. Their daughter is Violet Blue.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:04 am Kelly S said...
Thank you for explaining because I too was wondering why Navy didn’t take her husband’s name.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:30 pm SusanK said...
Did anyone mention Viridian Blue? I think it’s blue-green so she could be a little different from the rest of her family? They could refer to the choice darkly when she doesn’t turn out the way they expected!!!
And then there’s that classic baby name Methylene Blue. I also thought there was a Cyanide Blue but I couldn’t find a web reference to it.
On July 22, 2010 at 12:45 pm Jessie said...
Or perhaps, Thalo Blue. Thal, that sweet little girl down the street who is dressed just like her grandmother. I adore her little white gloves and pillbox hat.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:33 pm kyrathered said...
Can you call Violet .. Letty? It’s often short for Letticia (Leticia) but could work for Violet easily.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:37 pm SusanK said...
There is a chemical called Blue Vitriol. That would have to be a cabtankerous granny – Vitriol Blue.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:49 pm SusanK said...
cantankerous not cabtankerous – sorry, long day with non-thirsty minds.
On July 21, 2010 at 7:58 pm SusanK said...
Buxton Blue is an english cheese. Have you tried paint colours from paintshops? Found Wedgewood Blue, Midight Blue, Crayola Blue in online paint stores.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:17 pm KellyJ said...
I like Midnight Blue. They could call her Middie or Midney.
On July 21, 2010 at 8:49 pm Christine said...
Heaven. Wacky I know, but kind of lovely. Or if she is a serious girl – Indigo.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:08 pm Bonnie said...
I don’t consider all the V names confusing. But I grew up in a family with so many Bobs, Robs and Bonnie’s that I may be conditioned for large confusing casts of characters.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:10 pm Alyssa Goodnight said...
Just a thought: Twilight could be Twyla… Sold yet?
On July 21, 2010 at 9:23 pm GatorPerson said...
Vince and Vi are too close. BUT, if you start out calling her Violet and him Vincent and have a scene after they are established characters wherein there’s a BIG point made that she also goes by Vi and he by Vince, I think the problem goes away.
And surely there’s a Cruisie V joke in the story somewhere.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:27 pm Eve said...
if you feel it’s too many v’s, you could just change the dog’s name and all will right with the book.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:06 am Kelly S said...
Personally, the problem is with the Vi names. No need to change Veronica’s.
On July 21, 2010 at 9:45 pm Eleanor said...
I actually don’t think the number of V’s is confusing at all, but then again my family has several sets of sisters named Helen and Margaret–on both sides. But yes, change Violet’s name if you need to change one. Vince sounds like he was too hard to get right, and leaving Veronica out would just be so sad.
One of my best friends is named Skylar, and we call her Sky for short. Could be a way that Navy gets around the Blue tradition, pays homage to his sister, and still gives his kid a name that sounds normal enough that she won’t get beaten up on the playground.
But seeing as the point was to avoid confusion, maybe another Sky is not the best idea. How about Opal, Cyan, or even go the same way as the Robin’s Egg idea with Jemima Stone Blue (for Jem Stone Blue)? Better yet, name the kid River after River Tam.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:18 pm Kaetrin said...
I like Indigo, Indi for short. Also, what about Sage? (it’s kind of a green/blue).
On July 21, 2010 at 10:32 pm Lisa said...
I like the name Violet (or Vi) for the little girl. I also was going to suggest changing Vince’s name, but respect that the character is Vince, and no other. No disrespect to Veronica, but would she mind being referred to as Ronnie in the book?
On July 21, 2010 at 10:37 pm Jinx said...
I once ushered at a reunion at my college, where I was assigned to the Class of 1920 (or thereabouts), who were all wacky old sociable gals who loved those little bottles of booze you got from the airplanes, and cackled & guffawed & slapped knees with one another all through the solemn speeches. I remember being amazed at how many of them had flower names — Daisy, Violet, Iris, Pansy, Rose, Lily, Hazel — the list went on and on. I think the generational feel of Vi’s name is one of the variables you shouldn’t ignore. Some really pretty unique flower names have been suggested here — I really like Indigo and Salvia, for example — but they sound too selfconsciously modern to me. With a shortened oldfashioned name like Vi for Violet, you get a sort of Older Than Her Years feel that’s charming & interesting for a child.
How about giving Veronica one of those multi-word purebred dog names? Like Shawnees Pride Veronica Clay Brindle Beauty or something, and then let people bicker about which bits to drop to give her a REAL name?
On July 21, 2010 at 10:41 pm Dee said...
I voted for keeping them all, but if I were in your position, I’d be more apt to change the name of the dog. Just me. However, since Violet seems to be the first name on the chopping block, I’d like to put my vote in for Iris. (I like the flower names.) I do know a woman who has a nine month old named Sapphire. They call her Phire for short, so it’s not unheard of.
On July 21, 2010 at 10:53 pm Dee said...
I’ve also found Maya and Heather listed as shades of blue that are also “normal” names.
On July 21, 2010 at 11:51 pm Barbara (you don't have to call me Barb) said...
Years ago someone said that we shouldn’t use too many names that start with the same letter but I have broken that “rule” sometimes because a character name just seemed to fit them too well. Sounds like your names really work well and should be left alone.
I got Bluebonnet….then she’d be Blue Blue. (ducking)
On July 21, 2010 at 11:53 pm MJ said...
Count me among the easily confused. Please, not three Vs!
The Wikipedia page linked to above says Ceil is a pale blue color, though my Aunt Ceil certainly never mentioned that.
Like others above, I thought “True Blue.” Maybe Gertrude, and Tru for short?
Summer? Because some are Blue, some aren’t…nyuk nyuk.
On July 21, 2010 at 11:55 pm Ginny said...
Vince needs to stay since he is already in my head as a character. And I do like Vi but can you keep Veronica and give her a nickanme? For example my Simon is Sim Sallah Bim and Isabeau is Busy. I like Iris if you must change but how about Cerulean? Ceri (with a soft S sound) for short.
On July 21, 2010 at 11:58 pm Jenny said...
Actually, Veronica has always been Veronica. She’s not a nickname kind of dog. Actually, she’s not a dog kind of dog; I think she’s a reincarnated diva.
On July 22, 2010 at 12:02 am Ginny said...
Okay, VInce and Veronica are givens, then Capri for another blue choice. And I did know a Sapphire once. Her sister was Emerald. And my Dad had a friend named Mint Candy Green. His momma called him Mint Candy because he was so sweet.
On July 22, 2010 at 12:15 am Ginny said...
Sorry for the multiposts but my husband just chimed in with “Azula” since it is Spanish for blue. Lapis was another suggestion. Okay, that’s it! The DH is cut off. His last suggestion was Prussian Blue, Majorelle , Ultramarine and Brandeis (associated with Brandeis University). Myself, I like Marina for marine blue.
On July 22, 2010 at 1:01 am Clever Cherry aka Judy Long said...
I already posted about the V’s – not confused – keep them. This post is the fault of the people who mentioned Black Adder.
I am so the Black Adder fan. Favorite episode #1 – the queen had made him the royal executioner. He decided to execute everyone who was supposed to be executed throughout the week on Monday so he could have an easy week. The queen pardoned someone who was supposed to be executed on Friday but he had already executed him on Monday. Lmao
Favorite #2 – He thinks his manservant has burned Webster’s rough draft of the first ever dictionary so he tried to rewrite it in a night. He can’t get past aardvark. However, it doesn’t matter anyway cause the ms the manservant actually burned was Black Adder’s own novel. Incidentally, Webster didn’t even have aardvark in his dictionary. Again lmao
Kyra – thinking Steve the dog was Andrew’s partner in FI – lol. Reminds me of my grandmother who used to call my first husband Rocky which was not my first husband’s name but was the name of our dog!
On July 22, 2010 at 3:16 am Ingrid said...
Isn’t Webster the American dictionary?
As a Blackadder fan you will understand my fussiness: it was Dr. Johnson’s dictionary that Baldrick burned, or didn’t burn.
On July 22, 2010 at 7:08 pm Clever Cherry aka Judy Long said...
I stand corrected, Johnson not Webster. I couldn’t think of Baldrick’s name. It was bugging me, thanks!
On July 23, 2010 at 12:06 am kyrathered said...
I totally loved the way the writers were depicted in that episode!
On July 22, 2010 at 1:31 am Lois said...
I vote for Iris….blue and a flower when it was suggested in the first comment I thought wow that was an easy one…guess not! The one thing we know for sure is whatever you go with, we will all love and probably not even remember this thread and that other possible names were even mentioned!
On July 22, 2010 at 2:10 am Erin said...
Another crazy Blue idea– maybe when the daughter was born, no one else could agree on what to call her either, so they just kept calling her Baby. It stuck, and now she’s been Baby Blue all her life. I don’t know how this character figures in the story, but being Baby (let alone Baby Blue) would give anyone issues.
On July 22, 2010 at 12:27 pm Dee said...
I knew a grown man whose given name was Baby Boy. He was a frequent guest of the court where I worked. Issues, indeed.
On July 22, 2010 at 12:36 pm Ginny said...
Oh I’m sorry for that guy. We had a dog named Boy. It’s because they took so long to name him that he had named himself. “Here, Boy” “Fetch, Boy” “Sit, Boy”. By the same token, my friend’s dog was named “Dammit.”
On July 22, 2010 at 3:40 am colognegrrl said...
Don’t you wish you had never asked us this question? Now you have close to 200 different suggestions to ponder while you should be writing…
By the way, the French have also a “bleu Klein” which refers to the artist Yves Klein. He painted monochrome blue canvases in a special blend of ultramarine blue color which is supposed to have a hallucinogenic effect. (Just looked it up in Wikipedia and found out it’s internationally known as IKB.) But I’d resent it if that poor kid would be called Klein – particularly since it means ‘little’ in German.
On July 22, 2010 at 4:14 am Jenny said...
Hey, you’re doing my brainstorming for me. I like it.
Still not sure if I’m going to change it or not. Many things to consider here. But the discussion is excellent.
On July 22, 2010 at 4:51 am Brussel Sprout said...
I know an Indigo, and she is called Diggy for short. I’m not sure what your readers would think of all that;-)
On July 22, 2010 at 5:38 am Glynis said...
How about Heather? Heather blue is a color.
I mean if you decide that the V-names are too much.
On July 22, 2010 at 6:04 am caitlin said...
Cadmium Blue, could call her Caddie
Midnight Blue, Ni/Nigh (kind of like Vi)
Prussia Blue (from Prussian Blue)
Lazuli Blue (from Lapis Lazuli), could call her Laz, Li, etc.
Electric Blue, Eli
(really like Grey Blue from previous post)
On July 22, 2010 at 6:49 am francois said...
I wouldn’t mix those up because they’re different sexes and species.
Iris Blue?
(and I hadn’t even read the other comments before thinking of it!)
On July 22, 2010 at 6:58 am AgTigress said...
Going back to first principles, obviously those who are bothered by the proliferation of Vs (or any other letter) are ‘aural’ readers: you HEAR the words in your head as you read, right? But if you are a visual thinker, there is never any problem. Violet = picture of little girl; Vince = picture of adult bloke; Veronica = picture of blonde bombshell Dachshund. No room for confusion.
A lot of the differences of opinion between different readers come down to this issue of thinking-in-words/sounds as opposed to thinking-in-pictures. People who think in pictures are not necessarily poor at verbal skills, nor are verbal/aural thinkers necessarily unable to imagine things visually; we can all do both to some extent. Jenny herself is obviously adept at both visual and verbal thinking. But there is a basic, innate quality of thought that defines one’s initial approach. The moment I encounter a character in a novel, I SEE him/her in my mind’s eye; I am always immensely grateful if the author provides a visual description, because then I know that I am seeing something similar to what she imagined. The moment the picture exists, the name simply calls up that picture. I don’t hear the name in my head at all. Same with landscapes, interiors etc. I am going to make up a picture anyway, so it’s best if it corresponds with what the writer had in mind. (One of the reasons I disliked Don’t Look Down (I’m sorry, Jenny!) was that I simply couldn’t get the hang of the blasted landscape — not even how many *&^%$£ bridges there were. Spoilt the book for me, because I was constantly trying to adjust my picture of the setting and found it hard to concentrate on the action or even to understand some of it).
I suppose what I am saying is that you can’t please everyone — yes, I know, cliché of the month.
On July 22, 2010 at 11:02 am kyrathered said...
AgTigress … you speak wisdom!
On July 22, 2010 at 12:56 pm Jenny said...
It’s okay not to like DLD; no apologies necessary.
I agree that a lot of it chalks up to the way a person reads. Nice analysis. There’s also the fact that once people settle into a book, they don’t read every word, and even rudimentary skimming usually means reading only the first couple letters of each word and filling in the rest automatically. So VInce VEronica shouldn’t be a problem, but VInce VI would. Except that the context of the adult cop and the little girl might negate that. I did worry about ANdie ALice, but decided that as long the second letter was different (ANdie ANemone would never have worked).
But I talk myself into a lot of stuff, too.
On July 22, 2010 at 4:43 pm CrankyOtter said...
That’s good stuff, that is. I also make pictures, but my particular quirk is that my mental map of the area is almost always L/R mirror image reverse of what the author intended, with the rare exception of Robert Crais who is so careful with his places that the text always matches my imagined picture.
That said, I had no problems with the bridge scenery, only they might have been facing the wrong way now and again. Now that you brought it up, it’s there in my head again, clear as day.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:19 am Kelly S said...
Nice description. I’m an aural reader based on what AgT posted. I see words & especially names as a set of letters of a certain length plus sound. When trying to remember something, I have used the phrase, “it started with J and had a hard sound like Hank but with a J.”
On July 22, 2010 at 7:50 am savvy2 said...
I don’t think I’d have trouble as a reader with Violet/Vi and Vince in the same story becaue there’s not only the gender but the age difference. I’d change Veronica to a name with a similar feel, like Monica or something.
On July 22, 2010 at 8:27 am AgTigress said...
“I’d change Veronica to a name with a similar feel, like Monica or something.”
I don’t think ‘Monica’ has a similar feel to ‘Veronica’ at all! Totally different. And the Veronica Lake reference — the long, blonde waves — is essential for that particular Dachshund.
On July 22, 2010 at 4:17 pm savvy2 said...
Sorry, I thought Jenny was asking for everyone’s opinion, so I offered mine. And I think a lot of people don’t know who Veronica Lake is. Most of my family and friends don’t; she died 37 years ago, before they were born. And I never met this ‘particular’ Dachshund, though I’d like to; I love Dachshunds. But I will buy Jenny’s book, whatever names she chooses; I always do.
On July 22, 2010 at 5:07 pm Jenny said...
I was asking for everybody’s opinion. No worries.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:24 am Kelly S said...
savvy2, I don’t know who Veronica Lake is either. I keep confusing her, Veronica, with the character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, who is actually Veruca Salt. Not even a Veronica. Or there’s Archie comic strip and we now have a brunette Veronica too.
On July 22, 2010 at 8:12 am Carol-Ann said...
I’m fine with all the V names; I grew up in a family filled with Brians – my dad, a 1st cousin and an uncle (mum’s brother). On my dad’s side every other male is a Brian – Brian Gerard, Brian Patrick, Brian Sean, you get the gist!
Then when I started working in my current job there were 3 Rosemary’s Rose T, Rosie W and Rosemary H, then Rosemarie came along to confuse even further. And a co-worker’s 3 nieces names all begin with L.
So I can cope with the Vs
On July 22, 2010 at 8:26 am Cheri said...
I looked up blue flowers and found a couple possible names -
Iris
Lupine
Salvia
Liriope
Blue flowered salvia has been a favorite annual in my summer garden for years and while it isn’t a real name it could be shorted to Sally. Crusie characters tend to have names that diminish in an interesting way, like Minerva/Min, so maybe Liriope/Liri or Lupina/Lupi would be more fun.
On July 22, 2010 at 9:36 am Mikaela said...
I am not confused. But then my parents decided to stick to the letter M for names. Plus I went to school with four Saras, 2 Andreas (and one andre), and two henrik.. So I am used to multiple names
On July 22, 2010 at 9:47 am Bethany said...
I had thought the Violet thing was a cute tie-in to Lavender since they’re both shades of purple. So long as they’re not all in multiple scenes together it should be ok. Maybe Andie at one point can call Vi Veronica to illustrate the possible confusion.
On July 22, 2010 at 12:57 pm Jessie said...
I thought Andie was in Maybe This Time?
On July 22, 2010 at 4:05 pm Bethany (Betty Clawed) said...
Crap. You’re right. I pulled the wrong name out of my head. Can I plead exhaustion from being home with my parents for a few days?
On July 23, 2010 at 12:27 am Kelly S said...
Absolutely! Parents are as tiring as children.
Someone mentioned lilac. It’s a nice blue-purply color that could be a normal name.
Lily?
On July 22, 2010 at 10:23 am Mary Stella said...
Someone suggested Celestial Blue. Could she be a Celeste for short?
On July 22, 2010 at 10:47 am MJ said...
AgTigress, I don’t see people or hear words. I’m letter-based. The character, in my mind, looks like the initial letter of his or her name. I thought this was weird until I found out my daughter is the same way.
More name possibilities: Glory, as in morning glory. Brooke. Or Alexandria–there is a famous stamp called the Alexandria Blue Boy, tied to a romantic story from the 1800s.
Eh, I’m reaching. But it’s fun to think about.
On July 22, 2010 at 11:45 am AgTigress said...
“The character, in my mind, looks like the initial letter of his or her name”.
How intriguing! I hadn’t heard of that. How do you envisage people whose full names and nicknames/abbreviated names start with different letters, like an Elizabeth who is also often called Beth or Betty?
To me, whole words are actually pictures in themselves, diagrams of meanings rather than sounds, which is why Violet and Vince(nt) look totally different to me as words, let alone as images of people. And why Hund, chien, ci, cane, canis, kyne and dog all work the same on me, because each and every one, naturally, calls up a picture of a dog.
In a novel, I can get confused at first if there are two characters who look similar but have totally different names: two tall, dark-haired men with blue eyes could trip me up, even if one is called Bob and the other Marmaduke.
On July 22, 2010 at 4:31 pm MJ said...
I’m jealous, AgT, of your ability to fully visualize a character. I can never keep straight which person is supposed to be blonde or brunette, unless the author makes a big deal about it.
If Elizabeth/Beth/Betty is sharp and clever, she’s more of an “E” to me; soft and sweet, a “B.” And if more than one character has a specific initial, the other letters trail after it in my brain, sometimes with a physical characteristic superimposed. So Harry Potter is an “Har” with a lighting bolt hovering nearby, because JKR mentioned his scar so often. Hermione is “Herm” with a faint halo of bushy brown hair.
You may be amused to know that as a character in this blog, you appear to me as an “Ag” with a pair of wireframe spectacles hovering nearby, and a faint image of encyclopedias in the background.
On July 22, 2010 at 11:18 am SusanK said...
I think ‘V’ names would be fine – your people usually become such distinct characters in your books that I think it would be unlikely the reader would be muddled. However, I did look for others (still on paint charts) and found Ondine Blue and Venetian Blue. I really liked Ondine – it sounds like an old-fashioned girl’s name.
On July 22, 2010 at 11:29 am SusanK said...
More reasons to like Ondine: “Ondines or undines ((unda — a wave) Fr. Mermaid) are elementals, enumerated as the water elementals in works of alchemy by Paracelsus. They also appear in European folklore as fairy-like creatures; the name may be used interchangeably with those of other water spirits.”
So it originates from a word for ‘wave’. It’s basically Wave Blue, but prettier!
On July 22, 2010 at 12:08 pm glee said...
Haven’t read all the suggestions yet, but there was a lovely woman named Amy Blue who was a highly respected administrator at Stanford about 30 years ago. She passed away early and left a big hole in many people’s lives. So, when I hear Blue, I think Amy.
On July 22, 2010 at 1:39 pm Cole said...
Has anyone else noticed that while people are saying they couldn’t keep track of that many V names — they are! No one has actually mixed up the dog and the kid for instance in any of the posts.
My two cents is to stick with the original names. Especially if you are shortening Violet to Vi.
On July 22, 2010 at 1:57 pm Margaret said...
Personally, I’d change Vince. I know – invincible for a hero and Vince Vaughn as a place holder might be hard to give up – but that’s an easy fix and Vinny isn’t a nickname for a hero that doesn’t look like John Pesce. Or the girls name could be Mauve, Tyrian ( a shade of purple), Orchid or Lilac.
On July 22, 2010 at 2:06 pm Absolute Cherry said...
I have to admit I’d have some trouble with that many V’s . But if you’re thinking about renaming the little girl, I love Periwinkle and Peri for a nickname. The first is lovely and old fashioned, and the second is just quirky and cute. And to open an entirely new can of worms: what if the mom is a first or second generation American with European roots, and she compromises with the family tradition by giving her daughter a bluish name in her native language? Indigo translated in Portuguese is Roxo, Teal translated into Spanish is Trullo, and translated into Dutch it’s Wintertaling or Winnie for short. You could do this forever…
On July 22, 2010 at 2:41 pm Jenny said...
Mom is white bread Senator’s daughter. Part of the plot.
On July 22, 2010 at 8:04 pm JulieB said...
Ah, so really, even Periwinkle is a stretch. Keep Violet. Move on.
On July 22, 2010 at 2:53 pm Ingrid said...
I do not believe many Dutch-speaking people would name their daughter after a duck. And if they did, I don’t think the Registry Office would let them, on account of cruelty to the child who would get picked on at school. No connection to colour either in Dutch, sorry. Also, isn’t teal a shade of green?
On July 23, 2010 at 5:31 am Micki said...
Blue-green is teal. (-: But this makes a very funny translation story! I forgot that a teal was also a kind of duck.
Barely tangential, but some male ducks have the prettiest metallic blue feathers . . . .
On July 23, 2010 at 6:45 am Ingrid said...
It always looks green to me. But then I often quarrel with people about whether something is more blue or more green.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teal_(color)
On July 22, 2010 at 2:16 pm marly said...
Once I started thinking about it, I just kept coming up with “Blue” male names like Royal. Or Slate Blue, Steel Blue…hmmm. Sounds a little Chippingdale. I’m sure someone’s already mention Beryl Blue. That sounds a little highgerflutin. It’s kind of nice, though, and it’s the mineral name for Aquamarine. Oh, there’s Marina. That’s nice, too.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:31 am Kelly S said...
Aquamarine and call her Mary
On July 22, 2010 at 2:19 pm SamG said...
I don’t think it is too many ‘V’s’. If you want to change it, can you introduce the correct/full names and then use nicknames. You know, Veronica just become ‘Nica or Roni?
Sam
On July 22, 2010 at 2:20 pm SamG said...
Oh crud. I needed a ‘?’ in there, not a ‘.’. So sorry.
On July 22, 2010 at 2:42 pm Jenny said...
The punctuation police will be stopping by. Once they’re finished with Ag.
On July 22, 2010 at 2:29 pm Jessie said...
Periwinkle. Well, it is the common name for vinca minor, which I had not realized had a common name since everyone I know calls it vinca. I always thought that periwinkle referred just to those little snails. I should have known better.
On July 22, 2010 at 2:44 pm Jenny said...
So it’s still a V name. Although I do love vinca the plant. So cheerful and sturdy that even I can’t kill it. Hmmm. I like that. She’s a sturdy little girl.
On July 22, 2010 at 2:59 pm Ingrid said...
Vinca and Vince. We have managed to get the names even closer. That will really confuse everyone.
On July 22, 2010 at 8:06 pm JulieB said...
Um, yeah, what Ingrid said. I think that’s a step back; although I’m ready to steal the name Vinca for someone sometime. Vinca and Lark.
On July 22, 2010 at 9:23 pm Jenny said...
Vinca is yours. I was thinking more of a secret name; her real name would be Periwinkle. Except that’s so cute. I dunno, still thinking. With much to think about, thanks to everybody here.
On July 22, 2010 at 2:49 pm SusanK said...
I keep thinking of names that are better suited to eccentric family members – went back to Methylene Blue who is an aunt who shortened her name to ‘Ethyl’ as soon as she could. And Buxton Blue (the english cheese) is a city politician – something minor and officious. Wedgewood Blue moved away as an adult because schoolmates could never stop calling him Wedgie. You really should invent a host of eccentric relatives so you can use lots of the fabulous suggestions I’ve read on the list!
On July 22, 2010 at 2:52 pm Kira said...
The cat in Blues Clues is called Periwinkle. They call her Peri. She wants to be a magician.
Violet is only 2 syllables – is there a reason to abbreviate it? It’s such a pretty name.
On July 22, 2010 at 4:38 pm Ginny said...
Periwinkle is a boy. Weird but true.
On July 22, 2010 at 8:07 pm JulieB said...
I think it can be two or three syllables. I _think_ I say it with three.
On July 22, 2010 at 9:23 pm Jenny said...
Vi-oh-let. It’s three for me, too, although I run them together.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:11 am kyrathered said...
I’m southern, and like Kira (nice name, btw) I say it with 2 syllabuls … Vie-lit
On July 23, 2010 at 12:35 am Kelly S said...
I’m 2 syllables too, but a mid-westerner so Vie-let.
BTW, I’m also pronouncing Vi as Vie. I trust everyone is?
On July 22, 2010 at 3:39 pm Hellie said...
Love Violet. (Not a fan of Vince, but I’m sure you’ll make it work. You do like the quirky male name as well.) Can Veronica go? (The name, obviously not the dog. Can it be called “Ronnie” or something else, if you’re worried about too many V names. Miranda or Rita or Betty–for some reason, Veronica makes me think of Veronica Lake, so I picture this dog must be a reincarnated glamour girl from the 40s. Strictly speaking I can typically keep names straight, even if an author repeats letters, so long as the characters are distinct behaving.)
On July 22, 2010 at 5:05 pm Jenny said...
http://www.arghink.com/2008/01/03/wolfie-is-fredric-march/
On July 22, 2010 at 10:29 pm Hellie said...
Okay, that’s freaky because I swear to you I didn’t read that particular blog. (Though I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s ever thought of Veronica Lake when the name Veronica is mentioned…)
On July 23, 2010 at 5:34 am Micki said...
(-: You must keep Veronica. Such a nice inside joke (-:.
On July 23, 2010 at 2:34 pm Jacie said...
Fredric March is one of my favorite movie stars of all time. LOVE him.
On July 22, 2010 at 3:44 pm samantha said...
How about Winter Blue. It could be shortened to Win or Wynn.
On July 22, 2010 at 3:50 pm Diane said...
Dani? (For Danube although the little girl tells everyone that her name is Danielle?) Probably too funky for the mother though. *sigh*
On July 22, 2010 at 3:51 pm marly said...
I love the last name “Blue”. Lavender Blue is a great name. So is Violet and Navy Blue. Would either of them shorten the name to Vi? Vi Blue. A lot of people might hear Why Blue? Maybe it’s the one syllable first name and one syllable last name. Navy, Lavender and Skye might have ended up with occasional descriptive nick-names, too. Moody Blue, True Blue, Turn Blue… I’d like to know someone whose last name is Blue.
On July 22, 2010 at 4:45 pm marly said...
Punctuation Police? I think it’s supposed to be, “So ARE Violet and Navy Blue.”. Turning myself in. Why, yes – I think you might need those handcuffs…
On July 22, 2010 at 4:39 pm Susan said...
I love Violet. Vince, I’m not so crazy about (doesn’t attach itself to “cute” for me). And having a V-dog name is a little too precious for me. And, yeah, I’d start confusing Veronica with Violet and go “Why is our heroine eating kibble now?”
Just my half a cent.
)
Sounds like you’re having a blast writing–yay!
-S.
On July 22, 2010 at 5:15 pm clew said...
I love the three V’s; Veni, Vidi, Vici.
On July 22, 2010 at 6:40 pm AgTigress said...
MJ said to me, “You may be amused to know that as a character in this blog, you appear to me as an “Ag” with a pair of wireframe spectacles hovering nearby, and a faint image of encyclopedias in the background”.
Thought I’d better not hit the reply button (the ‘nesting’ problem), but I have to tell you, MJ, that there is something in your system of visualisation, because that image is pretty close! My computer glasses are, indeed, wire-framed, and there are lots and lots of bookshelves right behind me: not actual encyclopaedias, but masses of reference books (the fiction shelves are in other rooms).
Now I’m worrying that I am sitting here in my rather tatty old nightdress, and pyschic forum contributors may be able to see me…
On July 22, 2010 at 9:24 pm Jenny said...
Well, we do now.
On July 22, 2010 at 9:40 pm Merry said...
For the record, I am tall and slim, with long luxurious locks that tumble over my nubile shoulders and elegantly fashionable outfit.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:14 am kyrathered said...
Since we’re mentioning it … I look remarkably like Jane Russell but with long red hair
On July 23, 2010 at 5:38 am Micki said...
What a co-incidence! Me too — I look like Merry and Kyrathered! LOLOL!
OK, try short, and pudgy with lovely red hair and wire-rimmed glasses, surrounded by books and paper.
I have to say, developing ESP would probably make the internet even more fun (-:. But the Rule 34 sites probably wouldn’t work nearly as well.
On July 22, 2010 at 6:58 pm JO said...
I’ve always like both the color and the name Cerulean Blue, Lynn or Lea to shorten it. Another blue is Cobalt, Cob for short! tehehehe
On July 22, 2010 at 7:17 pm Clever Cherry aka Judy Long said...
I feel so sorry for the person who couldn’t enjoy Don’t Look Down. I still come out with a SUFFERIN SAPPHO sometimes!
On July 23, 2010 at 12:39 am Kelly S said...
I accept your pity. I still don’t get the ending. Maybe a 3rd time would be a charm?
On July 23, 2010 at 7:50 pm Clever Cherry aka Judy Long said...
Sufferin Sappho Kelly please don’t read a book you don’t like 3 times. Even a Crusie. There are way too many books you can like out there. If my tbr list gets any longer I’m going have to come back a second time just to read.
On July 23, 2010 at 11:11 pm Kelly S said...
While it isn’t my favorite, I don’t mind it. The first time I read it and was really confused by the ending. Was the guy who brought the hero into the story in on the plot from the beginning? Then why bring in the hero? If he wasn’t but crossed the bad guy makes more sense that he’d take out one of the bad guys in the river. Was the actress in on it? She had the gun but she was taken away with the good guys like she was a good guy. I didn’t get it. So, when I spontaneously road tripped to Ohio to see Jenny, Lani/Lucy, and Krissie/Anne for a Dog & Goddesses signing, I downloaded DLD to my mp3 player and listened to it on the 4+ hour drive. (The plus was especially on the way home as it was snowing in MI.) Anyway, a little better but still a little uncertain. I did appreciate learning about the Jeep faeries at the book signing. It explained one off thing in the book. Cruise/Mayer partnership got much better with Agnes. Although Bob’s parts are still a little off for me.
On July 22, 2010 at 9:23 pm GatorPerson said...
Somebody said Cadmium. Only if it’s a really mean person, since cadmium is lethal. More than one person said Iris, but irises come in blue, white, purple, yellow, and probably more colors than that. Umm, Cobalt isn’t as dangerous as cadmium, but it’s nothing to mess around with. Somebody mentioned Ciel or somesuch. Cielo is Italian for sky.
Have I been ugly enough? Maybe it’s bedtime.
On July 22, 2010 at 10:27 pm Kavi said...
Teal Blue (Tillie as a nickname?)
Royal Blue (might be much for a little girl.. but if she’s a sturdy little thing…and was nicknamed Ro maybe?)
Indigo Blue (Indie for short)
Tanzanite (Tazzie?) might be a bit much too..
Cornflower Blue (Corn, haha )
Light Blue
Wild Blue
thats my brainstorming for the day
On July 22, 2010 at 10:39 pm Kavi said...
sacre blue/bleu
On July 22, 2010 at 11:38 pm Kelly S said...
Not finished reading the comments, but I will say that I don’t have a problem keeping Veronica, Vince, and Violet straight in my head. They all sound different. I will/do have a challenge with Vi. Both Vince and Violet can be shortened to Vi and I suspect I will confuse the two. Even knowing it is to be Vince and Vi, doesn’t help. Plus, as a nickname for a little girl, Vi rhymes with die and I can just imagine the teasing she’d get. So, if you don’t change Violet to one of the many other excellent names suggested, just don’t abbreviate it.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:08 am Mariana said...
Pity you can’t do something with the cheese idea — Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola (male–would have to pretend his name was Gordon…) silly. Stilton has a certain dignity, though.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:14 am Merry said...
I don’t want to nest this comment in with the relevant comments, for fear of breaking the blog. But:
- I must say that I am relieved to learn that other people skim-read to the point where two “Vi”characters would be a problem, while a “Ve” character would not.
- Also, it’s good to know that other people picture a mirror image of the scene the writer is describing.
- Plus, it’s good to know that I could mention any particular dislikes about a particular book without being seen as dissing the whole Crusie Canon. I don’t plan to broadcast any dislikes (not until I have some, so be prepared for a good long wait), but it’s good to know that I could do so.
On July 23, 2010 at 8:22 am Jenny said...
Well, of course. How am I going to get better if you don’t point out the weak spots.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:44 am Kelly S said...
Thanks Merry.
I too am starting worry about the comments. I have contributed my fair share, to be sure, but I think we’re nearing 250. Not that much nesting, but still…
Also, put my answer in the poll. Doesn’t bother is ahead at 73% with 27% saying it will confuse us. This has me wondering, what percentage of people saying it will confuse them would be enough to sway you that it does need to change? Because I’m thinking it might not need to win to be enough confused people that you’d like to help them. After all, you thought of it yourself.
On July 23, 2010 at 1:45 am Jill said...
I voted for too many Vs.
Vermillion=Millie (not strong enough)
Moon=Moon, Blue.
Violet=Lettie (not strong enough)
On July 23, 2010 at 2:17 am Louis said...
Kelly S…
Don’t worry about the comment count.
Way back in the “He wrote/She wrote” days the count reached over 400 on a “blank” comment by Bob.
On July 23, 2010 at 11:12 pm Kelly S said...
Awesome!
On July 23, 2010 at 3:13 am Ingrid said...
I’m getting confused. Surely vermillion is a bright red colour? We are still looking for a shade of blue, aren’t we?
On July 23, 2010 at 4:10 am Eleanor said...
Yep. Kinda orangey, too, I think.
If the Senator connection is central to the plot though, could something happen where the first name is reddish, middle whiteish, and the last name Blue?
if you real want to hit the threshold for corny/childhood trauma?
On July 23, 2010 at 5:36 am Ingrid said...
Like Scarlet Blanche Blue?
On July 23, 2010 at 5:41 am Micki said...
snorkle. Scarlet Blanche Blue. That should be in a book somewhere. Maybe one of the kids named their poodle that, and kool-aid-dye her to match?
On July 23, 2010 at 9:41 am Gabriella Papic (WRW2004) said...
On a marine theme: Marina (from the Latin Marinus…from the sea)
On July 23, 2010 at 9:52 am Christine said...
I don’t think the Vs would bother me, but I think there are other possibilities when it comes to names – at least for Violet. If you wanted to go with the flower theme – I’m pretty sure that Hollyhocks can be blue (mine haven’t blossomed yet) and it could be shortened to Holly, Lily could also work. My Lilacs are bluish… As I am listening to P!NK, I think that another colour to mesh with the Blue would be nice. Scarlet Blue, Crimson Blue, Cherry Blue all have very nice rings to them.
Dog names just can’t change, which is why I own a dog named Onslow.
On July 23, 2010 at 10:39 am Victoria said...
I don’t have problems keeping the V’s apart. Especially if you use Vi, Vince and Veronica. The “i” in Violet and Vince are pronounced differently. Plus, the combo of word length and gender/species sets them apart nicely, but then, I’m a visual & audio reader.
What I have problems with on the page and in real life are the near sound-alikes. Like Emily and Amelia, my nieces and two very different girls.
On July 23, 2010 at 10:41 am Rachel said...
I would definitely get confused with Vince and Violet, especially if you’re using “Vi” for Violet. It’s not so much too many Vs, as two names starting with Vi.
On July 23, 2010 at 10:43 am Meredith B. said...
While the name speculation is nearly endlessly fascinating, I really don’t think you have too many Vs, Jenny. Do you have a list somewhere of characters that actually appear in this book by name? What’s the percentage of Vs?
On July 23, 2010 at 10:57 am Meredith B. said...
And I guess the other questions to ask are, “How much page time do they get?” and “How memorable are they?”
If you really want to get away from the Vs, I do think Tiffany is the closest that we’ve gotten to a quite nice, very normal name for ‘blue.’ The name hasn’t gone out of style any time in the last thirty years, and the association of the name with the color hasn’t really waned much either. The only downside I see is that there’s no easy nickname.
Have you asked Violet what she thinks of the whole thing?
On July 23, 2010 at 12:59 pm Jenny said...
Violet likes her name.
They get a lot of page time. Each one has his or her own subplot.
On July 23, 2010 at 12:58 pm Jenny said...
Yep a long list. I usually have about seventeen characters but I think there’s more here. These are the only V’s.
On July 24, 2010 at 1:02 am Meredith B. said...
Then in light of the above, I think you’re safe. There’s a dramatic length difference between “Vi” and “Vince,” and I think even “Violet” looks different enough from “Vince” that you should be okay. I mean, look at the relative positions of the tall and short letters, and the round and narrow letters. I think the readers will almost immediately start scanning through for that tall ‘l’, and I think it will be almost subconscious. I could be wrong, though– I don’t have the manuscript in front of me. Maybe you should ask your draft readers.
On July 23, 2010 at 1:33 pm Laura said...
All I have to say is that life is filled with people and pets whos names begin with the same letter and yet we somehow manage to keep them straight. My step-sister recently married a guy with the same first name as both of their fathers, who she calls by their first names – that is weird and is hard to keep track of in conversation. Having 5 Brians in your life – brother, friend, neighbor, friend’s fiance, and classmate- is confusing. Having three distinct people/animals with names that begin with the first letter, but are otherwise dissimilar, should not cause people huge amounts of difficulty unless they are just scanning the book instead of reading it.
On July 23, 2010 at 2:12 pm Jacie said...
Trudy
Then she would be “Tru Blue”
On July 23, 2010 at 4:13 pm Thea said...
Delft.
Although, really, Violet. The names sings.
On July 23, 2010 at 4:19 pm McB said...
Ah, Bob’s non-post post. Those were the days. I still suspect he did that deliberately.
I think I’m in the visual reader category AgTigress described. When I read a really good book its a lot like watching a play from the middle of the stage with everything happening around me. So characters with the same initial aren’t a problem for me. More of a problem is when names have a similar rhythm. Throw Eddie and Freddie at me and I’ll never keep them straight. Or Ruth and Rose. But Vince, Violet and Veronica each have a different feel, different beats. Also, the names represent different kinds of people in my head. Veronica makes me think of a slightly pushy society deb. Violet is quieter, and is either a little girl who is smarter than the adults around here, or one of those sneaky, little old ladies who can see right through you while appearing oh so innocent.
And Vince is a guy. A guy’s guy. Vince may or may not be the hero type, but he’s pretty solid. A Vince is like a Sam, but less snooty than a Mark (with apologies to all the perfectly nice Marks out there).
Of course, in my extended family we have Jims, Jimmys, JJs and Jameses and it doesn’t seem to be a problem.
On July 24, 2010 at 11:05 am Sure thing said...
According to a twin names site I just found while trying to help Lani rename her heroine Ione means Violet. Ione and Violet – Ione means “violet” in Greek. I’m not sure I’d like to have twins to have the same names in different languages.
So, while the Vs don’t bother me – my vote is for IONE for the little girl.
On July 24, 2010 at 11:36 am KLC said...
What about Isabelle? Bell for short, like bluebells? Just a thought…
On July 24, 2010 at 2:45 pm jude said...
I can’t think of any non-nuts names, and my favs (Cerulean, Sapphire, Azure) have already been mentioned. I like the vibe of “Moody.” I like “Dark,” “Storm/y.”
If you hadn’t specified non-nuts, I’d put forth “Almost” as a first name for a Blue.
On July 26, 2010 at 1:00 pm Mariana said...
I’m not bothered by all the V’s — I have confidence in Jenny’s writing. Besides, if you are worried about being confused by names, consider Wilkie Collins’s Armadale, which has four (count ‘em, 4) characters named Alan Armadale. Vince, Violet, and Veronica are nothing in comparison.
On July 28, 2010 at 11:25 pm Ritu said...
I agree with the too many V’s confusion. How about these names
Plum
Mauve
Opal – a blue stone?
Summer
Orchid
My favorite is Opal, nice and young !!
plus cant wait for MTT..it’s out on my birthday!!
On August 1, 2010 at 6:40 pm KerryK said...
How about Flow Blue in homage to the china. Can be shortened to Flo which is an old fashion name.