It’s Friday!!!

Over at the Scribble Chicks blog, we’re talking about home offices and how we get started. Which got me thinking about some of the things I use every day while I write! So, I thought I’d dig through my desk and share some of my favorites over the next few Fridays.

Here’s the first one! It’s The Name Book, by Dorothy Astoria:

The Name Book: Over 10,000 Names, Their Meanings, Origins, and Spritual Significance

This is by far the BEST resource for naming characters! (Other than my infamous name contest, that is!) 🙂 I have used this book nearly on a daily basis since my grandmother gave me it for my fourteenth birthday (thanks Nama!). Mine does not look as nice as the one in the picture – 10 years of flipping through this book in search of the perfect name has left it kind of sad and tattered looking. Oh well – you can tell it’s been well-read!

What I love about this book is each name has multiple spellings – it’s actually one of the few name books to have my name spelled correctly! 😉 And, it has the origin, the inherent meaning, spiritual connotation and a Bible verse to go along with each name.

A few characters that I’ve written about exist just because I saw their name in this book. Laurie Holbrook? Yep. Brandon Knox? Yups. Or my favorite? Ryan Palmer? Yuppers. 🙂

Here’s a sample of one of the names (and actually, the main character in my upcoming series!):

MAYA, Mayah
(see also Maia, Maija, Mia, Miya)
Language/Cultural Origin: Latin
Inherent Meaning: Esteemed
Spiritual Connotation: Honored
Scripture: Psalm 143:8 TLB
“Let me see your kindness to me in the morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk, for my prayer is sincere.”

So, you can see how this is way inspiring! Look at that verse! I immediately knew Maya would be struggling with how to trust God with all her heart.

If you click on the title of The Name Book, it will take you right to Amazon so you can order your own copy. Or, you might be able to find it in your local Christian bookstore. Either way, it comes highly recommended. If you are an author like me who struggles to find the perfect name for characters, your copy of this will be tattered and dog-eared just like mine soon enough!

Hope you are all having a great day!