Today is my stop during the blog tour for Secret of the Souls by Terri Rochenski. There is a guest post from the author and a tour wide giveaway!
Secret of the Souls (Pool of Souls #2)
by Terri Rochenski
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: October 6, 2014
Blurb:
Thrust out of their homes by a human High Priest on a vengeful mission, the Natives of Derlund no longer have a place to call their own. One escaped capture, however, and now she, Hyla, is the only one who can save her people.For, Hyla, though, saving her nation isn’t her ultimate goal—returning to the Pool of Souls is. Becoming its Guardian and preserving their faith is her heart’s desire. The perils of her current journey, though, could leave her unable to fulfill that dream.
To find her way back to the Pool, Hyla must live among dangerous, powerful humans willing to defend the Natives, and must submit herself—her Talents—to them. While her protection is paramount, plots to end Hyla’s life will push her to her physical and emotional limits.
On the edge of sanity, her courage tested, and convictions nearly broken, Hyla’s final test of loyalty to her faith comes with the death of one she could have loved.
You can add Secret of the Souls to your to-read list on Goodreads.
You can buy Secret of the Souls here:
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo
And now for the guest post! I asked Terri how she came up with the names for her characters!
How I come up with names for characters
For me, character names come from anywhere – my brain, baby name books, peeps I know, names I’ve always loved. For my fantasy stories I find a funky, lesser known name and maybe change a letter or two to make it even more…well, fantasy-like!
I’ve never been a fan of long names that a reader couldn’t possibly pronounce – enter Xandflinkerfier stage left. Therefore, I keep it simple. The less syllables, the better, IMO.
World building is a bit different. I pull out a world map book, go to some country I’ve never heard of, close my eyes, and point. The city name closest to my finger tip gets a slight one or two letter change makeover.
SO original, I know.
In Sacrificial Oath, I wanted the world to have a Turkish flavor, so I used the map of Turkey.
My WiP, Crystal Portal, a planned stand-alone adult fantasy, the world is similar to Tuscany. Thus, Italy’s map – and I’m choose more Italian-sounding character names as well. Gotta be consistent!
How about you? How do you choose names?
And the first book in this series Eye of the Souls is on sale for only 0.99! Get your copy from Amazon.
About the Author:
Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with storytelling.
Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her three young children allow. When not playing toys, picking them back up, or kissing boo-boos, she can be found sprawled on the couch with a book or pencil in hand, and toothpicks propping her eyelids open.
You can find Terri online here:
– Website
– Blog
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
And there’s a tour wide giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much for hosting me today!!
You’re welcome!