Today, bilingual author Katharina Gerlach is touring for the release of her latest novel, Swordplay! I love Katharina’s detailed and unique worlds, so I asked her to tell me a little about how she planned her newest series, and she wrote this post about how she comes up with her names. Read on to find out more about the book, and make sure to go to the end for a giveaway!

Worldbuilding Names

Have you ever realized how important names in a novel’s world are? Take Harry Potter’s world as an example. The main character’s name is ordinary but not too blunt. It signifies how ordinary Harry sees himself. Brilliant Hermione, on the other hand, got a name to fit a character that’s unusually intelligent. What does that tell us about Ron? Yup, boring… but with hidden context. After all, Ron is really the shortened version of Ronald, and according to a baby name site, it means: Mighty counselor/ruler in Scottish. Another role fitting name, don’t you think?

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