''I try to get the right people assembled, give them right-sounding names and then I'm off and running. The characters have to interact. Sometimes, when there's a confrontation, I don't know which way it's going to turn out -- which character is going to come out of the house alive. Eventually, the character has to tell me." --Elmore Leonard

So what's in a name? How do you choose the right name and traits appropriate for your time period and setting?  Do you whip them out of thin air or have a favorite web site or book you visit when getting everyone assembled?  Because like the quote said they have to have "right-sounding names" before you can get off and running. 

Here are a few web sites for naming characters and finding the right character traits:

http://www.jobev.com/regname.html

Regency names

http://www.jobev.com/webnames.html

Medieval names

http://www.babynamer.com/

Baby namer.  Find the best name for your baby.

http://www.gurusoftware.com/gurunet/personal/factors.htm

Traits of Human Consciousness

http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/web/2000/kochan/charactertraits.html

Scroll through the list of character traits.  If you need to read the definition, just click on the word to link to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/writing/resource/2669.html

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/writing/resource/2669.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/572719/the_name_generator_for_writers_list.html?cat=15

The Name Generator for Writers List - Serious and Funny Random Name Generators from Fantasy, WOW, & DND to Celebrity Babies and More

Today is Toasted Marshmallow Day. What does that have to do with Regency England? Probably nothing...but I did begin to wonder about the marshmallow itself.  Who thought up this candied concoction that my husband and granddaughter love so much?  Wondering minds want to know.  I had to find out.

Did you know the marshmallow first came into being as a medicinal substance?  Extracts from the root of the marsh mallow plant were praised as a soothing remedy for sore throats.  Other parts of the plant were prepared for additional medical uses as well.

The ancient Egyptians used the marshmallow to make candy.  The recipe called for the sap of the marsh mallow plant, nuts and honey.  Then early 19th century France candy makers whipped the sap and sweetened it to make a confection very similar to today's marshmallow, however, it was very labor intensive.  By the late 19th century, they had changed the recipe adding eggs and gelatin, which then required a more industrial method of production.  And the modern marshmallow was on it's was to being born!

There is lots of great information out there, if you want to know more.

A friend of mine & I were talking the other day about our deepest fears.  Hers…snakes.  Her fear is so deep, she makes a thorough check of her bedroom every night for the slithery foes.  She checks under her bed, in her closets—everywhere a snake could hide. She and her sister used to tease each other when they were small that the thing they feared the most was how they would die.  Her sister was most afraid of knives.

Of course while we were talking, it brought back one of my childhood fears.  (When I tell people this it usually brings them to tearful laughter.)  I clearly remember every night opening my closet door and searching under my bed because I knew the thing I feared most was hiding there waiting for the lights to go out so they could pop out and get me.  Don’t laugh now this is the serious fear of a young girl...Cowboys and Indians.  That’s right, I just knew there were Cowboys and Indians hiding under my bed waiting to jump out and get me.  There were many nights when I was terrified to go to sleep (although the closet and bed had been checked) overactive imagination I guess.  Don’t ask me when I finally outgrew this silly fear or why it even began in the first place, but at the time it was very real.  Now, like I said, it brings people to tearful laughter.  But remember when creating your characters, these are the type of idiosyncrasies that can make them seem so real. 

Jane Austen's World has a very informative blog about privies and water closets during the Regency.  If you have ever wondered you should pop over there and take a peep. 

http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/privies-and-water-closets-by-david-j-eveleigh-a-review/