Ka-what? Kashaynu. Yes, I know, what a name. He’s a Seeker in our Persis Chronicles series and I adore names, especially ones that sound good rolling off the tongue but that aren’t familiar. Kashaynu, Zeteya, Bakraynu… Rachel jokes that you can always tell the characters she named, because they have names like Brock, or Jon.  I do rush to point out that I named Teeka and Quill, and those are very simple names, but I don’t think I’ve won the argument.  Not with Kashaynu kicking up his heels in the corners.

He does have a nickname: Kasha, which is Russian for buckwheat and is a type of breakfast cereal or side dish (i.e. grains, like we have in the book).  Only problem is, only his brother and mother call him Kasha, so we’re back to where we started with a long name.  I just like them.  The fun thing about Kashaynu is he’s a Seeker, which is like a cross between an F.B.I. Agent and a street judge.  He’s authorized to carry lethal force in the form of a sword and other weaponry and he investigates serious crime.  His brother is the very fastidious and flowery Zeteya, the Contract Keeper for Emerald Keep.  Their mother is Healer Meeryn, a lovely lady who works with the Keep as well as the workers down on the strand below the Keep.

What about you, Dear Reader?
What kinds of names do you like in your characters?