Blog Tour: Renegade by Kerry Wilkinson

Title: Renegade
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Published: 7th May 2015
Publisher: Pan

Today I am part of the brilliant blog tour for Renegade by Kerry Wilkinson, the second book in the Silver Blackthorn trilogy. I have a guestpost from Kerry and a chance to win a copy of the book. The other stops on the tour are listed below, so do stop by their blogs for some other great content.

Guestpost with Kerry Wilkinson on character name in science fiction and fantasy

I'm not a writer who religiously reads my own reviews, largely because doing so is the route to madness. Trying to please everyone is impossible. One reader might say they loved the development in a certain character, another reader would say they can't believe the same character is so under-developed. 

That said, the odd few do catch my eyes occasionally and I remember one from the release of Reckoning in which the reader said they had enjoyed the book but didn't understand why I'd used weird names for characters. Names like 'Opie', 'Pietra' and 'Jela'.

I used to read a lot of Doctor Who books as a kid and I always thought the same. Why can't this futuristic bloke just be called 'Dave' or 'Clive', or whatever. What's with all the 'X's and 'Z's in people's names?

Now I'm a wisened, creaky 34-year-old, I can see the development of names. For instance, in my school, there was no-one named 'Britney', or 'Rihanna'. We'd never even heard of those names. Now, young mums are churning out girls called 'Keisha' all over the place.

Names go in and out of fashion in short periods of times - so why not 'Opie', or 'Jela'? I figure that as long as a reader can have a good go at pronouncing it, then any name is fair game.


Giveaway!

To be in a chance of winning one paperback copy of Renegade by Kerry Wilkinson, enter via Rafflecopter below. Ends 15.5.15 UK only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway