Evening all,

Goodness, today has been a long day. I feel as if I have been scrambling in five different directions to get where I need to be on time. *hugs computer happily* It's so nice to be sitting down for more than five minutes!

I have to admit that I've been itching to get to today's question since I woke up because it's a fun one to answer:

How do you come up with the names of your characters?

I put a great deal of thought into each character before I named them and spent quite a bit of time pondering that name's meaning as I applied it to their personality.

In Hebrew, Tabitha means: Beauty, grace. It is taken from the Aramaic word for Gazelle. It is also biblical. In Acts 9:36 she was noted for good works and that is, essentially, Tabitha's personality. She is the type of person who will always tell you the truth, no matter how much that truth may hurt to hear. She stands up for what is right, and speaks when no one else has the courage to do so. As the lead character, she is strong, but is also struggling to find the meaning in her life now that her parents are no longer around to guide her.

As for Emma, her name is German in origin and means whole, complete, and universal. Without revealing too much, this defines her character. Emma is somewhat shy as we first meet her. Her mother has insisted she grow up with frilly, 'girly' things. She is modest, and wouldn't dare speak her mind ... at least, not around those she does not know. She has always wanted to be more daring and outgoing though ... like Tabitha.

-A

If you have a question for me about the Tabitha Hale Saga, please feel free to shoot me a message here or leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will incorporate it into my daily schedule. (Once you're on the website, click 'contact' on the upper right hand side.) Make sure you subscribe either via email or blog so you don't miss tomorrow's question!