Author Override is the place where authors take the reins and take you on a journey into their world. Some may allow you into their private writing dens. Others may take you along with them on research trips or interviews. Whatever the case may be, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because here you’ll get an in-depth look into an author’s musings.
It’s the end of the world as we know it. What’s your name?
One of the first things I do when I’m working on a new project is name my characters. Sometimes, I won’t be able to progress in my outline until I’ve searched through the internet or baby name books and found something suitable for the person in the story. When I was working on my post-apocalyptic romance, The Last Night, I found myself facing an interesting question. Do we need last names after society as we know it has collapsed?

For this story, the answer is no. Neither my hero, Jake, nor the heroine, Erica, have last names. I wanted to take away the stability of the past, the same way the earthquakes took away the landscape and familiar way of life. These earthquakes also released ancient viruses that transformed some of the survivors into stone-skinned mutants called ashers, erasing their previous identities.

In some ways, the lack of names gives a sense of loss. But it also creates freedom. The past has been shattered and now Jake and Erica have an opportunity to rebuild. They are no longer held by the rules of society. In fact, if the apocalypse hadn’t happened, a rough guy like Jake, who comes riding out of the wastelands on his motorcycle, probably wouldn’t have a chance to get to know the college educated Erica, let alone fall in love.

But the two of them are strong fighters, yearning to find a decent life in the destruction. They don’t need last names because they are starting new, together.

In the story, one of the secondary characters actually does name himself (I won’t ruin the surprise here). If the apocalypse happened, I think I’d name myself HotDamn. My question to you is: If the apocalypse came down and you were fighting for your survival, what name would you give yourself?

A winner will be picked from the answers to receive a PDF of The Last Night.
After a chain of earthquakes ravaged the globe, long-dormant viruses were released into the air, turning many humans into creatures with an appetite for human ashes. Erica and a group of survivors are barricaded in a half-destroyed hotel, and every day brings them closer to being devoured by the seemingly unstoppable ashers. Even though Erica is a fighter, she’s tired of just surviving…

When a mysterious stranger rides into town, everything changes. Jake knows how to kill the ashers, and he’s the only man brave enough to leave the safety of the hotel in search of a better life. Erica and Jake make a deadly fighting team, with even hotter sparks flying between them. But Jake has survived this long because he rides alone. He doesn’t trust easily, especially in this harsh new reality. Can Erica convince Jake that living is more than just surviving to the next day? 

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19 Comments

  1. Hm, how about something short like “Yikes” or “Egad”? Or maybe longer names like “This Too Shall Pass” or “So It Goes”.

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  7. Awesome responses. I like how Timitra, Linda, and Barbara E. use names to inspire themselves. Sheree’s names seem to accept the apocalypse and that’s probably a good strategy. Susan W. would probably end up leading survivors to safety while Liz’s name would definitely inspire others to protect her.

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  8. I always try to see things in a positive light. I guess I would be called optimistic. The Last Night sounds like a good read. Enjoyed the interview.

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  10. I’ve always loved the name Mercy for myself (I use it in a werewolf LARP and consider her my (first) steampunk alter-ego).

    I go with Mercy for irony’s sake, because I wouldn’t be merciful at all, and the post-apocalyptic world isn’t very merciful, either.

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  11. I like the name Chalice as a sci-fi/fantasy character name, though there might be too much dirty joke potential there. Or maybe I just see dirty joke potential in anything.

    Anyway. Dante or Rent (as in, tear to pieces) sound suitably apocalyptic to me.

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  12. I think I would go with AshKicker or AshSlayer. Probably just Slayer for short. The book sounds awesome. I love the post-apocolyptic books. Look forward to reading your book.

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  13. More great answers. LisaGKendall is going for the self-inspiring name while Brittany’s is fantastically ironic. I think there’s definitely a place for dirty jokes in the apocalypse, Lillie, but your serious names are badass too. And thanks, Rachel V, for integrating the ashers into your name. They might not be able to understand the words, but they’ll get it when you’re kicking their butts.

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  18. hmmm lets see what would i call my self probabaly the original sinn if im going down in a blaze of glory id want ppl to know that

    ty for the chance

    mortalsinn(AT)yahoo(dot)com

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  19. Lucky Charm — let me stay around, and everyone will be lucky enough to NOT get killed by zombies or other animals / get radiation poisoning / run into post-apocalyptic gangs / run out of food / become food. 🙂

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