So far I’ve shared 1 old and 4 new Story Inspiration pages for my books…
Now it’s Story Inspiration time for Between Home & Heartbreak (Gambling Hearts series – book 2) where I got INSPIRED BY NAMES. But I’m always inspired by names, so I should probably say, I got really, really inspired by names.
BETWEEN HOME & HEARTBREAK – STORY INSPIRATION PAGE
I love spending time pondering names. In Between Home & Heartbreak, the spark for the stage name Eldorado Jane came from the desire to have a two-part name like Indiana Jones. One part fancy or unusual, the other common or plain. Jane was a quick choice for a common but still beautiful woman’s name.
The name Eldora was an easy pick for a short version of Eldorado. The “Dora” part of Eldora led to Dorothy and the last name Dority as well. Dority was also a pick from the TV series Deadwood (a violent but also incredibly fascinating series) in which two of my favorite characters were Al Swearengen and his right-hand man, Dan Dority.
Bringing Eldora and Lewis’ different personalities together was great fun—as was researching traveling vaudeville performers. America’s most iconic Wild West show, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, started in 1883 but it wasn’t until 1885 that it featured its two equally large but also opposite personalities: the flamboyant embellisher, impresario Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody), and the understated but brilliant sharpshooter, Annie Oakley (Phoebe Ann Mosey). He called her Little Missie. She called him The Colonel.
Edgar Allan Poe’s poem Eldorado (found in this book’s preface) provided inspiration before and during writing. After I thought of Eldora casting a soothing shadow over Lewis (when they first met), I remembered Poe’s poem. It seemed only fitting that Lewis would soon see Eldora as not only his Angel Eyes but his faithful shadow.
MORE INSPIRATION TO COME
CLICK HERE if you’d like to read the opening of Between Home & Heartbreak (Gambling Hearts series – book 2). Oh, and here’s the Edgar Allan Poe poem I mentioned.
ELDORADO
~ By Edgar Allan Poe ~
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old—
This knight so bold—
And o’er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow—
“Shadow,” said he,
“Where can it be—
This land of Eldorado?”
“Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,”
The shade replied—
“If you seek for Eldorado!”
I hope you enjoyed reading what inspired me to write Eldora and Lewis’ story and give them their names. Although I have no idea why I chose Lewis’ name. It just sounded right, I guess. And sometimes that’s enough. Hope you’ll join me next Monday when I share my next Story Inspiration page. ❤
UPDATE: To read the Story Inspiration Pages for my other stories, click here.
I’ve totally enjoyed learning about your inspiration regarding names. I think that many readers and writers enjoy hearing about the creative process that is involved in choosing the correct name to fit a character’s personality as well as matching the era and the story.
Thank you for sharing your thinking.
Wonderful to hear you enjoyed this my blog post, Jodie! Thank you for reading and commenting!! ❤