A warm welcome to author Alina Popescu visiting Love Bytes on her blog tour for new release “Craving Stains”.
Alina talks about naming , shares a trailer and there is a giveaway to participate in!
Welcome Alina 🙂
Title: Craving Stains
Author: Alina Popescu
Length: novella
Genre: gay, gay fiction, science fiction, paranormal, gay romance
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing
Synopsis
Wynn Brenwood has been trapped by his mother since birth, shut away in a sterile, hospital-like apartment.
Is it her desire to keep him safe that sees him locked up in his pristine cage? Or are her motives less innocent and well-intentioned?
Wynn longs to break free to experience the world he sees beyond his window.
Desperate to escape, he meets Doyle, a handsome, leather-clad, and enigmatic stranger.
But is Doyle real, or is he just a figment of Wynn’s imagination?
What’s in a Name?
Naming my characters is one of the things I love the most about creating them. Picking names allows me to explore mythology, or use those of characters I’ve loved from movies or animations, and it also allows me to play with their meanings. Sometimes I pick a name because it just sounds great to me, but most times, there’s a meaning behind it.
With Craving Stains, I only knew where I was supposed to start. There was a recurring theme of dark and light, black and white. So I chose a name that meant light, Wynn, and another that meant dark. Dark stranger, to be precise – Doyle. They blended perfectly with the threat of a sterile environment on one hand, and the promise of a dark, leather clad outside world that Wynn’s beau represented.
This is, of course, not my first time playing with names and meanings. Nor will it be the last. My current serial for Free Fiction Friday, Magic Unleashed, features a feline familiar, Charis, and a Dark Elf called Eikki. Charis just happens to mean ‘grace’ and Eikki means ‘strength’ or ‘power.’ Given the light BDSM touches and Eikki’s dominant nature, it’s a perfect choice.
As you can tell from these two examples, I like to play with the meanings generally associated with darkness and the color black. Doyle, although dark and mysterious, represents everything good and promising in Wynn’s life. Eikki, although a dark magic user and more of an antihero than anything, is a character everyone will hopefully fall in love with.
Of course, the stories behind the names are just the starting point. The characters themselves build on their meaning and take the story further. Wynn also happens to wear only white. Not by choice, mind you, yet beyond that he is as pure and untouched as the apartment he’s trapped in. Doyle is irreverent, has several tattoos, and the biker attire is not just for show. Wynn’s adoration of everything he cannot be is not surprising, nor is the fact that, whether real or not, Doyle is his one and only chance of getting what he wants: a world full of dangers and delights. It might not be as clean and safe out there, but the city beyond the windows is filled with possibilities.
In the end, regardless of their names and physical features, what we want from a character we’ve created is for them to be memorable. Be it because of a like or strong dislike, I know I want my readers to remember them. In most cases, they are my babies. I nurture them as the story unfolds and find it hard to say good-bye once it’s over. The good news? The more attached a writer gets, the better the chance of a sequel. Well, not for Craving Stains specifically, I am too taken with the idea of every reader choosing the ending that makes more sense to them 😀
Book Trailer
Buy Links
Prizes: 1 x $20 WIP Gift card and 3 x ebook copy of Craving Stains by Alina Popescu
Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina Popescu has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.
Social Links
Site & Blog: http://alina-popescu.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralinapopescu
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alina_popescu
Instagram: http://instagram.com/alinapopescuwriter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/alina-popescu
Google+: https://www.google.com/+AlinaPopescu
Sounds like an amazing, intriguing and great read.
Congratulations on the newest release! Looking forward to reading this book!