Hanna writes…

Dear Dear Michelle,

My name is Hanna and I Live in the Netherlands. I've been searching for a name, a special name to give to my firstborn (boy or girl, we don't know). I've opened my copies of Wolfbrother (Dutch translation is Torak and Wolf) and searched for names. and I was wondering, were there any names that you left out of the stories? Names that could belong in your magical world? Like many others, your stories have changed my way of really seeing the world as a wondrous place with natural miracles all around us. So I think it would fit to look for a name in your stories.

I am thinking about the name Renn. I think it's beautiful for a boy or a girl.

I hope you read this mail someday,

with love, Hanna

Michelle Replies…

Dear Hanna, what an unusual and lovely request; I am honoured that you are thinking of naming your baby from my stories.  It’s a great idea to ask if there are any names I left out of the stories, but I’m afraid there aren’t.  This is because I only ever created a new name once I had a character firmly in mind.  It then often took a while to create the right name – or to find it among the names of indigenous peoples such as the Inuit or the Sami – and I then had to live with it for a while, and see whether it felt right.  (I should add that I’m so glad you like the name Renn, as I too think it’s beautiful; and as I recall, it was one of the easier ones to work out!)  All I can suggest is that you do as you are already doing: flick through the various stories of Torak en Wolf (as the series is known in Holland), and maybe make a list of possibles.  Once your baby is born, I would guess that his or her own character will help you find the right name – whether it ends up being from my stories, or somewhere else entirely.  I do hope all goes well, and I’m sending my very best wishes to you and your soon-to-be born baby.  Regards,  Michelle