“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
This quote from Shakespeare may convey that the naming of things is irrelevant, but I disagree. When I decided I wanted to write books it was important to me to center my stories around a community in a small town. Finding a good name, the right name became a project.
I enjoy reading series in which the town becomes a character in and of itself. Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold and Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series come to mind.
At the time I started writing, Carly Phillips had a series that took place in a town called Serendipity, which I enjoyed. Lori Wilde has written so many books and she takes the prize, in my mind, for producing clever town names. For instance, Kringle, Tx, Cupid, Tx and my favorite, Valentine, Tx.
Because I am from Ohio and I currently live in Michigan, I started there, hoping to find an inspiration. So, I set about searching online via Google Maps. I didn’t think Hell, Michigan shouted romance. Lucky for me, it didn’t take long for me to discover there is a town in Ohio named Luckey.
In my first drafts I used the name of the actual town, but because I wanted my town to be totally fictional and hopefully not make anyone in the real Luckey unhappy with me, I took the advice of a writing buddy and simplified it to Lucky, Ohio.
Photo credit: Alyssa Alexander
I think Lucky, is the perfect name for a town for second chance romances.
Just for fun here are some of the unique names we have in our country.
Using Google maps you can discover some interesting names. Warning: Be prepared to go down a rabbit hole.
- American Fork, Utah
- Bangs, Texas
- Blue Ball, Delaware
- Bluff, Alaska
- Boring, Oregon
- Breadloaf, Vermont
- Buttzville, New Jersey
- Difficult, Tennessee
- Dinosaur, Colorado
- Friendship, Maine
- Fries, Virginia
- Happy Corner, New Hampshire
- Nothing, Arizona
- Nowhere, Colorado
- Placentia, California
- Recluse, Wyoming
- Soda Springs, Idaho
- Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
- White Pigeon, Michigan
- Why Not, North Carolina
- Why, Arizona
Anne Stone 