Friday, February 15, 2008

Naming Contest

Hey y’all, I was serious. I need a first name for Magrady, the protagonist in my mystery novella, The Underbelly. And so far, only critic-blogger David J. Montgomery has sent me a suggestion--offline, I might add. Come on now, I know you mystery readers and writers peruse this site, so leave some names in the Comments section at the end of this post, OK? I hope your silence is only because you’ve clicked on The Underbelly, and are reading up on brother Magrady’s adventures. Or you’ve passed out from the sheer enormity of this assignment. Names have meaning, you know.

18 comments:

J. Kingston Pierce said...

Dear Gary:

I think you ought to give Magrady a first name that makes clear why he doesn't use it. Something old-fashioned, perhaps, like Wilberforce--a name that he will forever NOT thank his parents.

Cheers,
Jeff

Linda L. Richards said...

Gosh: I was going to try and come up with something sterling, but now I can't get Wilberforce out of my head. It's right on so many counts: the strength -- "force" -- and yet the stinkyness, as Pierce suggests here, that would warrant his avoiding the name where possible.

Wilberforce Magrady. What could be better?

Except maybe Wilberforce *Owen* Magrady.

"Owen to what?"

Graham Powell said...

How about Tracy? Wait, that's taken.

Victor Gischler said...

Sophocles.


VG

Anonymous said...

Matt

Linda L. Richards said...

Matt?

dick adler said...

LEE "MONK" MAGRADY -- that's the ticket.

Gerald So said...

I have three "M" suggestions--Mobius, Morse, and Morris--and one "non-M" suggestion--Kit.

Good luck.

Jack Getze said...

Colin, Bruce, Roman, or Seymore.

Hey, it's early. Haven't had my coffee.

Anonymous said...

Gary
sebastien
Get that Brideshead vibe going
ken

Anonymous said...

Hew?

Anonymous said...

Seymour

Anonymous said...

How about the dreaded name that MacGuyver couldn't and wouldn't use and was such a mystery until one of the final episodes? Angus.

Picks by Pat said...

After reading the first installment, I thought of a name that fits:

Henry

Whadya think?

Patrick Balester

dick adler said...

New suggestion -- DELMORE (after Delmore Schwartz, Magrady's mom or dad's favorite poet -- "In Dreams Begin Responsibility" is my favorite all-time title.)

Linda L. Richards said...

Angus is a good name. MacGuyver was a pussy.

I like Delmore, though Wilberforce is stll pretty rockin'.

Corey said...

Quinn.
Tyrone.
Lyle.
Marion.
Macintosh.

Anonymous said...

I posted this yesterday and it seems to have disappeared. I'll try again: Hew.