Thursday, February 27, 2014

What's in a Name?


Months before my grandson was born, my son, Ryan, and his wife, Amy, had a name picked out for their new baby. Nate. I liked the name, especially as it was a derivative of the name I’d originally chosen for Ryan nearly twenty-seven years ago—Nathaniel. 


But as you can see, names change once a baby arrives. Ryan just wasn’t a Nathaniel, and neither was my new grandson a Nate, or a Blake, or a Zak, the subsequent names that had followed. I was pretty glad though—although I liked Nate, I wasn’t overly fond of Blake or Zak. However, this wasn’t my baby; he wasn’t mine to name.

Fortunately, big brother, Phoenix, didn’t get a vote on the name either. He wanted to call his baby brother, Batman.


Another contender in the naming game was Griffin—a mythical creature to complement his big brother’s name. We loved this name but Amy wasn’t biting. She didn’t want people to think she’d named her children after the romance movie, Griffin and Phoenix.

The day my grandson was born, Ryan and Amy stared at him as he lay in the bed beside his mommy. “He isn’t a Nate, is he? Or a Blake? Or a Zak?” they said. We all shook our heads.


Later that day I had to run an urgent errand to the bank. Fearful my grandchild would remain nameless, I purchased a baby name book whilst at the mall. Not the one with 10,000 names, or 7,000. I chose the book with 6,000 names—I wanted them to have choices, but not so many they’d be overwhelmed (smiley face icon).

Unbeknown to me though, they’d stumbled across choosing my grandson’s name while I was away. The name book was not utterly wasted though, as it cemented their choice once they read the meaning of his name.

Currently, Coca Cola is running a “Share a Coke with …” campaign in South Africa (perhaps it’s global?). My husband was thirsty and had gone to the hospital cafeteria to buy a drink. He came back to the ward with a can of coke that read: “Share a Coke with Liam.” By the time I got back to the hospital, the name was starting to grow on them. Everyone who visited that day told Ryan and Amy how much they liked the name Liam. And so, two days later, my grandson was registered as Liam Ueckermann—strong-willed warrior, determined protector.


Last year, I too was pregnant…pregnant with a story that took nine months from the time the idea was conceived, till it was offered a chance at life with a publishing contract. My baby wasn’t a stork delivery, however. It came with a Pelican—Pelican Book Group.

But my grandson wasn’t to be the only newborn destined to have a change of name. My own baby, Blueberry Eve, also had a name change. It didn’t come as a surprise to me though. When I saw the titles of the contracted Passport to Romance books—Bogota Blessings, Londonderry Dreaming, Vegas Vacation and Echoes of Edinburgh, I knew my novelette was about to get renamed. It took a little while to adjust to the change, and although I’ll always love Blueberry Eve, Helsinki Sunrise has really grown on me.

Last week I received the galley proofs. Hopefully I’ll have a publication date soon. Now I need to think about planning a blog tour to show off my new baby. If anyone is interested in doing a book review, or interview, featuring this fun story set in Helsinki, Finland, I’d love to hear from you. You can comment here or email me: marion.ueckermann@gmail.com.  Of course, there will be e-book giveaways of Helsinki Sunrise up for grabs.

To end off...a little praise from one of my proofreaders for Helsinki Sunrise: “May I congratulate you on a beautiful love story of faith, hope, and love. And a gentle reminder that if God is in control, He can change the course of your life for the better, no matter how impossible that may seem. Just wonderfully uplifting. I feel honored to have had the chance to read it before it's officially released.”

And finally, to whet your appetite, here’s my working blurb:


HELSINKI SUNRISE

He needed the island to himself. So did she.


Three weeks alone at a friend’s summer cottage on a Finnish lake to fast and pray. That was Adam Carter's plan. But sometimes plans go awry.

On an impromptu trip to her family's secluded summer cottage, the last thing Eveliina Mikkola expected to find was a missionary from the other side of the world—in her sauna.

Determined to stay, Eveliina will do whatever it takes—from shortcrust pastry to shorts—to send the man of God packing. This island’s too small for them both.

Adam Carter, however, is not about to leave.

Will he be able to resist her temptations?

Can she withstand his prayers?



Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners (2009), The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter (published August 2011 by Tyndale House Publishers) and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven (published 15 October 2013). She has recently signed a publishing contract with Pelican Book Group (White Rose Publishing) for Helsinki Sunrise, Passport to Romance series. Marion blogs for International Christian Fiction Writers and belongs to Christian Writers of South Africa and American Christian Fiction Writers. She now lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

39 comments:

  1. Love the anecdote about your grandson, Liam. The children we have are really God's idea first. I can hear Him now saying "Liam, come forth."

    It's the same with our writing. We may have a working title, but when God is in charge of our writing, He knows the publisher's name for our work before the publisher does.

    I am so happy for you and so proud of you.

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    1. That's what I kept telling my son, Judith ... God know's your baby's name - it's been chosen from the foundation of the earth.

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  2. Liam is a beautiful name - to remind you of Ireland where God first impressed on you to write. May He take you from publication to publication. You have done so well. I'm eagerly waiting for the book of Helsinki Sunrise.

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    1. Thanks, Ann. And both my sons have Irish names - Ryan and Kyle.

      Strange thing we discovered was that Liam, although associated as an Irish name, actually has Germanic roots (coming from Wilhelm/William), which we found pretty cool as the Ueckermanns are from Germanic decent as are Amy's ancestors.

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  3. Such nice 'birth' stories, both of your grandson and your book. They remind us to look for the cues in life and to let go of our original ideas in order to arrive at the best answer. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks, Sara. And when we look back, we know they were the best answers/choices, don't we.

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  4. Of course, I knew your grandson's name before this, but I found myself holding my breath. It looked as if he was going to be called Coca Cola. LOL!
    Ready and waiting to put up a review when the moment comes!

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    1. Haha, Shirl. At least Coca Cola would have taken care of a first and second name :) Let me know what you need for the review.

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  5. I love the name Liam. And what a fun story behind it! As for picking names for our stories, it is a fun challenge, both character names and titles. Can't wait to read your book! I love the different settings of the series.

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    1. Thanks, Lisa. I can't wait for Helsinki Sunrise to be out there. And it is an awesome series. In fact, I'm busy working on another submission which I hope to finish within the next week and have had just as much fun with that story.

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  6. What a fun blog, especially for me as I spent last Sunday with you and your family and had the pleasure of holding little Liam!

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    1. It was fabulous to have you and Tony over for lunch, and I welcomed the excuse to bake blueberry pie to celebrate Helsinki Sunrise.

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  7. Congrats on the grandboy and the story, Marion! Can't wait to read your story, as I thoroughly enjoyed Christine's Londonderry Dreaming.

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    1. Thanks, Val. I can't wait to read Londonderry Dreaming too. I've bought it, but just need some time. I've just turned in my galley proof changes on Helsinki Sunrise so that's taken up a few days, and now need to finish the second submission for Passport to Romance. Then it's me and Ireland :)

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  8. What a wonderful name! And a wonderful story behind it. Thanks so much for sharing. I've always wanted to visit Ireland, and look forward to a visit there, curled beside my hearth with a warm mug and Christine's Londonderry Dreaming.

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    1. Thanks, Julia. I think it's a fabulous name too, and after one of my favorite Irish actors too (Liam Neeson). We lived in Ireland for 18 months a decade ago, just outside Dublin. I can't wait to read Christine's novel either as the Giant's Causeway was one of our favorite places to visit.

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  9. Marion, this is a great post. Liam's name is perfect (though I'm partial to Nathaniel--the name of my only son). Congrats again on your book. The cover is eye-catching and the blurb is intriguing. Can't wait to read your story.

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    1. I knew we had so much more in common than just writing, Johnnie :) We like the same names; our sisters both have farms ...

      Thanks so much for your encouragement, and for your blog offer as part of my blog tour. First stop http://johnniedonley.com/ :)

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  10. Marion, I so enjoyed this post! I love the name Liam - and the title Helsinki Sunrise. Your cover is gorgeous and so is your grandson. :)

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    1. Thanks Delia. Pelican did an awesome job on the cover (but I think it helped having my gorgeous son and his Finnish wife on the cover too LOL).

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  11. Smiles and understanding. I love the analogy of being pregnant nine months with a book. Looking forward to it.

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    1. Writing is certainly labor - a labor of love. But oh, when it's all real, like childbirth, you forget how hard it was.

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  12. How blessed you are, Marion! Two loved babies coming together. Yes a book is just as much a conception and growing, and feeling sick at times, laboring, and then the actual birth. Congratulations twice over!!!!!!!

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    1. Rita, I AM so blessed, so blessed :)

      I must say that I felt the nausea again when going through the galley proofs...amazing what slips through, despite all the edits. Totally necessary to have many eyes looking over that last read-through.

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  13. Hi Marion,
    Yes, I agree with the comments above, what a productive year for babies it's been for you. Thanks for sharing the stories of how Liam and Helsinki Sunrise both got their names. Beautiful photo and lovely cover.

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    1. Thanks, Paula.

      Of course I love the cover of Helsinki Sunrise even more because that's my youngest son, Kyle, and his wife there, as well as Kyle's photograph of a Finnish cottage (and boat) beside a lake.

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  14. Marion, what a wonderful story! Who would have thought Coca Cola would play a role in naming your grandson? I'm looking forward to reading Helsinki Sunrise :)

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  15. Yes, Narelle, it's going to be quite a tale to tell Liam when he's bigger. Thankfully we have the photo to prove it. I'm sure that's one Coke can that will find a place on his bedroom shelf.

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  16. Wonderful, Marion! I know the feeling. My husband and I had settled on the name Eleanor for our daughter, but every time the nurse brought her in to me I said, "Hello, Elizabeth." She just was an Elizabeth. And so she is.

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    1. That's so cute that you automatically knew her name, Donna. My poor son, Ryan, was 10 days old before we named him. Pity they didn't have the Coke campaign on then :)

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  17. Congrats on the grandson & fun new names!! :) Enjoyed your story! And the UK had those Coca Colas with names on them when I was there in May 2013! It was fun to see what name you would get next! lol

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    1. Sadly, I've yet to Share a Coke with..., Morgan. But I do find myself sifting through the Coke cans at work when my boss asks for a can, deciding which name would be best to give him, LOL.

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  18. I am so proud of you my little sister!! For years I have watched, waited and prayed with you, for this marvelous breakthrough in your writing. Of course I am one of your biggest fans, not because I am your sister, but because you are an excellent author!!! God has been so good! Little Liam is just so cute, cannot wait to see him again when you come to visit on the farm. Love you stacks, keep writing and God will keep blessing as we give Him the honor and glory for the talents he has given you xxxx

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    1. Aww... what more can I say :) Love you stacks, too, sis. You're going to have so much fun with Liam next weekend. He's getting so big and starting to talk. And of course, Phoenix just talks the hind leg off a donkey (or Eeyore in his case).

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  19. I must tell our daughter your story of how your grandson's name was chosen, Marion--she is expecting their second child this week and can't quite decide on a name as yet for him or her! Maybe we will all go and buy cans of Coke at the hospital and see what we come up with! Liam is a lovely name though--thanks for sharing your story, both that of your grandson and also your new book too. How exciting! God bless.

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    1. The naming game is so difficult, Jo-Anne. I hope you're daughter's thirsty :)

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    2. Yesterday I was shopping, and it's so amusing to watch people in front of the coldrink fridges, sifting through the Cokes to get the 'right' name.

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  20. Hi Marion

    If you're still looking for reviewers and/or an author interview, you can contact me through my blog: www.christianreads.blogspot.com.

    Iola

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    1. Thanks, Iola. I would love to have you do either, or both :) Let me know what you need from me. I should hopefully know the publication date within the next 6 weeks.

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