Two Questions

[osprey_archer]

Two questions.

1. If I say a character has "skin like fallen leaves," what does that say to you?

2. Are the names Ammeri and Arenyay likely to get confused (given that they both start with A)? And how would you pronounce them?

Comments

[ladyherenya]

1. "like fallen leaves" on its own makes me think of something dead - picturesquely dead but dead nonetheless. So I think it would depend on the context - if the character in question was clearly alive, I would be more likely to think "dying", or even more towards "dry and cracked".

2. I think I would only get the names confused if there few facts to distinguish the characters from each other. Not if one or both were a main character. I would like to say, "No, of course not," but I remember reading a chapter of something (The Iliad, I think) out of context for uni, and it was full of characters whose names all started with A. And we all got very confused.

The first pronunciation which comes to mind is be Ay-merry (as in "a merry christmas) and Ahr-REN-yay.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I once read a book where the villain was Harlan and the love interest Harrison. I can't imagine what the author was thinking; there were a couple of times even she wrote the wrong one!

[ladyherenya]

I don't remember having trouble with Harlen versus Harrison, simply because their characters were so different from each other - and because they were both fairly significant characters, too. Hadn't thought about them having similar-ish names until now.
But I guess it shows that this sort of thing (like so much else with writing) can be so subjective!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Oh, have you read Alyzon Whitestarr? The name issue aside, I loved it!

[ladyherenya]

I loved it too. Have you read anything else by Isobelle Carmody?

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Basically everything! The Obernewtyn Chronicles, the Legendsong, the Billy Thunder books...I love her books, but it drives me CRAZY that she never finishes her series! I mean, I like knowing that there will be more. But I want some closure!

Although I hear The Sending is finally supposed to come out in February. I am skeptical, but hope springs eternal.

[ladyherenya]

Oh, her seeming inability to finish anything is definitely frustrating! I think that was part of what I liked about Alyzon Whitestarr - that it was complete and stood on its own. I'm kind of sad she hasn't finished Billy Thunder yet, because I while don't imagine I'll be too old for it when she does, they seemed more children's book-ish and it's a different experience reading those as an adult. The others I know I can wait for.

The latest I heard was a definite-sounding September for The Sending, and that the final volume would then be published at a later date...