Characterization in my novel

I am currently writing a novel. Every writer has their own method for writing a novel. This is mine. For me creating character names is as important a part of the story as the plot itself. The way I write my stories is by choosing my character’s names first. Then I create their personalities around their names. Finally I create the story around their personalities. The principal characters and their actions and personalities cause the reactions of the other characters and their eventual actions and thus the story itself.

For the principal characters I chose the names of Ana Lucia Arismendi Obregon and Jack Dempsey. Notice that Ana Lucia has two last names and two first names? The explanation is simple since names like Ana and Maria and Lucia are common names often names are combined in Hispanic culture so that there can be some differences in the names. Also she has two last names Arismendi and Obregon. Both her parents have two last names as well. Ana Lucia has the first last name of her father and mother . Her father was born Jose Arismendi Curiel and her mother Lucrecia Obregon Mendoza. So Ana Lucia has the last name of Arismendi Obregon. Since my novel takes place in Mexico I thought it best to follow the cultural naming practices. As it is the culture of Mexico is very different from the US and the culture will have a huge impact on the events in my novel and their actions. Ana Lucia is beautiful and sensible and intelligent and patient caring and very independent. She is fiercely loyal to her family even when her mother and sister treat her horribly which the usually the case. I tried to illustrate these aspects of her personality by choosing the name of Ana Lucia, who along with Jack is central of the story. Jack Dempsey is also very independent and is one who fights for what he believes and for those he loves, but he has spent most of his life alone since he has never met his father and his mother was murdered when he was a teenager. His name was an homage to the Irish American boxer of the same name and I wanted to symbolize Jack’s fighting spirit. After his wife died he believes that he is incapable of loving again, but her dying wish is that he return to the town in Sonora where he grew up and release the demons that have plagued him since his mother was murdered. Jack will have to pay a high price of his quest for vengeance as all actions and decisions we make in life have their consequences. The story is set in the fictional town of Ascuncion. Amongst the backdrop of ranches and cowboys and saguaro cactus is a web of tradition and betrayal, greed, corruption, family and honor. I hope you enjoy the first chapter when you read it.