By any other name...

As my Summer release date approaches and encouragement and congratulations roll in, something occurs to me. And I know I won't get any more work done until I address it.

I frequently find myself in the awkward position of telling publishers, friends, readers and fellow bloggers they are pronouncing and/or spelling 'Thoeba' incorrectly.

It 'o' before 'e', not the other way around. And it's not pronounced 'Theeba' like Phoebe from 'Friends'. Nope. It's pronounced with an 'oh'. As in 'toe' with a 'th' sound in front of it. Thoh-bah.

Sorry.

You'd think that someone who wants to establish a long career in writing would name their first novel something a little more memorable and user friendly. Yeah, that would have been the smart thing to do. Again...sorry.


Why did I do it? I blame my sub-conscious mind.

When I was fourteen years old, I had a bad dream. I was a naked angel hiding in a garden. I crouched behind the hydrangeas clutching a crystal, knowing I had to protect it at all costs. A man and his children tried to coax me out, but I saw demons circling overheard and knew they were searching for me. These idiots were going to give me away!

They appealed to me, patting their chests and saying their names. I tried to respond, but the only thing I could say was, "Thoh-bah! Thoeba!" And it's been that way ever since, even the weird spelling.

So now you know. I could never bring myself to change it. At least I have the knowledge that the book title and my character's name will remain unique. Nobody else will be dumb enough to copy my example. ;)