Name of the Week: Kit

So...before I kick off this week's NotW, I want to go ahead and inform you that, at the end of this post, I'll be sharing a small tidbit of what's coming next, after Bound and Determined. I may fully expound upon Novel #4 in another, longer post later, but for now, I'll just stick to a quick--but bright--neon sign after I tell you all about how Kit Arlington got his name!

Christopher Luis Bradley Arlington made his debut in Held Captive, and as Christopher Luis Bradley Arlington, for that matter. Of course, I've always called him Kit, from the moment I decided that the older brother of Jessica Arlington Bennet (Xavier's mother), Damian Arlington, Lord Marshing (at the time), needed a story. He needed a wife. He needed children. He needed, for one, redemption from the childhood he and Jess had lived.

But that's a story for another day. Literally.

Once I contrived Damian's story, a new character entered the world of HC and Prisoner at Heart. He was intended to be a secondary, if not minor, character, with only a few scant--but still hilarious--appearances within my series, and a large role as a young toddler in my prequel duology. Well, we all know about my good intentions and my characters, who each have minds of their own. I began writing Chapter 20 of HC, and that's when it hit me.

Christopher, nicknamed Kit, had a story. More importantly, he had a crush on Xavier's half-sister Chloe. Again, a story for another three books that you can easily read.

So, little Kit became big Kit, who's now married and the father of an adorable little boy named Bradley, who will one day become the viscount.

But how did Christopher become Kit, and how did I come up with all this fellow's names?

Well, at the risk of spoiling Treasuring Her Heart, Bradley is Kit's birth (or would that be biological?) surname, while Arlington is his adopted surname. (His stepfather adopted him, of course, after he and his widowed mother wed.) Luis, the Spanish form of Louis meaning "famous battle" and being derived from Ludwig, comes from his mother's middle name and his Latin heritage on her side. (His father was Irish, believe it or not, which is why, I think, he happens to be my most passionate hero yet.)

Christopher, we all know, is Greek and has something to do with Jesus. Well, it is in fact a late Greek name derived from Χριστός (Christos), which means "Christ" and φέρω (phero), meaning "to bear." Together, Χριστόφορος (Christophoros) meaning "bearing Christ," which was intended to be metaphorical for carrying Christ in one's heart. Of course, legends began to form, as they always do, and soon blossomed until there became a St. Christopher who had carried a young Jesus across a river. *shrugs* One can never know how true those legends are.

But as for Kit, which is now predominately a girl name and used mostly as a nickname for Katherine? Well, Kit is a legitimate nickname for Christopher. In fact, Kit was born on St. Kitts, an island in the Caribbean named for St. Christopher. Of course, I can't find exactly when or why the island was named such, although I'm sure someone can, and I don't know exactly how Kit became a diminutive of Christopher, but this I know for sure. It beats Chris. Or, worse, Topher.

Granted, how does Mary become Polly? How does Richard become Dick? How does Margaret become Peg? Them medieval English folk were oddities for sure.

Now, if this has made you curious as to who my Kit is and what his story is, then I highly suggest you read my most recent work, The Gift of Her Heart, a not-too-Christmas-y Christmas novella that takes place right smack in the middle of Held Captive and Prisoner at Heart. It's available only as an eBook for now, and only for a price, but I'm hosting a giveaway around Christmas, so be sure to keep an eye open for when that happens so that you can get a chance to win a free copy!

Didn't I say something about a sneak peek? I did, didn't I? Well, let me see here... For those you keeping up with my weekly installation of Beyond the Inner Storm, my first completed novel, then you'll remember Kerri Darren Cannon, won't you? And Forrest Billingham? Well, these characters first originated as partners in detectiveing (not a word), before they joined the ranks of Cade and Arielle. And, after BTIS, I'd planned and almost finished a novel for them, finally as detective partners once more. (I'll give more backstory later.)

Well, long story short, I scraped BTIS, but I kept the characters, and now I'm rebooting the series, starting with Kerri's story, Tell Me No Lies, during the Civil War. It's historical fiction, slightly romantic, slightly mysterious, definitely an elusive something in between. I can't say much, but I do invite y'all to check out an excerpt here, on Kingdom Pen, https://kingdompen.org/kp-critiques-tell-me-no-lies/, where I had it critiqued. I also suggest taking a look around. KP is a great site for writers, be they published like myself or beginners or wannabes.

I WILL be sharing more, I promise, but I'll feed you this to keep you happy for now! (And, yes, that was supposed to be funny.)