Names are powerful

Take my name, for instance.
Crystal. Inman.

Recently, at Staff Day, a prominent secretary sat at our table. We introduced ourselves all around. She looked at me and said, "I pictured you blonde."
I laughed. My reply? "I can be."
Then she chuckled and said she thought I was right out of high school. Fortunately, my Diet Pepsi didn't come out of my nose. But when I regained my composure, I had to grin.
Maybe I have a young sounding name. Not quite sure about that. But when introduced to people who have heard my name but never seen me, I'm supposed to be blond. Who knew?
I mean, I have highlights and all, but I'm a brunette.
And when I go tan, the woman always asks my first name. LOL
I think I'm the only "I" in there. But she just shook her head last time and said, "I just want to call you Ginger."

If I pick up a story with odd-sounding names, I give it a small chance of redemption. Then it's gone. I blogged before about J.R. Ward's names in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. And while I stumbled over it at first, I've come to expect it. And how creative is she? lmao
Seriously.

Or perhaps people you know that go by a middle name instead of a first. My boss does that. And so does a co-worker. And there's a guy I knew in school that went by Sean simply because his full name was Eric Sean. (Say that three times fast, you'll get my drift.)

So when I read that MIA chickie named her child "Ickett", I said a silent prayer for the child and hoped all would be well. As for Gwyneth, "Apple" is cute. But "Moses" tends to be a bit presumptuous, in my opinion. "Bronx"? *shaking head*

A name forms an opinion of a person before the person is even seen.
As for me, maybe I'll go blond.
Grins*