The Curious Case of Janus McGinnis

In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of doors, transitions, and new beginnings.

In chapter one of my novel, Rewriting Adam, Janus bursts into Ethan's world with a unique name--but one intentionally chosen by me. Here's a snippet of the dialogue Janus has with Ethan about his name:

The stranger across from him simply nodded. “Janus, by the way. My name, it’s Janus.” He put out his hand.

Ethan took it, out of Canadian politeness. “Janice?”

“I know.” Janus seemed undeterred by Ethan’s questioning look. “A girl’s name, right? I get that all the time. It’s actually Jan-us, with a u. My mother was into Roman and Greek mythology. She thought my birth would change things for her—new beginnings or some such illogic. You think names decide destiny?”

Ethan remained silent. In his mind, he was thinking about his name: Ethan Conrad Adam. Nothing to give away his own mother’s issues. When she chose my name, had she even thought about it, about me?

Janus' name is a foreshadowing of things to come. Does this make you curious? I hope so.

But Janus' name isn't the only unusual name in my novel. I have some other unusual names like Gimmel and Seshat. But I also have common names like Jill and Frank.

You see, I believe that names matter. And so, as I wrote this novel, my name choices mattered not just to me, but to the deeper character development and the plot.

What about you? What does your name mean? Does it have any significance to you, or did it have any bearing on your life choices? Or did you ask your parents why they gave you your name? Because in my novel, Ethan wonders that too--whether his mother had given ANY thought to the names she'd chosen for him.

Hmmm. I wonder if any of it matters to his choices--and to his journey that ends in one climactic choice.

Again, I hope I've piqued your curiosity. And that you'll want to read my novel once it's available. Not much longer now--less than a month!

I'm excited! And I hope you're excited with me.