What’s in a Name?

So, here’s the thing. I’ve gone by many names in my lifetime. My family calls me Amy (‘A’ from Anne, ‘M’ from Marie, add a ‘Y’) to distinguish me from Grandma (Anne). I was referred to as Anne Marie at work because a woman in the business office (Ann) had already claimed that name, so I had better find another one. And then in college there was a group that insisted on calling me Annie because they just could not understand why the ‘E’ remained silent. Names can be a tricky thing when you go by more than one. But they also have such a big role in who you represent. So with that, I answer your questions about names.

Why did you choose such a long author’s name?”

I thought long and hard over the name that I wanted to see grace the cover of my books. It was not a quick decision to add that many words, let alone a hyphen too. And yes, I wondered if the Google searches were going to be horrendous. But my heart kept going back to the one you see now. And for good reason. It honors all of the men in my life.

I’ve been surrounded by guys my entire life. Two grandfathers, one father, three brothers, one husband, two sons and even a boy puppy. The men in my early years never once questioned why I disappeared into the woods with only my notebook and a pencil every day of my summer breaks, and the guys in my later life never once doubted that I could be a full-time writer and gave me everything I would need to do so.

And so, as a child I would sit on a wooden bridge across a babbling creek and write stories about gnomes and trolls, and witches. The large trees provided a natural canopy overhead, and my view was the wildflowers that grew on the wooded hillside. I find myself longing for a place like that now. But my own guys have given me my own writing space at home that resembles a beach cottage, and it has become my happy place.

And it is with these men in mind, that I chose the name that I did. To reflect their dedication and love to me, and mine to them.

Where did the name of your business, Wildflower Vibes Writing, come from?”

Wildflower Vibes reflects my parents and how they impacted my writing style. My father is a true, authentic 1960’s Woodstock hippie. And quite proud of that fact, he still attends protests as they come to town. He gave me my vibe– that inner Zen bohemian quality. I embrace it and try to pass it along to the men in my own abode. My mother’s favorite flower is a daisy. Her wedding day was full of daises, and they continue to be the best flower to send her. She didn’t need any roses or other fanciful flowers. Where some people saw them as weeds, she saw wildflowers as the most beautiful. She gave me the wildflowers– as I grew up on the bridge across the creek, I learned to cherish the trilliums that appeared for only a few weeks in June and tried my hand at braiding daisy chains, making them into crowns and necklaces. I lived a wildflower vibe childhood, and it molded my belief system and how I live my adult life. It also created the writer that I finally am today.

So the next time a name catches your eye, perhaps because of its uniqueness or it sounds ‘out there,’ just remember there’s always a story behind every name. Even yours. Do you know what it is? You just might learn what’s in a name.