What's In a Name

So, recently I saw that a newly released book had the exact same name I had coming up in a book. I mean exactly not just similar. Same first name, same last name. What the hell are the odds of that?

Now this character was in a book I had started last summer well before this other author's book came out so I didn't see her character and subconsciously name mine the same. Nor did she see mine since I only finished mine recently and it doesn't come out until March. This character is a secondary character in the book coming out in March but I am in the process of working on his story.

To say I was dismayed at the same exact name is an understatement. I swore a blue streak. I had liked my character's name. Apparently so did the other author. lol.

Anyway, fortunately, I was able to change his first name in the book coming out in March and in the work in progress. I'm somewhat disappointed but it's not the end of the world and in fact it might be for the best since the name that was changed is a Name Du Jour of the gay genre right now. I've seen it popping up all over even though, as I said, I created him in the summer of last year.

I've come to the conclusion in this business I better be prepared to change names, locations, even plots. This time it was just a name. And after all, what's in a name.