
So since my heroine is first-generation American of Irish descent, I thought it was a good choice for her name. Since her middle name is Ann, some of her friends call her SAM. It's hard to make a nickname out of her real name!

Readers please note: In this part of the story, a female is introduced as Niu Ying. In the Chinese tradition, her family name is Niu, which is pronounced "Ne-ow." Her given name is Ying, pronounced "Yeeng."
But there are very old vampires in the story, and their names may be daunting. Apolinar and Casimiro have been lovers for centuries. Their names are pretty straightforward. But the Mayan names for their gods are problematic, since no one has spoken Mayan for many years. Xaman-Ek is the name of the ancient Mayan vampire who resembles a mummy due to his age. Ixtab is the name of a Mayan goddess. I guess any reader's idea of how to pronounce their names would be as good as mine.
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