Iris

Iris asked Ruta Sepetys:

I adore your work and have become a devoted fan of historical fiction! I'm just curious as to how you choose character names. Do they have significant meaning for you or do you choose historically popular names? Thanks!!

Ruta Sepetys Hi Iris!

Thank you so much and I'm so thrilled to hear that you have become a fan of historical fiction. Hooray! :)

In terms of names, some I choose because they have familial significance (Jonas, Lina) and some I choose for rhythm. I look for a rhythm within a name that reflects the character's personality. And yes, I always research names historically to make sure they were used during the time period I am writing about. When I first wrote "Between Shades of Gray" the characters were called "Indre" and "Linas." But then when I researched I realized that those names were more contemporary in Lithuania so I changed the names to "Lina" and "Jonas."

Thanks for the question!

More Answered Questions

Carolyn

Carolyn asked Ruta Sepetys:

Hi! My mother and I loved your book Between Shades of Gray! You should come to Aiken, South Carolina to present your book. Some schools you should visit is Aiken High School and Silver Bluff High School. My question is: would you ever consider writing any other genre beside historical fiction? It would interesting to see how the book would turn out! I am pretty sure it would turn out great.

A Goodreads user

A Goodreads user asked Ruta Sepetys:

You write such beautiful and heartbreaking historical fiction, what was your favorite part of doing research for both Between Shades of Gray and Salt to the Sea? Who was your favorite character to write? When you write a particularly sad or brutal scene, do you have to step back and take a break afterwards? Are you excited about the upcoming film based on Between Shades of Gray?

ANN ♥

ANN ♥ asked Ruta Sepetys:

Between Shades of Grey is hands down the best book I have ever read! I'm so happy to hear that there will be a movie coming out this year based on the book. Any ideas to when the movie trailer will be released?

All answers from Ruta Sepetys…

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