The Secret Life of My Characters’ Names

Every name in my books carries a story—sometimes sweet, sometimes sly, and occasionally stolen outright. They come from childhood neighbours, chance encounters, biblical angels, and the eccentric corners of Finnish theatre. Let me take you behind the curtain and introduce you to the real people, places, and peculiarities that shaped Pekka, Tuomas, Hermione, and the rest of my unruly cast.

I have a lot of fun when naming my characters. Names are never just labels—they’re little time capsules, carrying scraps of memory, private jokes, and nods to people who’ve wandered through my life. Here are a few of the backstories.

Pekka Wall

Originally, his passport said Pegasus. Yes, really. But that felt too cheesy on the page, even for me. Pegasus came from an aunt Pekka adored as a boy of six to ten. She was an avid reader, and he’d escape to her kitchen to hear her read stories aloud. While his parents worked hard on their farm, his aunt—hairdresser in the nearest small town—was glamorous, eccentric, and full of the wider world. She’d been overseas, spoke several languages, and lived above a shoe shop with her equally quirky husband. She called him “my little Pegasus, my little winged pony.” I dropped the myth from the passport, but kept Pekka to remind me of her. As for Wall, it’s because Pekka starts the series surrounded by very tall ones—and across six books, those walls come down.

Tuomas Ylivire

Tuomas is biblical—the doubting Thomas who had to poke a finger into Jesus’s wounds before he’d believe. My Tuomas is curious, agnostic, and deeply suspicious of authorities and any truth that doesn’t hold water. Ylivire translates loosely to “high tension” in English—fitting for someone whose curious energy can deliver a nasty shock if you’re not careful.

Hermione Baxter

This one’s a shameless nod to Rowling—sorry. Baxter came from a woman I met in London in 2005. We sat next to each other at Billy Elliot and she was so funny, so perfectly British and academic, that I stole her surname for Tuomas’s mother.

Niilo Ylivire

Tuomas’s father is named after a very tall neighbour from my childhood. I had to practically shout to get his attention. He was quiet, kind, and always had that mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Mikael Långberg

His surname is a blend of two brilliant Finnish theatre directors—Ralf Långbacka and Kalle Holmberg—whose work taught me more than I realised at the time. Mikael comes from the Bible again, after the angel—too beautiful to be true.

Turkka

The theatrical dog is named after my hero, Jouko Turkka, the revolutionary force in Finnish theatre from the ’70s to the early ’90s. I saw all his plays from 1979 onwards. A genius, but notoriously difficult—so in my books, he’s a poodle.

So now you know the names behind some of my main characters. Next time, I’ll let you in on a few more secrets.

Cheers