What's My Middle Name?!

If you're following me on Facebook you know I been searching for a middle name. I made a mistake creating a Google Plus account and had to create a new email address different from the first. So I stuck a 'J' initial in for fun. The only problem was I didn't know what the 'J' stood for. So after almost a year and a half of being only an initial, I asked my Facebook friends to help me pick a name. 

If you do follow me you also know I'm a tease, so it will come as no surprise that I'm making you wait until the bottom of the post for the winning name. I'll try to entertain you with humor on the way, but if you're impatient, you can skip to the bottom. Meanwhile, I'd like to hand out some Honorable Mentions by Category.
 

Most Humerous Names

First Place - Jay

Submitted by Keith Fritz, Giselle Marks Author, Raul Sprovieri, Jamie Lockett, And Adri Sinclair 

Keith says, "Homer J. Simpson's muddle name = 'Jay' lol. Just kidding." 

Jamie says, "Homer that shit. Lilo 'Jay' Abernathy."

I know you weren't kidding Keith. You can't fool me. And Jamie, I hate Homer Simpson, but even I have to agree this is brilliant! But thank goodness it didn't win. It was probably due only to that lucky horseshoe I have hanging over my computer.

Second Place - Jabberwocky

Submitted by Martha Fawcett Vincek
'Jabberwocky' is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll and included in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Here are the first three Stanza's:

Jabberwocky

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

 Here's a nice post if you want to read the whole poem without reading Through the Looking-Glass. I can't read his work because my mind goes into insane land as it tries to put everything into correct boxes. There are no correct boxes with Lewis Carroll and I already have a headache.

Third Place - Juggins

Submitted by Joe Ward
This is humorous simply because it means I'm an idiot. Definition: a silly person; simpleton: one easily victimized:  "was a clumsy juggins and let the ladder get out of control."

Now I might be offended, but . . .

1. Joe Ward is actually a relation through marriage so he's allowed a level of casualness I wouldn't necessarily like from others. Yes. My brother-in-law is calling me stupid.
2. I'm not all that worried about my intellect.
3. Joe isn't that bright and probably had no idea what it meant anyway. (Kidding Joe! Sorry, you walked into that one and I had to give it to you.)
4. Let me remind you Joe that we're related through marriage so I'm allowed a level of casualness you wouldn't necessarily like from others.
5. You started it.

 

Most Interesting Names

First Place - Jeronimo

Submitted by Kate Sullivan
I did a search on Jeronimo and kept coming up with Geronimo. So I assume this is Kate's attempt at telling me that I seem like a wild warrior woman capable of wreaking havoc on my enemies and being a celebrated defender of my people. Thank you for that Kate. For those who want the story of Geronimo, visit this nice post. It says that Geronimo means, "one who yawns." That's right. I'm such a bad-ass, I yawn in the face of my enemies.

Second Place - Jinx

Submitted by Ana Crow Clemans
Wikipedia gives Jinx a number of different meanings and the following are among them:

• A type of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to many minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck.
• An object or person that brings bad luck.
• A penalty that one person can invoke on another when the two of them say the same thing at the same time.

What makes this so interesting is that I'm about the least superstitious person on earth. I will laughingly:

• walk under ladders,
• take black cats home,
• break mirrors,
• spill salt,
• stay in a motel on Friday the 13th,
• open an umbrella inside,
• forgo saying "God Bless You" after someone sneezes (Yes, that's a superstition mistaken for etiquette.),
• drive by a cemetery without holding my breath,
• put my hat on in bed,
• wear my wedding ring on a finger other than my forth (Yes, another superstition!), and;
• step on a crack. Though my mother has had back problems so perhaps I should rethink this one.

 One thing I won't do is place my shoes on my table because that is just gross! You were thinking the same thing, weren't you? Jinx! You owe me a Coke!

Third Place - Jupiter & Justice

Jupiter was submitted by Michelle Lewis
Justice was submitted by Annette Drolette Mardis and Deborah Ehling
I couldn't make up my mind on which of these were more interesting, so they're tied.

Justice would be a great name for me, though my sister would probably correct me and say I'm a "nark." I was quite the nark when we were growing up.

And being named Jupiter after the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in the solar system (one thousandth the size of the sun) is just way cool. It speaks to my geeky side. But my sister would probably say it speaks to a big head. You decide.

P.S. This is the same sister who is married to my brother-in-law who called me stupid. Are you drawing any correlations?

People Who Believe I am Their Child From Another Life

Now a few people like me so much they wanted to name me after themselves. I want to take a moment to thank you. I appreciate your self-esteem, err I mean, your esteem and regard. (Teasing!) I don't have a ranking for these so I'll just give them to you.

Jasper

Submitted by Kasper Beaumont
This one is sneaky. Kasper, I bet you didn't think I'd look it up. Kasper is the German form of Jasper. Busted.

Janice

Submitted by A League of Independent Writers
This one is in complete disguise. A League of Independent Writers is otherwise known as Janice Williams. Peeps, you REALLY should follow her. She's fantastic and you can find her on Google Plus and Facebook. She has been amazingly supportive.

Jeanna

Submitted by Jeanna Ford Read
Jeanna gets the prize for boldness since she brazenly gave me her first name as she displays it to the world.

To all three of you, I'm honored.

Most Beautiful Names

I don't have a ranking for these names either. I just loved the way they sounded with Lilo Abernathy.

Janae

Submitted by Pam Mastricola
Lilo Janae Abernathy

Jazina

Submitted by Giselle Marks Author
Lilo Jazina Abernathy 

Joella

Submitted by Itsjoysworld Blogger-Author
Lilo Joella Abernathy

If I were picking solely based on beauty, I would probably have picked one of these. Great suggestions!

Most Popular Names

Third Place - Jade, Jane, & Jay

All three of these tied for third place, getting six votes each.

Jay - Submitted by Keith Fritz, Giselle Marks Author, Raul Sprovieri, Jamie Lockett, and Adri Sinclair
I've already said a few words about Jay and I'm sure I have a four-leaf clover to thank for this one not winning. 

Jade - Submitted by Christina Lynn, Ann Marvin, Dawn Singh, and Arriane Alter
Not only is Jade the name of a beautiful semi-precious stone, but it's also the name of my author friend Rose Montague's first book. Suspiciously, all of her characters have names that start with 'J'. I wonder if she named them after my middle initial . . .
 
Jane - Submitted by Rebecca Stoneham Gladu, Arriane Alter, Ann Moynihan, Jeanna Bini, Rachel Mustain, and Annie Palone
My first thought was, "Are you all Edgar Rice Burroughs fans too?" Jane actually goes very well with Lilo Abernathy and I would have enjoyed it. But to me it sounds a little too innocent and I feel far from that. Speaking of innocence . . .

Second Place - Jezebel

Submitted by  Mary LoMar and Ann Doherty Jurmain
This one got seven votes, narrowly beating out the three above and almost winning. I do love Jezebel and wouldn't have minded it at all, even though it doesn't really flow with Lilo Abernathy.

According to Wikipedia . . .

According to the biblical accounts, Jezebel incited her husband King Ahab to abandon the worship of Yahweh and encourage worship of the deities Baal and Asherah instead. Jezebel is said to have persecuted the prophets of Yahweh, and to have fabricated false evidence of blasphemy against an innocent landowner who refused to sell his property to King Ahab, causing the landowner to be put to death. For these transgressions against the God and people of Israel, the Bible relates, Jezebel met a gruesome death - thrown out of a window by members of her own court retinue, and the flesh of her corpse eaten by stray dogs.

Jezebel became associated with false prophets. In some interpretations, her dressing in finery and putting on makeup led to the association of the use of cosmetics with "painted women" or prostitutes.

According to Israel Finkelstein, professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, apart from the names of rulers and some of the buildings and battles mentioned, the Biblical stories of Jezebel and her family contain "very little verifiable historical material".

Doesn't it feel like we're playing the Telephone game? Now, Jezebel sounds like a radical trouble-maker and a regular bad-ass. If I were superstitious (and we've already covered this) I might be worried about the history. But I'm not. So you may call me Jezebel if you wish.
 

And the First Place Winner is . . . Leave it a Mystery!

Submitted by Dannika Dark

This got 10 votes, far outstripping the other options. Thank you so much Dannika for the suggestion. For your prize I'm giving you a big fat plug. Dannika Dark is a prolific author and highly rated by her readers. I've personally read her Mageri series and loved it. Chances are, if you like The Light Who Shines you'll like her work as well. You can find her books on Amazon here and her Facebook page here.

So I guess I'm back where I started and have no middle name. However, I'm planning on having fun with this and may start signing my emails and posts with a different middle name every time. I'll never explain to anyone why, and only those of you who were in on this process will know the secret.

Thank you all for participating!

May the rest of your week be successful and bright, knock on wood.

Lilo Jaracanda Abernathy