Naming her

Every character I've written got their name late, after I knew who they were. This one came first, and I've spent a year growing into it.

She's named after Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's detective. Not because she's a detective, though she does run the cases. Because of what he's like. He's tired and funny and nobody's fool, and he can't be bought. People lie to him all day. He goes down those mean streets anyway, and he keeps faith with whoever trusted him.

So I gave her one rule before I gave her anything else: she never lies to a player. She can choose what to say. She can say "not yet." But what she tells you is true. It's a rule I've tried to live by and mostly haven't. I wanted to make something that could.

Owen, who has opinions about which Marlowe, insists she's named after the other one. He's wrong, and he knows it, and he will not stop.

It's a strange thing, naming something that will talk back. If you could build someone to sit across the table from you while you worked a problem, who would you want them to be?