Namesakes
The Namesake Project
What happens when fictional names turn out to belong to real people?
While writing The Empty Fields of Black Sheaf, I created names for dozens of fictional characters. They were not taken from real people, and the characters were not based on anyone who shared those names. Only after the novel was published did I become curious. How many real Gabriel Vales, Kate Mercers, Adrian Vescaris or Caleb Mercers might actually be out there? The answer, in some cases, was hundreds. In others, only one.
Gabriel Vale
Kate Mercer
Adrian Vescari
Caleb Mercer
Entirely fictional. Genuinely coincidental.
Every character in The Empty Fields of Black Sheaf is fictional. The names were selected independently while the novel was being written. No character was created from, inspired by or intended to portray any real person who happens to share that name. Any match between a fictional character and a living person is purely coincidental.
A post-publication discovery
After publication, I began searching for people who shared the characters’ names. I expected to find a few. Instead, I discovered an extraordinary mixture. Some names belong to hundreds of people around the world. Some belong to only a handful. A few appear to be almost unique. That sparked an idea: respectfully contact a small number of namesakes, explain the coincidence, and invite them to discover the fictional person who happens to carry their name. There is no suggestion that a namesake resembles the character, approves of the book or endorses it. The shared name is simply an unusual point of connection—and perhaps the beginning of an interesting conversation.
Featured fictional names
Names that crossed from fiction into coincidence
Fictional character
Gabriel Vale
A resourceful and enigmatic operative whose arrival in rural Kansas begins to expose a much larger criminal enterprise.
Fictional character
Kate Mercer
A determined Kansas woman whose family and community are drawn into events far beyond anything they expected.
Fictional character
Caleb Mercer
A Kansas farmer and former Marine whose loyalty, judgement and courage are tested as danger closes in.
Fictional character
Adrian Vescari
A powerful organised-crime figure accustomed to controlling people, businesses and outcomes.
Fictional character
Dean Carver
A former police officer whose experience becomes increasingly important to a community under pressure.
Fictional character
Erin Calloway
A senior FBI agent leading a complex investigation with national implications.
Fictional character
Harrison Quinn
A capable field operative working within a discreet and highly unusual organisation.
Fictional character
Samara Fletcher
An intelligent woman living close to power, danger and uncertainty.
Fictional character
Jane Cresswell
A highly competent professional operating within a dangerous criminal network.
Fictional character
Marco Spaziani
A trusted criminal associate whose responsibilities place him close to the centre of the conspiracy.
Fictional character
Victor Spicer
A senior figure whose confidence and authority conceal growing vulnerability.
Fictional character
Delores Sutton
A retired operative whose experience, humour and judgement make her far more formidable than she first appears.
Fictional character
Tom Alvarez
An FBI agent involved in uncovering the scale of the criminal operation.
Fictional character
Jake “Jakey” Burton
A deeply connected local figure whose knowledge of the community becomes invaluable.
Fictional character
Frank Mathers
A quiet and vulnerable local man whose fate exposes the cruelty beneath the town’s surface.
Do you share one of these names?
Perhaps you received a message from me because your name matches one of the fictional characters. Perhaps you found this page by chance. Either way, welcome. You are under no obligation to reply, buy the novel, promote it or participate in anything. I simply thought you might enjoy discovering that your name appears in a commercial thriller set among farms, helicopters, organised crime and a covert international organisation. Namesakes who would like to say hello, share their reaction or take part in the project are warmly invited to contact me.
Contact Greg
Participation is entirely optional. Contact details and private correspondence will never be published without express permission.
A small note
You most likely discovered this page because I contacted you through Facebook or LinkedIn. That will normally be my only unsolicited message on that platform. If we happen to cross paths again through another platform or by email in the future, please accept my apologies in advance—it simply means I hadn’t realised we had already connected.
The story behind the names
The Empty Fields of Black Sheaf is a realistic commercial thriller combining organised crime, rural Kansas, covert operations and authentic aviation. It was written by Greg Whyte, a New Zealand author, former police officer and commercial helicopter pilot.
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