She is 69 her new man is 10 years younger, she looks like alma or shirley valentine, or one of the leading ladies from Coronation Street. In real life her name is shirley and I cant get past that name nothing else will do. her hubby is Mike again the same problem. Trying to think of the names of the loose women but again they are too real if I call her sherrie she becomes like her which is just wrong,
I don't understand. You say her real name is Shirley and his is Mike, so where is the problem? Are you taking real people and their story and trying to fictionalize it? I'll answer on the basis that it is a fictional story. Aged 69, she would have been born in 1942 when WW11 was at its peak. Shirley, called after Shirley Temple was still a popular name. Vera Lynne 'the forces sweetheart' was popular here in the UK at that time. Names like Elizabeth, Betty, Florence, Clara etc. etc. were all common names at that time.
Hi yes you are right, thanks for your suggestions, and for the time line I need substitutes for their real names, she is in real life funny, an ex nurse so firm, funny, worldly, thought of gladays (open all hours) but nope. Her husband is tall grey hair an engineer huffs at bills and disputes fairly placid more like a puppy whos bark is worse than his bite.
I know Michael is a Biblical name, but it does have a contemporary feel to it too. Have you considered a more old-fashioned style of name, like Albert/Bert or Harold/Harry? If you can nail the male character, the female name might follow. I had two uncles named Harold; their wives were Freda and Annie, so I associate those names together. Your other option might be to look at baby name books, where they often give the historical meaning of the name, so you could look for one that fits your characters' personalities.
