How do you choose the names?

.My class just finished your book called Shiloh and I have a question. How did you find all theese names for Shiloh and the other Characters? How do you get a personality for every character? I realy loved that book. That all for now

I spend a long time thinking about names before I begin a book.  It depends on whether the character is old or young,  boy or girl, where this person lives–all sorts of things.  Then I try hard to make all the names sound different.  I get frustrated when I’m reading a book that has too many names that sound alike–Marty, Marvin, Marion, Mary….   Or if the endings of names are much the same–Christie, Larry, Sammy, Tommy, Kimberly, Susie….