Coincidentally speaking

Do you believe in coincidence? I can add as many coincidences as I want, I write books after all, it's not real life. But real life has a way of intruding, of sticking it’s nose in whether we want it to or not. Take the 'Saskia' series.
First, the Saskias are called Saskia because I liked the name Saskia. It was only after I began writing the books that I decided to find out what it meant. If you look it up, what you’ll find is that it means ‘Saxon Maid’. That’s a bit - well - boring (sorry if you’re actually called Saskia, but read on, it gets interesting), so I looked a bit harder. Then I found the reference to ‘Valley of Light’, much more interesting, and if you read the books, when they appear, you’ll know I’ve used that in the stories here and there.
Now the slightly spooky bit. Bear in mind that I was writing book eight, at the time. Again, if you read the books you’ll know that the girls save the whole world from time to time. I was looking for something else on the internet when I stumbled across yet a third meaning of the name Saskia - and the hairs on the back of my neck really did stand up. Saskia really does mean ‘Protector of Mankind’, I didn’t make that bit up!
Now you see why I say that the real world has a way of intruding? The interesting thing is, why didn’t I see that third meaning when I originally researched the name? And why have I written umpteen thousand words about two girls who save the world before I knew that their name meant ‘Protector of Mankind’?
Do I believe in coincidence? As Rio says in the book about her, “I don’t really believe in coincidence - or perhaps I do - or at least maybe I will now”. I’m with Rio.
As  matter of interest, 'Rio' will appear eventually. It's a story from the point of view of one of the other characters for a change - but don't worry - those Saskias stick their noses in as usual. For a quick glimpse of Rio the Famous Photographer, have a look at her short story on www.saskia.me.uk
Ian B