How Does a Best-Selling Author Name Her Characters?

From a New York Times story by Elisabeth Egan headlined “How Does a Best-Selling Author Name Her Characters?”:

Lisa Jewell was walking her dog near her home in London when she caught a glimpse of a man standing at a bay window inside a scruffy stucco building. Suddenly she knew she wanted to write about him — or a character inspired by him — in her 21st book.