I usually use a baby name book to help me out with naming characters :)

Importance of keeping track: I wrote a short story that grew into a novella that is developing in a novel for the fall (mind you everything before this has already been published) so I had a mother and two sons whose names all began with K. My solution, for the novel. There is a sister whose name also begins with K and it's like tradition - they all have the same initials! 

Though it would have been a lot easier if I'd foreseen all of this.

There is a "rule" in romance that states the two main characters shouldn't have names that begin with the same letter or sound/read similar (Jack/Jane, Jaime/Jane). However, I tend to stick to my instincts more than anything. For my first book, my H/h were Victor and Veronica, but for my next one they are Jaxon and Pepper. I try to just go with what feels right and fits the characters. Although sometimes playing up dichotomy is also good. Like naming a character Chastity and having her go through some sort of sexual exploration. It all depends on how you want to play it out for the readers.

I never thought about going there. Thank you. 

I use babynames.com, too. But, in my opinion, they have a shallow collection of names. 

Thank you for the website. Whenever I'm not doing homework, I'll take a look at it.

Why should you avoid giving characters names that start with the same letter? Does it confuse the reader?

For first names, I like babynames.com because it gives alternative names or nicknames and country of origin and popularity. I also use census data at http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ This site give names by decade and state.

I read Nella Larson's book too. Great book.

Concerning names, I once read you should be careful not to give characters names beginning with the same letter. For instance, I had a Linda and Lisa in my current book. I changed one of the names. What I gave the character still fits her personality.

I follow my instinct when creating character's names. However, you can google names or use Babynology.com. Babynology will give you names and their meaning. In addition, I use Kate Monk's Onomastikon (Dictionary of Names), which will give you names from around the world. You might want to keep her website handy: http://tekeli.li/onomastikon/