Gregory Maguire: Hello, my name is Gregory Maguire. Gregory is a family name. It was my mother's last name and it's derivative of the Greek Gregorio, which is what her family was called in Greece. It means vigilant, one who watches. Maguire is another family name. My father's name. He was from northern Ireland, and Maguire, I'm told, derives from an Irish or a Gaelic word that means tail of skin. I do point out also that my name is spelled M-A-small G-U-I-R-E. Gregory Maguire rhymes with liar. A writer is a kind of a liar, but a liar toward a good cause, I think.