I Have No Name

You may have noticed that my name does not appear anywhere on this website. (Ok, it’s on the cover of my book, but that doesn’t count. It may change anyway). There are several  reasons for this. Let me explain. Reason number one is for safety issues. My husband fears someone may search me out and stalk our family. Possible, but not very probable. The better reason for not posting my name is that I am unsure whether I would like to use a pen name for my novels or not.

There are pros and cons for the usage of a pen name.  The pro side of using a pen name is that I can write freely on those topics and subjects that I feel important without fear of jeopardizing my true self. I can feel uninhibited and keep my real name pure in that sense. Another pro is that not only do I write general fiction (leaning more toward the female readership), but I also am currently writing a novel that could very easily fall into a YA category.  I also have a children’s book I am looking into publishing and would hate my name to be linked only with the capability of producing happy, jolly children’s writing and having my adult work not taken seriously.   Many great works of literature has been written under a false name—Mark Twain, Dr. Seuss, Richard Bachman aka Stephen King, (yes, even Stephen King used a pen name), J.K. Rowling, Lemony Snicket…the list goes on and on.

The cons? Well, the big, most obvious one is that my true name may never see the light of publishing. Also, convincing others that indeed yes, I did write that is a tough job to do.

Am I getting ahead of myself here? Perhaps. My novel is still in the works, but the way I look at it is that if I am going to dream, I may as well dream big. Also, indie publishing is taking off. If I should decide to go that route instead of the normal publishing means, then I need to decide quickly. 

So far, I am leaning toward the use of a pen name—a combination of my first, middle and last name. I think it will work for me. My writing is not risqué, or gruesome for that manner, but with a pen name I could go about my daily living without fear of someone looking at me and thinking “I can’t believe she wrote that!”