The Pen Name

AlterEgox5 · Jan 29, 2010

If you had to choose a pen name, what might it be? Feel free to explain the reason behind the name if you like.

I'm a girl, but if I needed one, I'd end up Nick Trevano.
Nick = one of my nicknames
Trevano = great grandfather's last name

HConn · Jan 29, 2010

If I had to choose a pen name, it would be very close to my current name--maybe add my middle initial. The only reason I'd need one was if my current series is a flop and bookstores associate my name with poor sales. A slightly-altered name would let me start fresh.

Donald Westlake, a man with many pen names, always said "Simple last name, unusual first name.

Chris P · Jan 29, 2010

I've recently chosen mine: Patch Nelson

The "Patch" is a bastardization of one of those Star Wars name things, where you put the first few letters of your last name with the first three letters of your hometown, etc. The "Nelson" was simple, was not an alliteration, and not the last name of someone super famous "Patch Rowling King Meyer."

My real name is much too common; there are at least two other active writers with the same name plus a semi-famous university professor.

chevbrock · Jan 29, 2010

I see this starting as a game in another thread!

I reckon you use this system: the name of your first pet, and the brand of the last alcohol you drank. Here's mine: Kara Chittendon

eqb · Jan 29, 2010

HConn said:
Donald Westlake, a man with many pen names, always said "Simple last name, unusual first name.

I am so screwed.

JackinElgin · Jan 29, 2010

Elliott Sawyer, I had just watched an episode of Law and Order SVU and was watching an Episode of LOST on Netflix when I was asked by the Publisher for my pen name.

It was a natural result of media saturation.

HConn · Jan 29, 2010

eqb said:
I am so screwed.

I'm sure you're used to the standard mispronunciation by now. Just multiply it by 100.

Krintar · Jan 29, 2010

Chris P said:
not the last name of someone super famous "Patch Rowling King Meyer."

I would actually love to see a book written under that name.

Caitlin Black · Jan 29, 2010

For my romances/eroticas - Hayley Simons. (My real first and middle names are Leigh and Simon, not necessarily in that order).

For my thrillers - damn, I've forgotten which name I had picked out... sigh.

For my YA comedic fantasies - Cliff Face. Seriously. Because I'm just THAT cool.

For my autobiography - Maxi Million. Because I can, and don't want to be a famous name.

Izz · Jan 29, 2010

I use my middle name and my mum's middle name for my spec fic. For my non-spec fic i throw in the initial of my dad's middle name.

Maxinquaye · Jan 29, 2010

chevbrock said:
I see this starting as a game in another thread!

I reckon you use this system: the name of your first pet, and the brand of the last alcohol you drank. Here's mine: Kara Chittendon

Pusi Stolichnaya?

Well, there was a Pussy Galore in a Bond movie...

Terie · Jan 29, 2010

The one my agent and I chose is my middle name and my father's mother's maiden name.

myrmidon · Jan 29, 2010

chevbrock said:
I see this starting as a game in another thread!

I reckon you use this system: the name of your first pet, and the brand of the last alcohol you drank. Here's mine: Kara Chittendon

Lightning Veuve.

Yikes. At least I won't run into a lot of other Lightning Veuves...like, ever.

eqb · Jan 30, 2010

HConn said:
I'm sure you're used to the standard mispronunciation by now. Just multiply it by 100.

Yeah, I asked my editor if we should use an alternate spelling for the byline. Like Smith.

Enzo · Jan 30, 2010

Rio Moss.
I took the first name from British football star Rio Ferdinand, and of course it's also simple and exotic because it's the Spanish word for river and everybody knows Rio de Janeiro.
Moss from Kate Moss but mainly because it's monosyllabic and English.

roonil_wazlib · Jan 30, 2010

Briony Tilney

Briony because I love love love it (not that I don't love my real first name, but it's a rather popular name)
Tilney because Henry Tilney is my absolute favourite romantic lead

Caitlin Black · Jan 30, 2010

I'd read a book by Briony Tilney. That's an awesome name.

AuburnAssassin · Jan 30, 2010

I always think of Briony as the heroine in Mary Stewart's Touch Not the Cat.

I picked mine using several means (family names, names I liked, etc) but then discarded several after doing domain searches on them to see if the dot com's were taken or not. I then snagged the dot com of the one I ultimately chose....not that I've used it yet.

eyeblink · Jan 30, 2010

eqb said:
I am so screwed.

Me too. If I say my name, almost nobody can spell it correctly (my surname mainly, though I have had misspellings of my first name). If they see it written down, they often mispronounce the surname.

But I've been published under that name, so too late to change now.

AlishaS · Jan 31, 2010

Liberty Marshall.

When my husband and I first got together we talked about anything and everything and one of the things that caught my attention (and we still talk about to this day) is how he want's an alter ego named Rick Marshall, so of course I was like ok I need one too. I couldn't think of anything cool so I picked Liberty Bell. We use to joke that if we ever need to go on the "run" we would use these names. Well since my husband and I got married I figured Rick and Liberty should too, so there you have it Liberty Marshall.

My pet/booze name would be Sam Blue Curacao or Sam Sour Puss (it was mixed drink lol)

Shady Lane · Jan 31, 2010

eqb said:
I am so screwed.

tell me about it.

gabbleandhiss · Jan 31, 2010

I liked a pen name so much that I had my name legally changed to it. Without being prompted, the judge said my new name sounded writerly.

HConn said:
Donald Westlake, a man with many pen names, always said "Simple last name, unusual first name.

Score another point for my new name.

DoomBunny · Jan 31, 2010

chevbrock said:
I see this starting as a game in another thread!

I reckon you use this system: the name of your first pet, and the brand of the last alcohol you drank. Here's mine: Kara Chittendon

Scruffy Jack Daniels?

Wavy_Blue · Jan 31, 2010

chevbrock said:
I see this starting as a game in another thread!

I reckon you use this system: the name of your first pet, and the brand of the last alcohol you drank. Here's mine: Kara Chittendon

Well, since I don't drink the alchy, here's the next best thing:

Ditto Mountain Dew.

Rolls off the tongue, dunnit?

Caitlin Black · Jan 31, 2010

Radar Tooheys Extra Dry for my pet/booze name.

The Pen Name

Expert Procrastinator

Whore for genre

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

I write novels

back for more

Whore for genre

Wild one

Doing the Space Operatic

That cheeky buggerer

Writer is as Writer does

i AM batman (not really)

I write novels

Smile.

Wild one

Darkly Romantic Curmudgeon

Barbara says hi

Is swimming with creativity frogs

my name is hannah

1% Irish, 99% blarney

Meatbag

Adventure is out there!

Wild one