What's In A Name?

[xakara]

Again and again I keep running into the topic of whether or not to publish under a pseudonym. 

I know that it seems a given if you publish in more than one genre that you should use more than one name. That way fans of your historical dramas hoping to swash their buckles don't get confused and pick up your erotica and find out what a buckle is truly used for. But what if you are just starting out and have to choose who to be? 

When I signed my contract with Samhain for my paranormal novellas, I had to decide who wrote them. Was I going to use my given name? My online name? My "Romance Writer Name" that I came up with for a lit class assignment waaay back in the day? Who had written Shifting Passions and was it the same person that wrote BloodSprite? 

Through the input of others I settled on my given name. Primarily it came down to the fact that my family has waited a long time to see my name in print and despite the fact they'll likely never read my stuff, I still felt I owed them that bit of pride in being able to hold up a book with my name on it. 

A few months after the fact and I'm not so sure. 

I still want my family to have that but I spend so much time online that Xakara is truly who I am more than even the name I was given. Why not just switch to my given name? Well, laziness aside, a psycho asshole (read, cyberstalker), made it so that many, many a moon back I had to refrain from using my given name because he was rather persistant in tracking me down. In the years since I've grown into my online identity because I picked a name that meant something to me but wouldn't be on the radar of the average psycho and my particular psycho. 

Xakara is what I blog under, what I join fan communities under, what I write my online plots under, it's who I am. And technically it's who wrote my novel and the novellas. It seems rather unfair to her that the name of my birth certificate gets all the credit. Granted its the name on my bc my family sacrificed for so that I could eventually do what I loved. 

I guess we'll see. Laziness doesn't get a vote but if it did, not having to create a web presence under my given name would be a real big incentive not to use it. LOL. 

Anyway, how do my four readers feel about the idea of given names over pseudonyms? Come on Kittens, share. 

Ramble Done

~X

Comments

[moon-chylde.livejournal.com]

In your case, using Xakara is a brilliant idea. It just makes sense. So much sense that I don't understand why you didn't bring it up before.

[xakara.livejournal.com]

I did bring it up before, back in February when the first story was bought, and everyone was rather uncertain save for a few people who very much felt I should go with my given name.

((And note I say "given name" and not "real name". Xakara is my real name, it's just not on my birth certificate.))

[moon-chylde.livejournal.com]

I am was probably one of them. I honestly don't remember. For whatever reason at the time using your bc name seemed like the thing to do. But the way you presented using Xakara now just makes it sound like that's the way to go.

[xakara.livejournal.com]

We haven't started the edits yet on the novella so I still have time to work it out and make a final decision.

I might actually talk to my family about it next week and see what they say about the whole thing. I could be angsting for nothing and they don't care either way.

(Unlikely though, but there's always hope)

[sroit.livejournal.com]

I replied on your myspace blog cause I saw it there, first.

[xakara.livejournal.com]

Which was very nice because now my blog isn't sitting there all lonely and unanswered. :)

[(Anonymous)]

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