Nom De Plumes

Happy Hump-Day, good people of the blogosphere! I can't believe it's Wednesday already. Time sure does fly when you're working your tuckus off. Today, I'd like to talk to you guys about pen names; also known as a Nom De Plume. Without beating around the bush, let's get going!

Why in the world would an author use a pen name?

Well, in my case, I use one because I don't want crazy people beating down my door if they don't like what I have to say. A couple of my books (the Mystic series, for one) teeter on the edge of calling people out for their crap and show what it's like to live on the other side of judgment. Another one has violence (and a lot of it) that a lot of folks say left them gasping for air as they read (Yassa). But, there are authors throughout history that used pen names to meet other goals. Here are a few:

• Dr. Seuss.
• Stephen King (aka Richard Bachmann)
• J.K. Rowling
• Jonathan Swift (aka Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq.)
• Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte (aka Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell)
• Charles Dickens (aka Boz)
• Benjamin Franklin (lots of akas - mostly female names!)
• Anne Rice (aka A.N. Roquelaure)

So why did these authors choose their pen names?

For publishing reasons, of course. One was chosen because the publisher thought the author's books wouldn't sell as well if people knew it was a woman who wrote them. Back in the days of the Bronte sisters, women didn't write and they felt they had no choice but to submit as men. Sometimes pen names were chosen to allow the author to publish more frequently or even to get published at all (their real name may have been damaged in some way). Anne Rice said she didn't want anyone to know she'd written a naughty book. But, beyond that, she wanted to see if it was her name making her sales or her excellent writing. Makes sense to me.

So, if you're an author, and you use a pen name, why? Is it to hide who you really are, to break into a genre only (usually) written by a certain gender, or is it something simpler like a state of separation?

Inquiring minds are dying to know.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Admiring Minds Want to Know

Yes, it's supposed to be inquiring. Wanna fight about it? :)

Who are the writers you most admire? Who are your writing mentors?

Like, admire, idolize, is there really a difference? Bwahahahaaa

My answers are going to be in list form today with a little blurb by each author and why.

1. Fern Michaels - Fern's books are so women empowering it makes me shudder. But I need a good kick in the arse now and then. When I feel like I want to give up and roll over, I consult one of the vigilante books. Those women make a person want to make a difference. In one of those books, they get revenge on a group of men by removing their testicles, pickling them, and mailing them back to the men. The women were getting revenge for a rape. It was apropos. I punched the air when I read it...

2. Stephen King - Stephen's books are so frightfully descriptive that I feel what his characters feel. I am awakened inside and every nerve in my body tingles. To be frank, the man scares the shit out of me because he paints his scenes so well. I tried to do this in Yassa when Temujin is getting revenge on the men that stole his wife and sold her to another man. Those were difficult scenes to write (because he did some terrible things) but they make the book stay with you after you finish; like Stephen's do. Never would I presume to be as good a writer as him, but he taught me a lot.

3. J.K. Rowling - If ever there was a writer out there that we divorcees with a bunch of kids that are down on our luck can look up to, it's J.K. She wrote Harry Potter while scratching by and it paid off. While I have no delusions of grandeur, it's still nice to know that someone somewhere did it. It gives me hope. As a writer, sometimes hope is all I have. My queries certainly aren't going far...

4. Rick Riordan - Mr. Rick releases two books a year in his two series and I am always chomping at the bit to get them. His knowledge of mythology and Egyptian history floors me. He uses his knowledge well and I learn some facts every time I read one of his books. I appreciate the HF genre because I read about boring facts in a fun way. Using a lot of fact is how Yassa was written and when people realize that, they're going to have a new appreciation for the true meaning of loyalty until death.

5. Alice Borchardt - I couldn't believe how much Greek and Roman history I picked up by reading her books. She's Ann Rice's sister, wrote about werewolves and held a doctorate in the study of Ancient Greek and Roman history. When I realized she was intertwining history with fiction, I was intrigued and picked up every one of the Night of the Wolf series. They blew me away. While her writing style is not one I would copy, I still learned a lot about how to be creative while sticking to facts. She passed away before she was able to finish the series but man, it was GOOD.

That's not all of them, but there's the top 5. I hope this introduces you all to some new authors you may enjoy. Most of the above are listed on my Goodreads page. I haven't gotten around to adding all my books there yet because there are literally thousands of them.

I don't have a writing mentor yet but if anyone wants the job, I'm happy to take one on!! Why did I just hear crickets begin to chirp?

Remember, Yassa will be released TOMORROW!! I know you've all been waiting sooooo long! Your wait will be rewarded! I'll post links here so you can go check it out.

That's all for today, folks!!

Until next time, WRITE ON!!

Jo

Chapter 17 and a New Idea

Chapter 17 feels clunky. It has no flow because I can find little conflict. I'm sure Temujin will step in something along the way, he just hasn't yet. It's a problem when your characters lounge around and refuse to do anything interesting for a few pages. Everyone yell with me, "TEMUJIN! GET OFF YOUR BUTT, SON!"

Haha. Now that we have that out of the way...

Today my goal is 3,000 words. I am not moving my butt until those 3,000 words are on paper. That probably means chapter 17 will roll off the presses today. Good news? With 28 chapters total, there are only 11 more to go now. We are getting close to the end. I still haven't figured out what the end will be but I'm sure my characters will tell me when we come to that point. Do I follow history or allow myself a bit of creative freedom? Who knows?

I have an idea for a young reader's series and while Yassa mellows I will be working on that. I love the idea of a female protagonist; very few authors use them though. I believe that the ones who have, have done so with great success: Piers Anthony and his Mode series, Stephen King with Carrie, and, most recently, Suzanne Collins with The Hunger Games series. If you didn't fall in love with Katniss during the HG series, you either weren't reading it, or you didn't understand it. Colene, the protagonist in PA's 4 book Mode series, that began with Virtual Mode, was a tortured young lady with major character flaws that was easy to fall in love/identify with.

I don't know how many books will result from the series; I suppose it will depend on the reader reaction to the first one. If everyone hates it, I will move on. We shall see.

First, to finish Yassa!! It is now approximately 303 pages long and contains over 65 thousand words. By the time it releases, I am guessing it will be in the rough neighborhood of 500-600 pages long. What an accomplishment! I am proud just getting to 300!! Haha.

Perhaps an excerpt tomorrow...

It is 9am and time to hit the keys.

Until next time, WRITE ON!!

Jo

A New Week = A New Perspective

Hello and happy Monday!

Every great once in a while, you read something that makes you think perhaps you aren't weird after all - mine is On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. I have always wondered at my love of books and writing but I read that it is precisely that love that makes me a writer. You do not have to publish a book or a story to be a writer, you just have to write. I have been writing since I was 4 years old. I guess that makes me an old hand, eh?

I have also been a reader from that age. I have read more books in my lifetime so far than most people could ever dream of reading. I used to fall asleep with a book in my hand/on my head every night when I was younger. I love the written word and the only thing that tops that love is what I feel for the man in my life - the most passionate, deepest love I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing - and my kids. It can be detrimental when I lose myself in the pages of a well written story because nothing gets done if it's a good one. I know the readers out there can sympathize.

I write what I know from what I have learned through my life. In my book, Yassa, there are few details about the actual countryside of Mongolia because I have never been there and seen it with my own eyes. It is difficult to pull great description of a place if you have no firsthand knowledge of it. But, my book is not about Mongolia. My book is about a man, a woman, and a people. These are things I do know. I find my story easy to tell because I have experienced the all encompassing feelings that the man and woman have for one another. Finally, I can tell a tale of passionate love that crosses all boundaries and overcomes any obstacle thrown in its path because I have that in my life. We write what we know because we can tell the truth.

I owe every word I put on the page to the love I have had the great pleasure of experiencing through my Babydoll. He is there to encourage me, push me forward, and praise me. He has loved me through some tough things in my life and has remained by my side. He never tires of my needy ways, either. I could not do it without him.

I am off to write some more - this time my book. If you are a writer, WRITE ON! If you are a reader, may you find that new story that takes you into the pages and refuses to let you go.

Until next time,

Jo