Please help me welcome my friend, author Jennifer Zane. Jennifer is giving away an ecopy of her either of her books, winners choice.
I just read a great blog post by an author about 10 reasons why you should and shouldn’t use a pen name. I loved this post and want to add to it. To share my top 10 reasons why I use a pen name.
10. I feel a little bit like Wonder Woman. No one outside a small group of close family and friends knows I have a secret life, a secret identity as an author. I just wish I had the Wonder Woman bracelets that can deflect bullets, and the Lasso of Truth would be dang helpful.
9. I like to think spicy, sexy thoughts. I like to put them on paper, too. That doesn’t mean I want my next door neighbor or my kid’s teacher to know what they are!
8. Search Engines- Ever Googled yourself? Enough said.
7. Bad reviews- They aren’t dinging me, they’re dinging Jennifer Zane. Jennifer Zane can take quite a beating, although the real me is much more tenderhearted.
6. Jennifer Zane is very popular on social media. She has over 5,000 friends (and more if you want to Friend or Follow me!) who are complete strangers. I’m a little more particular about my acquaintances-no offense!
5. There are complete nut jobs out there. Again, enough said.
4. When you were a kid, didn’t you want to have a different name? I wanted to be named Diana after Princess Diana. I got my opportunity, but too late for my childhood royalty plans.
3. I have a job. And it’s not writing. Never the twain shall meet.
2. It’s actually pretty cool. Having an alter ego. It’s like having an imaginary friend.
1. I write romance with a ceramic garden gnome as a central theme through each book. I don’t want questions revolving around the ‘creativeness’ of this idea. Jennifer Zane can handle it. She can handle anything!
Blurb- Gnome On The Range-
Once you get the zing you can’t go back.
Jane West has everything a woman could want. A job in a small Montana town’s only adult store, two busy young boys and one dead husband. Everything except a little excitement–a little zing. But that changes one summer morning at a garage sale when her kids buy some garden gnomes.
Now someone wants those gnomes and will let nothing get in their way. Including Jane. This new excitement for Jane spells trouble for a relationship with new neighbor–and hot fireman–Ty Strickland. Can Jane and Ty handle a relationship meddling mother-in-law, crazy kids, and stay alive while trying to solve the mystery of the garden gnomes?
Blurb- Gnomeless-
Veronica Miller is a plumber on a mission–buy out her dad and the family business is finally hers. One big, handsome problem stands in her way. And it’s not a clogged toilet.
Jack Reid is the boy she mooned over in high school. He’s back in town, but he’s no longer a boy. Ten years ago he broke her heart, skipped town and never came back. Now he’s a big shot lawyer in Florida whose uncle feigned a health crisis to trick Jack into coming back into town. Upon arrival Jack finds his uncle is gone, he’s homeless, and forced to be roommates with the one woman he could never resist.
Jack discovers his lust hasn’t cooled for the sexy Veronica, but neither has her heart forgiven him. A sex-toy educational party, romance novel writing gone awry, Goldie’s meddling, an escape artist snake, a strange stalker in a fluffy pink coat, a house fire, plumbing gone awry, bitter cold, and a smart-faced garden gnome all conspire to force Jack and Veronica to work through a decade of baggage, disappointment, and unrequited lust while figuring out the mystery behind the stalker. Hilarity ensues on every page of this sequel to Gnome On The Range.
Gnome On The Range and Gnomeless are available on Amazon.
Follow Jennifer Zane:
www.jenniferzane.com
@jenniferzane
http://www.facebook.com/jenniferzanewriter
jennifer@jenniferzane.com
Gnome On The Range:
http://www.amazon.com/Gnome-Range-Novel-Series–ebook/dp/B006QQRH3A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1350928783&sr=8-2&keywords=gnome+on+the+range
Gnomeless:
http://www.amazon.com/Gnomeless-Gnome-Novel-Series-ebook/dp/B008BW5WZ2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
Jennifer,
It’s nice to meet you! I use a pen name for the same reason. 🙂 I hear you! I’ll definitely check out your books!
Thanks Stephanie! Let me know what you think of the books!
Jennifer,
While I could never imagine myself using a pen name (growing up I always hear “you’ve got the perfect author name” and I agreed) I can see why someone would want to. I enjoy seeing my name out there; it’s a guilty pleasure to google (when did that become a non-dirty verb??) my name and see it pop up. Good or bad, that’s my name and I feel a certain sense of pride seeing it.
My son’s name is Will so I can definitely appreciate your name! I can share with those here that Jennifer is my real name. My real last name is a mouthful so I’ve always wanted something short and sweet!
You make some excellent points Jennifer. I’ve always wanted a different name too. Or even a really cool nickname. 🙂
I loved your book “Gnome on the Range”! It was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down.
Jennifer, I think you just sold me on writing under a nom de plume!
Let me know what you come up with!!
I really struggled with the idea of pen name vs real name especially since my real name is so common. You make excellent points for pen names but I did finally go with the real deal. The tipping factor? I just REALLY wanted to see my name on the cover of my debut novel. I may regret my ego later though. LOL
I think Cynthia Woolf can relate as I know she likes to see her name out there too! I think it’s great to have people come up to me about my books and are interested in that one aspect of me–my writing. What a treat!
Love the titles. You’re a very punny girl.
Zany definitely. Punny? That’s a new one!
I like it that no one has ever thought to ask me if I use a pen name.
j. //
No one has asked if it’s my pen name either! If Jennifer Zane is googled, I’m not very exciting for anything else but books!
Love your ten reasons. I use a pen name, and I’m very happy with it. And agreed, I google my pen name and it’s all over the place. My real name NEVER shows up. Love it.
I love my secret identity! We can be WonderTwin powers!
With my name a mouthful and not very flowing, lol, I probably should use a pen name.
I thought about it, but decided, hey it’s mine, use it.
This is so great. Thank you. I started using a pen name because I needed a little privacy for my writing life versus my real life. I am about to combine the two in a few weeks and was looking for reasons to keep using my pen name and your reasons are exactly how I feel. And, I like the idea of being able to select who knows about the other me as I get more comfortable with it.
Awesome post! I use a penname, as well…for many of the same reasons you cite (although, I never thought about #10 – Wonder Woman – I LOVE that one!). Also, I was in the military, and being a romance writer kind of goes against that tough woman warrior image I like to hold up. 🙂 You have a great sense of humor – I love the blurb.
Interesting thoughts on Pen Names. If I wrote sexy scenes that might horrify my family, I’d use a Pen Name. Identity safety is certainly a factor.
I have actually thought about a pen name. Cause I really don’t want my co-workers to how dirty or how scary I can write. Tee Hee. Loved you 10 reasons. Thanks for sharing.