Say Our Names II

The damned scribbling women all have pseudonyms, for much the same reason. Anneliese wrote about our rationale awhile ago. As she said, "both Kate and I are involved in education and literary studies. While we feel that writing romance only adds to our credentials as proud feminists, not all our current and potential bosses/teachers and coworkers/fellow students will agree. Additionally, the parents of the little darlings we instruct may not want to associate Junior's English teacher with lusty Regency dukes or shag sessions in lakeside cabins."

Though we're not all teachers, the DSW do have daytime identities they need to keep separate from the writing life. Hence, pen names. And since picking a nom de plume such a big decision for a writer to make, I thought I'd share how I picked mine.

Factors to consider in picking a pen name:

• Is it easy to spell? (Think of the future Google searches!)
• Is it easy to sign? (Imagine your autograph sessions!)
• Will it shelve well? (Will readers have to get out a ladder or lay on the floor in order to find your book?)

Surprisingly, I hit on the perfect name pretty quickly. "Kate" is a diminutive of my given name, and it's what my loved ones call me when I'm at my feistiest (think Taming of the Shrew). "Diamond" is my maternal grandmother's maiden name. It's also a precious stone associated with riches and romance. (Yes please!) I liked the way the two names sounded together. It was easy to write, spell, and remember. Pretty simple!

And that's how my alter-ego was born.

What about you? Fellow writers/bloggers, how did you select your nom de plume? We'd love to hear your story!