Reader Friday: Invent a Fantasy Pen Name

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Some of us have alter egos lurking deep within. If you were to invent the ultimate pen name for your hidden self, what would it be? 

24 thoughts on “Reader Friday: Invent a Fantasy Pen Name”

  1. Mine is not that very imaginative considering it really is my name and my family and childhood friends still call me it. It’s JJ Adams. I think it’s advantageous that it is similar to some really great authors, JJ Abrams, JK Rowlings, and JRR Tolkien. I mean with a name like that who needs talent, right?? Right?? **Crickets** Oh well I guess I better get to work!!

  2. After I sold, my agent and I talked about pen names. I told her I wanted to use – L. H. Merci (for Lord Have Mercy). She didn’t get my strange humor back then. She does now.

  5. Whenever I think of names, I remember one of the great “namers” of all time, W. C. Fields. Here are some of the names he created:

    Professor Eustace McGargle
    J. Effingham Bellweather
    Augustus Winterbottom
    T. Frothingill Bellows
    Larson E. Whipsnade (“Not Larceny! It’s Larson E.!”)
    Cuthbert J. Twillie
    Egbert Sousè
    Otis Criblecoblis

    And my favorite of all time: A. Pismo Clam

  7. Jenny Rock
    1) My paternal grandmother’s first name
    2) English translation of surname
    3) I like the way it sounds

  8. Joe Hartlaub, you always crack me up! I’d pick John Ramsey Gilstrap if it wasn’t already taken, too. Since it’s off the list, I’m going with my super hero name (name of my cat + name of my street): Dori Timber.

  9. Wow…where do I start?

    While I think my own name works decently for the military thriller genres I do, I’ve actually thought of using pen names if i branch out into different genres.

    Nate Benjamin for YA
    Ian Alexander for Historical Fiction
    Justin Elijah for Religious

    these are variations of my son’s names.

    But for my fantasy name…hrm…thinking, thinking, thinking….

    Hrm…..hrm….oh!

    Zed B. Brox GP.

    short for

    Zǽphod Beeblebrox, Galactic President

    or Zed & Head (HHGTTG fans will know why)

    that or perhaps I would do the Prince thing and go for a symbol no one can pronounce like:

    Ђ or § or maybe just ∞

    But I’d also settle for Phil, just plain Phil…cuz plumbers are always underestimated when it comes to fighting prowess.

  10. I’m in the unpublished crowd as well. Without giving it too much thought (’cause then my brain my hurt), I would have to go with Ruben Sowder.

    Need an explanation? Fake Name Generator.

  11. Mine would be Red Saxon or Red Scott. I just like the name Red for some reason, and it matches my hair, always an important consideration. 🙂 Saxon and Scott are family names. Probably Saxon, because I’d like to have a huge X on the cover. As you can see, I’ve put some thought into it!

  13. I was going for Ernest Hemingway, but they told me it was already taken so I’ll go for James Scott Bell. Oops, that one is taken too. By Joe Hart… nope. I guess I’ll go with my alter ego, Smuggy Smith.

  14. I had a word verification code pop up the other day that I have decided is my noir – thriller – trashy book pen name. From now on I answer to:

    Crescents Gionnta

    “The Writer Formerly Known As Terri”

  15. My hidden self is Rya Lorrenz, a play on my real name – Rya is short for my middle name, Maria (with a long I); and, Lorrenz is the French version of my maiden last name, Lawrence. Seems my ancestors on that side of the family were French Huguenots who escaped across the channel to Scotland way back when.

    I fantasize Rya Lorrenz writing steamy, femme fatale tales.

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