Well, like many other authors, there are various reasons why I decided to use a pen name, or, as the French say, a nom de plume. In doing so, I’m in good company. George Eliot was really called Mary Anne Evans, Mark Twain, Samuel Longhorn Clemens and the three Brontës sisters called themselves Action Bell, Ellis and Currer when they published their first works, unsure that they would sell their work as women. The list goes on. Even the famous George Orwell was born Eric Blair. Why these writers used pen names is not always known but to me, the name George Orwell sounds better than Eric Blair.
Some famous writers, such as JK Rowling, who used the name of Robert Galbraith for The Cuckoo’s Calling, must have had her reasons for putting out this novel under a pen name. And the author, Agatha Christie, wrote in the name of Mary Westmacott and managed to keep this identity unknown for almost twenty years, unlike JK Rowling, whose pseudonym was found out pretty quickly. Christie used a pen name, it has been said, to better explore the human psychology, whilst remaining free from the expectations that her fans may have placed on her for ‘mystery’. Westmacott’s novels were certainly a departure from the usual stories by the Queen of Crime.
Some writers adopt more than one pen name. They appear to do this when they want to write in a different style or genre, which makes sense, and keeps a clear, dividing line between them. Others might perhaps use a new pseudonym to re-invent themselves or revitalise a flagging career. Then there are those who want to remain anonymous for whatever reason (work, family and even friends), or, on the other hand, want to use a pen name that they feel can make them get noticed or easily found on social media.
So, why did I decide to use a pen name?
When I thought about using a pseudonym, I did not begin by researching who else had done so. At the time, it did not occur to me to do that. Since I have been writing however, I’ve read many reasons put forward as to the benefits and pitfalls of not using your own name when publishing work.
When I wrote my first book in the Evening Wolf series, Elizabeth, I was a lecturer at a university, living in a small, rural village, full of God-fearing folk. I did not think it was a particularly good idea to use my real name when writing about witchery. Also, as the book progressed and I began to weave some sexual content into the story, I made my mind up to use a pen name.
Had I put my own name on the publication, I imagined my colleagues at work raising their eyebrows at some of my book’s content. But, worse than that, I feared a few of the older members of my community being shocked at my wicked and disgusting imagination (both true of course). Given that everyone knew everyone’s business in our village, I did not want to be known for my ‘ungodly’ thoughts.
I am also quite a private person and have been happy to remain under the radar. I don’t have a photo of myself in the cover of my books either, which, according to my agent, is not good for publicity or self-promotion. I might decide to go for it one day and put a picture in one, but I have always felt that this was a bit silly, given that I do not use my real name. So, that is one disadvantage of using a pseudonym. The other, is that, once you have used the name for some time, you have to stay with it, write all correspondence in it and (in your writing world) become that person. So, using a pseudonym can be limiting.
Choosing my nom de plume
Having decided to use a pen name, the next thing to do was choose one. That turned out to be quite easy. The females in my family had mostly been given the first name of Emily, or a version of it, through many generations. My great grandmother was called Amelia and I liked her name from the first time I heard it.
I had been looking into my mother’s ancestry for some time and when I came across my great grandmother’s maiden name, Moore, I knew I had found my pseudonym … Amelia Moore. I loved the way it flowed and its harmony, as well as being able to honour a long-departed member of my family. I also felt that my pen name suited the particular genre in which I was writing, as well as others I planned to write in.
My second writing name
As well as adult books, I write for children. Given the content of some of my ‘adult’ books, I felt that I needed to separate these two genres and the best way to do that was by publishing them under different names. I decided to use my maiden name (therefore not quite a pseudonym), J.P. Davidson. I felt this suited my children’s stories and so I have been using that name quite comfortably.
I cannot see me having the need to write under a third name, but you never know.