Welcome(s)

by Leigh Russell

First of all, I’d like to wish everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Secondly, at the risk of sounding like A A Milne, welcome to James, James, Max and Peter to the Curzon Group - 3for1 beating even the 3for2 beloved of Waterstones.
Pseudonyms are a funny idea, really, aren’t they? I wonder how many authors write under their real names? I can understand starting a fresh series, or writing a different kind of book, under a new name. But why do so many of us write the first book under a false name? Is it the alphabetical placing on the shelves? (And why didn’t I think of that before I chose a surname beginning with R?)
When I started out – not long ago - my publisher asked me to use an androgynous name in case my own name put some male readers off. (JK Rowling wasn’t allowed to publish as Joanna because no boy would have touched her books, but surely 21st century males are more open minded....?)
As it happens I was happy to write under a pen name, in case my books flopped. Thankfully that didn’t happen so (issues of vanity aside) I’m now quite happy to have my photo published in my books and all over the internet (not happy with the photos – must get my hair cut… but happy to emerge from my own closet of privacy.)
Many reasons are cited for using pseudonyms but if we’re honest, how many of us start out hiding behind assumed names, in case it all goes wrong and our books don’t sell?
That said, juggling not one but three names – four if you include the ‘real’ one – is a feat in itself. As a fan of James Barrington, James Becker, and Max Adams the authors, I have to admit I’m also in awe of Peter Stuart Smith for running the show from behind the scenes. So, out of the closet and into the Curzon gang - welcome to all three and one of you!

Names and pseudonyms

Tom Cain (not his real name) and I had an interesting discussion about names at the last Curzon Group meeting, over a glass of red wine, olives, bread and humous . . . It’s a hard life, this author lark.
“What’s in a name?” Juliet demands. The name, she declaims, does not give the rose its delicate scent. Romeo would still be the same man under a different name. Yes, that’s true. But (always watch out for the ‘but’, I tell my students. It looks insignificant, but changes everything) Romeo is a Montague and that name, coupled with hers, spells tragedy.
One of the most powerful lines in Arthur Miller is John Proctor’s refusal to sign his name to a false confession. His inquisitors cannot understand why Proctor rejects their offer to save his life. All he has to do is sign his name and he will survive. He refuses, at the last minute, “Because it is my name.”
Why are names so important? Most of them are arbitrary and many are, frankly, weird, when you think about them.
As authors, I’m sure Tom and I are not alone in feeling a sense of liberation when using our pseudonyms. It is reminiscent of childhood make believe. It’s fun. When I give talks and sign books, I am not my usual shy, awkward, unprepossessing self. I step into role as The Author. However, this is not an act, any more than when I say I am a wife, or a mother, or a teacher. I am all of these things.
Using a pseudonym is like putting on a mask – not thinking Lord of the Flies here, (although maybe that’s not so far off the mark?) more Venice carnival . . .
As for names of characters in my books – that’s a whole discussion in itself.
As Juliet discovers, names are so unimportant, but they can change everything.
Leigh Russell (not my real name)