8. Picking a Pen Name
I knew from the start that I was going to write under a pen name. I decided this for two reasons. I felt that if I was going to create a whole brand, I wanted it to be separate from my professional career. I’ve spent many years putting together a resume and I didn’t want internet searches to confuse two very different worlds. I also liked the idea of learning how to build a brand and starting it from ground zero was going to be a great learning experience.
I was also concerned that my job may not love this creative endeavor, especially as it was connected to rom com and romance books which can be a little edgier in subject matter. So all around, I felt it was a better idea to use a pen name.
But how does one choose a pen name? Mine came to me pretty quickly. I ended up going with the end of my first name, “Elle” and choosing my great-grandmother’s maiden name “Houston.” I really liked that I could use a family name, it makes the pen name more special to me and I think Elle Houston has a nice ring to it. I can see it on the cover of a novel.
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