#IWSG: What Is in a Name? #penname | #Specfic Bookworm News

IWSG was created by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh. Click here to visit the other participants. August's co-hosts are Tamara Narayan, Tonja Drecker, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Lauren @ Pensuasion, Stephen Tremp, and Julie Flanders.

As I've been working on the Soul Reaper series, I've been considering whether or not to create a pseudonym for my adult urban fantasy work. It wouldn't be a secret pen name as I've been talking about working on the series here, my website, on Facebook, and on Twitter. My work under my own name has been rather all over the place when it comes to genre, although it fits under the umbrella term speculative fiction. My published stories have been young adult or general adult—limited (closed door) sex, light cussing, and some violence.

Soul Reaper may have sex (Diana Greyson says a big YES, but I keep telling the character we'll wait and see if the scene stays. Her daughter wants to keep that door open too, if possible.) and will have violence and strong language. It's adult fiction and fits well in the urban fantasy genre. I see potential for one to two companion series, and I have other adult urban fantasy ideas as well. A pen name may suit my urban fantasy side while I continue to use my own name for my young adult and general adult speculative fiction work. A pen name would be good to use when marketing, particularly narrowing in on the UF fanbase and keeping the Also Boughts more focused on books similar to mine, as opposed to all different genres like my other books.

Yet it would mean a new email address, website, domain name, and newsletter, which will take a bit of time to set up, but aren't overly time-consuming. It would mean branding and marketing the new name, which can be a bit (i.e. a lot) harder.

So this question to use a pen name or not has been weighing on my mind and is my current insecurity. There are so many pros and cons, and I still haven't decided one way or the other. *sighs*
What are your insecurities this month?

August's IWSG question: What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published? The very first story I wrote that was not school related or posted on a fanfiction site was a short story similar to the Sherlock Holmes' stories called "The Case of the Tom Cat," featuring Detective Liam O'Hare. I wrote that story in 2006. The story, around 3500 words, was briefly published in 2009. Unfortunately, the publisher fell apart about six weeks later, so I never received royalties for it. *frowns*

The first novel I wrote was Reborn (titled The Phoenix Prophetess at the time). I wrote it in 2009, rewrote it in 2012/2013 and published it in May 2014.
On July 8, 2016, I finished writing the first draft of Destined. So I've completed my first series! Destined came in at 86,410 words. The Fate Challenges will be just a little shy of 300,000 words when all is said and done. Now comes the hard task: editing.
When I finished Destined, I started rewriting A Soul to Kill. The rewrite is going very well, and I should finish it in the middle of this month or so.


Oh, on July 1, I got some fantasy/sci-fi tattoos. My first ones! The three stars tattoo is from the Harry Potter books and is on my left wrist, and the other on my right ankle is the Earth/Tau'ri symbol from Stargate. Now I'm considering the Deathly Hollows symbol on my left ankle. Hmm...
My August goals include:- Finish the rewrite of A Soul to Kill.
- Revise my outline for A Soul to Reap.- When the rewrite is done, I plan to write "The Folding Point" for Spirits in the Water (UR anthology #4, forthcoming 2017). This story will be set in my Paperist world, like my stories "Paper Lanterns" in Mayhem in the Air and "Folds in Life and Death" in Parallels: Felix Was Here.- Edit A Soul to Protect.
- Finish editing a friend's novellas. For real this time!
What are your goals for this month?
2016 Stats: 202,742 words written and 985 pages edited
BOOKS READA Faerie's Curse by Rachel Morgan
Flashpoint by Adam Quinn
BOOK REVIEWSA Faerie's Curse by Rachel Morgan Calla Larkenwood's world is ripping apart at the seams in Rachel Morgan's A Faerie's Curse. This novel is the finale to Calla's story, and boy, it is one fast-paced ride! I didn't want to stop reading. The end of Part One had me crying. The end of Part Two left me shocked. I even gasped at what happened in that part. The ending was sweet and touching, but Morgan also left enough questions unanswered for the next part of the Creepy Hollow series, which I'm already excited to read. What I love best about Calla is that no matter what she goes through, she does find a way to remain true to herself. Action, danger, romance, and more—A Faerie's Curse by Rachel Morgan has it all!


Flashpoint by Adam Quinn Taylor Ghatzi must re-enter the world she'd left behind in order to stop another galaxy war in Adam Quinn's Flashpoint. Most of this space opera novel is told from Taylor's point of view. A telekinetic now working in emergency services, she embraces her military background, which makes her a strong character, although sometimes I felt a bit distanced from her. She lets down her mask, though, by the end. The other view point is from the diplomat Cherran DeGuavra. Cherran easily became my favorite character. Sometimes foppish in nature, he carries the weight of his father's legacy upon him with pride. The intricate world building took me a little while to get used to with many unique names and an alphabet soup of agencies, but I enjoyed Quinn's attention to detail as well as the technological advances he created. I found the galaxy politics rather relevant to what's going on in the world today, and I have a feeling we've just dipped our toes into the mysteries of this galaxy's inhabitants. Space opera fans will likely enjoy Flashpoint by Adam Quinn.
BOOKS RELEASING IN AUGUSTFurthermore by Tahereh MafiSign of the Green Dragon by C. Lee McKenzieBlood of the Earth by Faith HunterShadow Born by Jasmine Walt and Rebecca HamiltonUnbreakable by Liz LongUnknown by Wendy HigginsFlashpoint by Adam QuinnQuantum by Jess Anastasi
Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott
Children of Icarus by Caighlan Smith
Forever Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon
Six Scary Stories by Stephen King and Others
Between Two Fires by Mark Noce
Come back on August 17 for a post from Mark Noce, whose book Between Two Fires releases in August. I should also have a review of Between Two Fires up by then.