John asked Ellen Byron:

Is Ellen Byron a pseudonym? Why do so many authors adopt a pseudonym? In your opinion what are the benefits in there use?

Ellen Byron Hi, John! My apologies, I checked my inbox but for some reason, this didn't come up earlier. As to my name, no, it's not a pseudonym, BUT it's not my birth name. Here's why: I started out in my twenties with a dream of being actress. But my birth name - Seideman - was always mispronounced or misspelled, which made me nuts. I wanted a name in the family, so after much family debate, I landed on my dad's middle name - Byron. As to the second part of the question, as an author I think the benefit in using a pseudonym might come into play if you're writing multiple series. I.e., in my case, I have another mystery series my agent is trying to sell that's completely different from my Cajun Country series. People expecting a certain style and atmosphere from Ellen Byron might find themselves thrown by the new series. Hence, if it sells, it may have been written by "Rydal Waters!" (And a free tote bag to you if you can tell me the genesis of that name!) And perhaps some authors have privacy concerns. But the main reason, at least from what I've learned, is the former. Thanks so much for asking a question and again, apologies for not responding sooner. But I was also in Louisiana for a week researching for book three in the Cajun Country Mystery series. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

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