Five things meme, and talking Pseudonyms

[valarltd]

You post a topic, list, category, whatever, in my comments section. (examples: "Five Phrases Batman Will Never Say", or "Five Jobs House Wishes He Had" or "Five Things Dean Will Never, Ever Tell Sam"). Then, in a separate post, I'll post the answers to your Top 5 ideas, according to me. Serious or fun!

Fandoms: Brimstone, BGS (78), Buffy, K19: the Widowmaker, Indiana Jones, LotR, Narnia, Princess Bride, PotC, Simon & Simon, Smallville, Star Wars (classic), Star Trek (TOS), X-Men Movies


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Pseudonyms

Love 'em?
Hate 'em?

Would you be more likely to buy a book by "Angel" or by "Cynthia Sparks or by "M.A. Raleigh?"

Cynthia Wishom? Cynthia Sparks?
Either of those appeal? What notions do they bring up?

I'm debating wether to use Angel Sparrow or a different pseudonym for my pirate novel.
(Thinking Sparrow might be pushing it, y'know?)

Comments

[kadath.livejournal.com]

I have terrible radar for pseudonyms. Unless it's "Dick Hardsteel" or something, I generally entirely fail to notice. I might twig that "Angel Sparrow" was one, though. ;)

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

The ironic part?
That's my real name.

[kadath.livejournal.com]

...

*falls over laughing*

Like I said...I'm horrible at names--pseudo and non. ;)

[kadath.livejournal.com]

I woke up this morning and realized that could have sounded horribly insulting. I'm sorry; I was laughing at the irony, not at your name.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Oh I understood. i went to bed laughing at the irony myself.

[shaalwyd.livejournal.com]

Depends entirely on the type of book. Cynthia Sparks I'd expect to be writing chicklit, where M.A. Raleigh I'd be expecting to be more universally appealing. I wouldn't trust 'Angel' as an author without a last name, but I wouldn't have a problem with Angel Raleigh, for example.

Wishom... visually, it's very close to Wisdom, so when I see it that's the thought that comes to mind. I would intuitively expect something more insightful from a Wishom than a Sparks, with more thoughtful, evocative writing and attention to detail, where Sparks I would be more expecting... well, sparks. Personally, the 'C-y-n' combination automatically makes me think it's a pseudonym. I don't know why, but I think it has to do with far too many female OCs with names filled with Ys. So Cynthia Wishom appeals to me more, because it sounds less... I don't know, Mills and Boone-ish?

For the 'five things'...

Give me five things Inigo Montoya might do now that he's out of the revenge business.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Wishom and Sparks are both family names.

I have been selling as just "Angel."

[skogkatt.livejournal.com]

Cynthia Sparks sounds less pseudonymish to me than the others. Wishom sound false and conjures wishy-washy to me, not wisdom. M.A. Raleigh is okay, but forgettable. Angel on its own is untrustworthy.

[hlglne.livejournal.com]

(Thinking Sparrow might be pushing it, y'know?)

Pushing what??

There are way too many 'Angels' on the net so you need to add something... And it's a perfectly legitimate surname. If you really want folk to think it Isn't a pseudonym, try something jarring, like Tubb. Or Wangler.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Pushing the boundaries of good taste with a pirate novel.

I know Sparrow's a perfectly legitimate surname. It's MY perfectly legitimate surname. I get carded at EVERY con.

[hlglne.livejournal.com]

Crikey, if it's actually your name, don't use it for a pseudonym, lol.

My real name is unpronounceable by many, so was never in the running.

[idadebeautreux.livejournal.com]

Five Things Wolverine Wanted to Say to the Writers of X-Men III.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Angel as an author's name screams cutesy New Age pretentiousness to me. I like M.A. Raleigh best, because it sounds like it could be a real person's name. Cynthia Sparks is pretty good, but it sounds more nom-de-plume-ish than M.A. Raleigh.

[thefannishwaldo.livejournal.com]

5 times Spock smiled, but McCoy wasn't looking. ;)

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

Cynthia Sparks will look good in bold type across the front of the mass market version. Trace out a book cover, and do some mock ups. You want a name the reader can remember. That being said, I do like MA Raleigh.

I think Angel, in any variation, will make it hard to be taken seriously. Cynthia Wishom doesn't say anything, although I do think there is a writer who covers collectible judicia that is named Wishom...not bad, but I wouldn't do anything unseemly with a menorah, just in case. (Her name may be Vishom -- not sure here)

I swear to god, the whole reason I got married is so I could be CB Potts
rather than cynthia Brauchler. I'd never sell a dang book that way.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

I use Angel, because Angelia is either perpetually misspelled or constantly mispronounced.

*is busily doing unseemly Hanukkah things, and so strikes "Wishom"*

Screw pseudonyms. Let 'em think Angelia Sparrow is made up.

[vision-of-time.livejournal.com]

M.A. Raleigh

That's my favorite. Not really sure why... I think it's the mysteriousness of not knowing what M.A. stands for.

Five things meme

Five things Han will never do for Luke, no matter how much he begs.

[creatorschilde.livejournal.com]

five things Spike wishes he did, before he got a soul?

alternatively, and totally within your own 'verses - five things Nick wishes he'd done in ITaly, and didnt *eg*

I like M.A.Raleigh.
it tells me that the author is possibly competent, and readable.

Angel sounds like a 14 year old girl
Cynthia Wishom sounds like a 14 year old girl who wants to be taken seriously.
Cynthia Sparks *sounds* like a poor mans porn writer.
Angel SParrow - do *not* get me started... you pick that one, Ill never write with you again.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

I'll get to the rest, but, seriously?

Angel Sparrow is the one REAL name in there.
I mean, I can go formal and use Angelia, but please, don't make fun of my name...

[eyeless-angel.livejournal.com]

Five things:

5 things Han Solo would *never* do, no matter what the profit.

5 of Adlai's most erotic fantasies.

5 changes Morgenstern would love to make to his academy, but shouldn't.

[coneyislandbaby]

Five times Lex went wrong rather than right - and knew perfectly well what he was doing.