Accept the Double Dog Dare to Adopt Another…

with guest blogger Dora Hiers aka Tori Kayson

After our beloved golden passed away last year, it didn’t take me long to realize how much I valued canine companionship. Someone to talk to besides my fictional characters and a reason to get my tush out of the chair. Visiting a shelter and loving on some puppies should fix that, right? Ha! Meet Bolder and Que, our adopted rescues. (Stop laughing! :) )

My decision to adopt another writing name surprised me as much as adopting these two hooligans. Why mess with a good thing? After all, with almost a dozen Christian romances already published under my real name, I’d built and established my Heart Racing, God-Gracing Romance brand. But I finally caved to the year-long nudge to venture outside that box, to write clean romance sprinkled with subtle themes of hope, grace, and second chances. A pseudonym would give readers clear expectations, number eight on Mary Connealy’s Top ten reasons you might want to publish under a pseudonym. (Awesome list, Mary!!)

So, Tori Kayson, author of Sweet Romance that Sizzles, was born. Kayson is a combination of my grandkiddos’ names, so it has special significance to me. You might be surprised how difficult choosing a pen name can be. All. Those. Names. To. Choose. From. And then googling combinations to ensure it didn’t compete with an erotica or enormously popular author. (Again, thanks to Mary’s list!!)

Myra invited me to share my experiences writing with a double identity, so here goes…

BE PREPARED FOR THE UGLY

The Christening

Think the puppy created this mess? Wrong! Sweet and easy-going Que did this, the day after we brought him home. Apparently, separation anxiety is common among shelter dogs. The next two days we crated him, but he worked himself into a frenzy trying to wrangle through those bars. Thankfully, we found a sweet spot for him, hunkered down in our utility room with his bed and plenty of doggy treats.

By the time Tori’s first book released, extended family had forgotten about my second name. You can imagine the horrified reactions when hubby shared this strange female’s social media posts. Rather than let rumors propagate, I publicized my double identity.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

The Cost

Since I intended to self-publish with a business name, a CPA advised me to form a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) and file a Doing Business As (DBA). A DBA in my county costs $26 and is a one-time deal, but the LLC drains $200 from my bank account every year. A block of ten ISBN’s will set you back $295 unless you catch a sale. Book covers range from a-dinner-out to go-ahead-and-reserve-the-whole-banquet-room. Scratch these expenses with the traditional publishing route, but you’ll still face…

The Confusion

Did I send the blog post with the links to the right book? Did I upload the book on Amazon with the correct author name? How many books was Dora supposed to publish this year? Wait, did I just write that little spiritual nugget in Tori’s book?

The Commitment

Managing multiple websites, blogs, and social media accounts requires a ginormous chunk of time. Would you want to maintain two websites and a blog…or two? Not me! I combined my author websites and blog into one WordPress account. Check out my one author, two names design here. What do you think?

SAME BREED, DIFFERENT METHODS

To run, Que hobbles using both front legs. Bolder takes individual steps with each leg. Writers have similar end goals, but take different routes to get there.

1. With multiple names, you might need distinct identities on social media. Consider which social media sites will provide the best return for your time and how to use them. Fiction Faith & Foodies covered my needs for both names on both Instagram and blog. For Twitter, one account tweeted writing related links while the other focused on reading and female interests.
   
   
2. Uploading to Smashwords was a head-banger. Conversely, KDP was painless, so that’s my sweet spot. Others rave about BookBaby. Not everyone shares the same experiences. Be willing to try different methods.
   
   
3. The marketing techniques/venues that create such a buzz for one name may fizzle with the other.

THE ADJUSTMENT PERIOD

The little dude needs to burn off all that puppy energy and the big guy’s trying to shed a few pounds, so a robust walk every morning is a MUST, but that means adjusting my schedule. The same applies for writing with multiple names.

1. How many books will you write each year? My goal for this year is one per name, but typically it’s four or five books. I depend on an Excel spreadsheet to track word count goals and keep me on target. You may prefer Scrivener or a day planner. Be flexible and allow for the occasional curveball. Puppydom tanked my word count for the first three months.
   
   
2. Early on, I struggled to promote blog posts and books using Hootsuite’s free version. Now IFTTT applets populate my tweets and I hop on Twitter occasionally to respond and retweet. I’m not a fan of Facebook and only update my Author Page once or twice a week. Recently, I’m embracing the “less is more” philosophy and, after reevaluating my social media accounts, combined Twitter and Facebook. Why use two when I can accomplish my objective with one? Which brings me to my next point…
   
   
3. Could I have stuck with my real name and adopted a new, inclusive tagline? I’m open to that possibility, especially now after a few trials and errors. Beefing up the book description and a properly designed book cover would let readers know that, while it’s not Christian fiction, they can still expect a sweet, clean romance that leaves them with a happy sigh at the end.

THE PAYOFF

It took months to potty/yard train the puppy and deal with Que’s separation anxiety. Nowadays life is so much smoother, the days so much sweeter, and I’m finally able to truly enjoy these little darlings. The same goes for double identities. Prepare yourself for the ugly in the beginning, take time to adapt, and brace yourself for the occasional curveballs. Then, embrace your freedom and enjoy the ride!

Take a doughnut and chime in!

If you’ve been on the fence about adopting another name, have I convinced you to accept the double dog dare? What name would you use and what’s the significance?

How do you feel when your favorite author writes in more than one genre? Would you prefer that they use a pseudonym?

About Dora: Dora believes that a person should love what they do or choose to do something else. She’s doing exactly what makes her heart sing, and considers every day a gift. When she takes a break from cranking out heart racing, God-gracing romances, Dora adores reading, chowing down on her hubby’s lip-smacking home-smoked ribs, and sipping coffee on a mountain cabin deck. Life’s too short to be stuck in traffic, to drink bad coffee, or to read books with a sad ending. Dora and her real life hero make their home in North Carolina, but with a world full of amazing places to explore, that’s only a landing point.

Come hang out with Dora on Fiction Faith & Foodies, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. She loves hearing from reader friends at DoraHiers@gmail.com. Dora also writes sweet romance that sizzles under the pen name, Tori Kayson.

Giveaway: Dora has graciously offered two giveaways, a Faith plants the seed, Love makes it grow Journal, AND I have always imagined Paradise to be a kind of Library Scarf.

Specify your choice in a comment (limited to US residents, please)

Kissing Santa Nic by Tori Kayson is FREE for Kindle today!

http://amzn.to/2cMzDs4

Firefighter Karley “Nic” Nicolas intends to win Merriville's coveted Police vs Firefighter Basketball game this year. Not only because her ex-boyfriend plays for the opposing team, but victory means a huge check for her beloved charity to honor her twin brother. Losing is NOT an option…until the reclusive detective Gray Newnan flashes his rare smile and makes her forget why she’s even on the court.

Detective Gray Newnan isn't ready to dive back into the dating scene. Two years isn't long enough to recover from his ex-wife's abandonment after learning of their son's autism. But after Karley's recent breakup with his coworker, Gray finds it difficult to stay immune to her giving spirit. From that first shove on the basketball court to discovering the true identity of Santa Nic, Gray must reconsider his solitary life or risk losing a second chance at love this Christmas.

Thank YOU so much, Myra, for inviting me back to Seekerville!!

One Author. Two Genres.

with guest blogger Liz Johnson.

Do you ever feel like you have two different personalities? Or better yet, like you’re actually two different people?

I don’t generally feel that way. I’m just me. Living in Nashville. Working as a marketing manager during the day. Writing late into the night. But lately a few people (even some I’ve known online for years) have thought I’m two completely different individuals. 

Navy Seal Security

You see, for the last seven years I’ve been writing for Love Inspired Suspense. I’ve published eight books with LIS so far, including my latest, Navy SEAL Security. I love writing these fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat romances filled with danger, romance, and a heap of inspiration.

But then a few years ago I had a story idea that was decidedly not for LIS. It stemmed from a trip to Prince Edward Island (home of Anne of Green Gables) and the idea of a bed-and-breakfast in a small town on the north shore and two wounded hearts seeking peace and finding healing. That story developed into The Red Door Inn, my first contemporary romance, which released a couple months ago from Revell. It’s still Christian fiction. It’s still romance. But it’s not a suspense.

If you’re keeping count, that’s two genres. And I write both of them. But it can be a bit confusing to those not actually living my life.

Maybe it’s because I have a fairly common, rather generic name. Liz Johnson could be—and is—a number of people. (For the record I am not also a professional bowler nor do I write books on gardening.) But for whatever reason, I’ve had at least three people think that the Liz Johnson who writes for LIS is a different Liz than the author of The Red Door Inn. (One of those was Tina Radcliffe, who prompted the very idea for this blog post. Thanks for inviting me to share, Tina!)

I say all of that to introduce you to the topic of the day—writing in multiple genres.

It’s become pretty commonplace for authors to venture into multiple genres, especially with the ease of self-publishing.

But the multiple genre idea isn’t a new one. Authors like Nora Roberts have been doing it for 20 years—her first futuristic police procedural as J. D. Robb released in 1995. You might recognize some other authors and their pseudonyms for new genres. J. K. Rowling writing suspense as Robert Galbraith. Katie Ganshert writing YA as K. E. Ganshert. Siri Mitchell writing general market historicals as Iris Anthony.

But what about the authors who use the same name to write in multiple genres? In my experience there isn’t a perfect formula for maintaining recognition and building readership. But I have learned a few things as I continue writing romantic suspense and contemporary romance for the inspirational market.

First, some road bumps authors might hit—whether they keep their name or not.

1. Losing or confusing their audience. Authors spend years growing their readership, building relationships with the readers who love their work. But one book out of the norm could mean an author’s readers don’t want—or don’t know—to follow. For example, an author might write in a genre that her readers don’t want to read. Or it could just be confusion. I spent years connecting with book reviewers, but when The Red Door Inn released, one of my faithful LIS reviewers emailed me. Her note began, “I don’t know if you’re the same Liz Johnson who wrote The Red Door Inn . . .” We had a good chuckle out of that one, but I clearly hadn’t made the connection for her. No one likes being confused, and readers want to be faithful to authors they love.

2. Convoluting their brand. I’ve heard a lot of definitions for an author’s personal brand, but the one I like best is: what readers expect from your stories. An author’s brand is her signature. The way she uses humor or infuses faith into the storyline. But if an author who is known for light-hearted small-town cozy mysteries decides to suddenly take up heavy-handed dystopian novels and then sensual romances, readers won’t know what to expect when they see the author’s name.

3. Disappointing readers. The result of an overly convoluted brand is disappointed readers. Imagine a scenario where an author is known for writing sweet, inspirational romance novels set on a ranch in Idaho. Her readers know what to expect. And then the author decides to simultaneously write highly sensual romances set at the same Idaho ranch. Readers are expecting safe and sweet and get steamy and sultry. And for some readers that could be enough to turn them off from this author forever.

These are, perhaps, the most common hiccups an author could experience. But they don’t have to be your fate. Obviously I’m still learning (after all, I’m still confused for being two different authors), but I have picked up a few tips along the way.

1. Keep your marketing clear and tight. Your website, social media, and press releases should be straightforward in order to avoid confusion. If you have a books page on your website, make sure that you have subpages that clearly identify your genres. I love how Katie Ganshert does this on her website—identifying her inspirational and YA titles on separate pages.

2. Be upfront with your readers about what to expect. Jillian Hart does a great job at this. She writes in at least three different genres—inspirational romance, sweet romance, and sensual romances. Her marketing copy often identifies the type of book her readers can expect, so there’s no surprise. When she posts on social media about a sale on one of her books, she identifies what genre it falls into.

3. Be strategic about what you write. Again Jillian Hart is an excellent example. While her readers know she offers a variety of stories across the heat index, they always know they’ll get a strong romance filled with hope. She’s not asking readers to follow her from falling in love under Montana skies to true crime stories in Columbia. Asking readers to stay with her from one romance genre to another isn’t a stretch, and many will.

Lots of authors have success writing in multiple genres, so if it’s something that you’re considering, I encourage you to explore it. But do so thoughtfully. Consider your brand, marketing, and communication strategy. There’s no guarantee that you can avoid all confusion, but with some planning, you can keep the reader relationships you’ve invested in and continue to grow your audience.

So what’s your opinion on writing in different genres? Do you write in more than one genre? How do you juggle it? As a reader, are there authors you like to read who cross genres? Why or why not?

Liz Johnson: By day Liz Johnson works as a marketing manager, and she makes time to write late at night. Liz is the author of nine novels—including her first contemporary romance, The Red Door Inn (Prince Edward Island Dreams, book 1)—and a New York Times bestselling novella. She makes her home in Nashville, where she enjoys exploring local music, theater, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her nieces and nephews. She writes stories of true love filled with heart, humor, and happily ever afters. Connect with her at www.LizJohnsonBooks.com or www.Facebook.com/LizJohnsonBooks.

 

 

 The Red Door Inn

 Marie Carrington is broke, desperate, and hoping to find sanctuary on Prince Edward Island while decorating a renovated bed-and-breakfast. Seth Sloane moved three thousand miles to help restore his uncle's Victorian B and B--and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart. He wasn't expecting to have to babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her.

The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just two months will take everything they've got—and they have to find a way to work together. In the process, they may find something infinitely sweeter than they ever imagined on this island of dreams.




Leave a comment today for an opportunity to win a copy of The Red Door Inn. Winner will be announced in the Weekend Edition!

Top Ten Reasons to Use a Pseudonym -- Psycho? Flying Monkeys? How oh how do I WARN YOU???

What music should I use?


I’m thinking maybe that screeching music from Psycho? While Janet Leigh is getting stabbed in the shower?

Or no, maybe that sort of chanting song the flying monkeys are singing while they march into the Wicked Witch of the West’s castle. Oh WE oh we OHHHHH uh (can you hear it?)

I need to set a tone today.

A suspenseful tone. While I tell you all what I’ve DONE!!!????

MARY, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE????

In October I’ll have my first release as the pseudonymous Mary Nealy.

Here’s a little bit about it before we talk more.

Ten Plagues

By Mary Nealy

A demon possessed serial killer acts out the Ten Plagues of Egypt on the city of Chicago.


An inner city mission pastor draws the attention of a madman and becomes the focus of his rage.


A lady cop with the spiritual gift of discerning spirits gets the case and is confronted with an evil unlike any she's ever known.


The pastor and the cop race to stop a murderer, knowing that the plague of the first born and the plague of darkness are being saved just for them.


And I’ll tell you just a bit about the background of this book because it’s how I met RUTHY!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve told this before, skim if you must, though it’s an adorable story.

I won the Barclay Award with this book. A long, long time ago. Decades. I don’t remember how long but I think I chiseled the manuscript on granite. Or was it papyrus, Ruthy? It’s a memory that is lost in the mists of time.

So, I won. Big time. Out of a possible 100 score I got…maybe 99.5. I can’t remember but it was great.

Come to find out I’d been discrepancy judged. Of three judges I got 98, 99 and 62. (or was it a 32, Ruthy??) So they dropped that mean old bad judge and brought in a fourth judge who gave me a 100.

And I won. Oh, wait, I may have mentioned already that I won, so ignore this second note of the fact that I won!

Soon thereafter here comes an email from some mysterious and cruel person calling herself Ruth Logan Herne. And did she write to tell me she was wrong, wrong, wrong? Oh no. She wrote to tell me she LOVED Ten Plagues and she’d STILL busted it and here’s why……..

She said it was too edgy. Too murderous-rampage-y. Great book but let’s face it chickadee, you’re never gonna get this published in Christian fiction. Never, never, never. And it’s too Christian to get published anywhere else. Never, never, never. And the other judges were all writing secular so her opinion, harsh though it was, was more useful than theirs.

So, though she loved the book, she thought she needed to save me and guide me down a more promising path. (Did the word cowboys ever come up, Ruthy? Another memory lost)

So, being as I’d won ’n everything, it was easy for me to be forgiving. Plus I figured she was right. Plus I fell in love with her honesty and sass and courage to not just slam the book but to be all grown up and tell me why.

And beside I won.

Well, to prove how all-knowing and wise Ruthy is, TADA…..
Ten Plagues releases October 1st.

I used a pseudonym for the book and that’s what I wanted to talk about today. Getting a chance to say to Ruthy, “Neener, neener, neener", is just a fringe benefit.

A Rose by any other name will still alienate her readers if Lil Rosy steps too far outside her brand.

I love Ten Plagues. I think it’s as fun as anything I’ve ever written and it is a fiercely Christian book, with far more spiritual content than many of the books I write. But it is DIFFERENT. And that’s why I wanted the pseudonym. If you pick up Ten Plagues and ask yourself, “I wonder what state THIS cowboy’s ranch is in?” you’re in for a shock.

And I don’t want you to be shocked. I want you to read it, but KNOW WHAT YOU’RE PICKING UP. ALSO KNOW THAT ROMANTIC COMEDY WITH COWBOYS IS STILL MY FIRST LOVE AND THE NEXT ONE COMES IN FEBRUARY. ALSO KNOW THIS IS A ROMANCE. I THINK READERS WILL FORGIVE A ROMANCE NOVELIST ANYTHING IF THERE’S STILL A HAPPILY EVER AFTER. (that could be wishful thinking on my part)

This is me from back in the day when no one would publish my books and I was on a wild ride, writing whatever I wanted. Whatever entertained me. And this just entertained the stuffin’ out of me.

So, because many of our Seekervillagers, and a few Seekers, too, have different ideas in their heads, outside their brands, I’m going to give you:

The top ten reasons 

you might want to publish under a pseudonym

10) You write romance and your name isn't romantic. Gertrude Hogg might wanta think about a pseudonym. (Please, Dear Lord God in Heaven don't let any Seekervillagers be named Gertrude Hogg) Part 2 of #10, related, because your name is possibly stupid. So Myrtle, you really married a guy named Snarfblatt? Wow, that’s so wonderful. You must be MADLY in love. Pick a pseudonym, sweetie.


9) You just got a contract for erotica and you don't want your mother to find out. (You should never publish ANYTHING your mother can't find out about. That ought to be a law.)

8) You are changing genres. Yes, if you’re going from western romance to romantic thrillers you probably ought to warn your readers. Same goes for romance to women’s fiction. And Christian fiction to Vampires.

7) Your name is Nora and you’re married to the love of your life, William Roberts. Give up. Your name is never gonna come up first in a Google search. NEVER

6) Your name is twistable into something that sounds like a porn site. Ask my friend Carol Cox about that one. And no, she didn’t change her name, but it’s been interesting at time.

5) You work somewhere at a day job where your privacy is important. Though I suspect any effort you make to write with true anonymity is a failed effort.

4) To hide your gender. See Leigh Greenwood and Alex Kava on this one. Yes their gender is out now but not at first. In fact I met Leigh Greenwood, a very successful romance novelist, at RWA and he said he’d come out of the closet and admitted he was a man several books ago.

3) Because you’re prolific. And you want to write more books a year than your publisher will let you.

2) Because your name is generic. Ask my sister Linda Swenson about this one. A lovely name and a lovely woman. But go google her name. It didn’t even come up. I got ‘narrow search’ instead of hits.

1) Your name is impossible to spell. Hello Mary Connealy. HOWEVER, the upside of an odd name is that the website for your name is most likely not taken. AND I picked Mary Nealy but it was by no means my first choice. I found naming myself surprisingly embarrassing. Go see the suspenseful side of ME. http://www.marynealy.com/

And now here, in public view for the first time anywhere (unless I’m forgetting a place) is a trailer for Ten Plagues.

Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for the first ever in the known universe giveaway of

TEN PLAGUES

Click on the title to buy
Then all that remains is to

Be Afraid!