lol, women are much wiser than men

only been one female serial killer in history

Dream on Steven...

No, seriously, it was in a case book. Maybe a few have come into light since then, but the first female serial killer shall we say, had really frightening eyes, the picture of her in court gave me nightmares. lol

My theory on female serial killers is they just don't get caught as often, far too fiendish and clever.

OK, and sorry if we're drifting off the thread here but, who was she? And did she kill seven or eight of her own children?

Dee

I can't remember who she was, I can remember seeing the picture in a Murder Casebook, a crime magazine from years ago. I was only young when I saw it and it terrified me for weeks. She looked a bit like Sigourney Weaver. She was looking straight at the photographer in court, she was American and tried there. Her eyes were wide and had the biggest evil grin you could imagine, the expression on her face said it all. If she hadn't been handcuffed, the reporter would have been here last victim. The most evil eyes I've ever seen. What I can never understand about serial killers is that they never seem to realise that what they do is wrong, they enjoy killing people and that in itself is frightening.

And back to pen names, Stephen King used to sometimes write under the name, Richard Bachman. He wrote the brilliant, The Dark Half under that name. Good scary film adaptation of The Dark Half as well if anyone is in need of a frightening film that delivers.

Does anyone know who the first author was to have a pen name then? How did this trend start?

Steven

Steve, on women serial killers, were you thinking of Aileen Carol Wuornos?
On Poodles, they don't bite when dead.
On pen names, I use my middle name for the same reason as Nell, to separate out bits of my life, and when post comes to the door in the mornings I can grab the letters that say 'Rebecca' and leave the rest to rot for the day.

Nahed, I've been thinking about your question:

'I like my name and proud of it and its origins (Arab) but I wonder if, in this day and age with all these goings on, if an Arab name would alienate publishers/agents and even readers?'

The pen is mightier than the sword, but not so threatening, and I believe that writers and artists are looked upon in a different light and given a special place in the minds of most people, even the less rational ones. Publishers and agents want above all else to sell books, and I'd imagine that they know that the majority of people and the book-buying public are pretty level-headed and rational beings who don't generalize to the extent that they would condemn a whole race for the actions of a few. I hope so anyway.

Hi Nell

Thanks for replying to my question. I have to say I was a little bemused as to why it seemed to have been passed over or ignored (?). I think if I was of a paranoid state of mind I'd think it was because people found the question made them uncomfortable?? Perhaps they didn't know how to answer it...I don't know, but I'm over it .

I also would like to hope that the majority of people don't generalise and don't paint everyone with the same tarnished brush, but that would be in an ideal world. Unfortunately, I have experienced prejudice and discrimination because of my 'foreign sounding' name when applying for jobs (although they would never admit to it). Whether the same will be true when submitting my work to agents only time will tell I suppose. Perhaps if and when I do get an agent he/she will suggest that I use a pen name that is more marketable and doesn't cause anxiety or suspicion or whatever other emotion a name might conjure up. It would be interesting to see if this is the case.

Funnily enough, I was thinking about the phrase 'the pen is mightier than the sword' just the other day and I just got a silly thought about jumbling the letters in 'sword' to get 'words' (pen:words) and then I thought of wordsworth and how it can turn into'swordthrow'...okay...I thought it was interesting at the time, but I was blow drying my hair after all and had nothing better to do with my brain.


Nahed

Nahed,

I've been thinking a lot about what you said. In fact I’ve started at least four replies and deleted them because… well I don’t know… it’s so easy these days to inadvertently say the wrong thing. Sorry. I copped out and I’m annoyed with myself for that. As a pagan I am also in a minority group and sometimes have to smile through gritted teeth at the fatuous comments from people who think they are ‘right-on’. That sometimes stops me from expressing my true feelings.

I really feel that, as a site, this is a safe place for all but it’s different in the big cold world. A friend of mine had her first novel due for release in the winter of 2001. After 9/11, on the grounds that her book was about racial tension in Bradford, publication was postponed until June 2002. It’s a sad world where that has to happen but, unfortunately, it’s reality.

I hope you do find an agent soon, Nahed. International politics shouldn’t affect the publication of a book but it does, and only you can decide how to handle the sad facts of life.

Dee
x

I've gone back to read the initial comments.

I would have to say that any publisher/ agent has no right to ask you to have a pen name because your name might be Arab in origin, or you might be a muslim. That much I think is obvious.

Whether is affects the chances of selling, would you really want people you might think again because of who you are to read your book even if it made you a millionaire? Unless it is an eye opening thing.

Onto pen names for reason other than political, DBC Pierre. 'Dirty But Clean' Pierre. Cool... Keep your own name if you want to, but if you feel like changing it do that. I personally don't think there is a moral dilemma, or anything like that.

But if an agent/ publisher asks you to change your name or they won't take you on/ publisher you, tell them where to go.

Hi Dee,

Please don't think anything more of it and don't be too annoyed with yourself about not replying. I understand what a minefield this subject can become in this overly (in my opinion) 'politically correct' world we seem to be living in and how innocent statements can be misconstrued. I believe in a person saying what they think and having the conviction to say it face on but without resorting to derogatory or offensive remarks (I'm not referring to you or what you wrote/wanted to write, Dee - this is just general). We can all have differing opinions formed by our own experiences or perhaps lack of experiences, the key is in either changing a person's opinion through rational discussion/communication and if change isn't imminent then accepting the validity of that opinion with no hard feelings. Anyway...I feel a soap box moment so I'll stop there.

Yes I imagine quite a lot of things were put on hold because of 9/11. Things that really shouldn't have been affected by it all, but somehow 9/11 is being used as a reason for their halting/postponement/reevaluation etc...the song 'Mad Mad World' comes to mind. Did your friend's book get published in the end?

Nahed,

It was a difficult question to frame an honest relpy to. It's been bothering me since you posted it. I'm trying to count to 3005 before I post these days anyway - it's all too easy to hurt someone's feelings by sheer thoughtlessness apart from anything else, and of course I can only speak for myself. Hope you get an agent soon.

'Relply?' Now I'm doing it. Bedtime I think.

<Added>

I can't even get my own typos right. It really is time for sleep I think.

I can safely say I've never given a second thought to anyone's name when considering whether or not to represent their work. Although it surprised me how many people do write in using a pseudonym (sometimes they tell me thier real name and sometimes not).

I'm always annoyed by the fact that when I go looking for a book to read, or browse a bookshop, the author's name is probably the last thing I notice, and it's never a major factor in whether or not I buy something. But since everything's arranged alphabetically by author, I end up roaming the shelves, desperately trying to remember who it was my friend told me to read......

SMcNay wrote: lol, women are much wiser than men

Dee wrote: Dream on Steven...

Well, at least one woman can admit it!