Monday, December 23, 2013

Picking a Pseudonym...Suzanne Tyrpak aka Zané Sachs

After reading my new book, Sadie the Sadist, beta readers tell me I need to publish under a pseudonym.

Why? 

Because the book is shockingly different from my historical fiction--and I don't want readers to keel over from heart attacks. Also, the book's setting is similar to my hometown and Sadie works at a supermarket that resembles my current workplace...and I don't want to b fired. Like Sadie, I need the insurance.

So...how to come up with a pseudonym. Believe it or not, there's actually a site that generates pseudonyms. Most are bizarre, in my opinion. For example, just now I generated: Arni Risdon, Marleen Goffman, and Maxy Zajac. Granted, I haven't heard those names before...but I wanted a name that has some relationship to me.

A long time ago, when I was acting in New York, I considered using the name Suzanna Sachs, because a well known actress had my name, Suzanne Peters. When I married, I took my husband's last name and became Suzanne Tyrpak--a good name for an author, I was told, because it's unusual and fits easily on a cover. Now, in search of yet another name, I turned back to Sachs.

But Suzanne Sachs sounds a bit too proper for Sadie the Sadist. A good friend of mine calls me Zany, so I thought of Zany Tyrpak or Zany Sachs. He suggested Zane Sachs, and I added an accent for: Zané Sachssounds like...Hahahahaha. Perfect for Sadie. 

Here's a cool post about 8 Famous Authors Who Use SECRET Pseudonyms. They include (famous name in bold):


Agatha Christie aka Mary Westmacott

Agatha Christie: Mary Westmacott
Benjamin Franklin: Mrs. Silence Dogood
C.S. Lewis: Clive Hamilton and N.W. Clerk
Isaac Asimov: Paul French
J.K. Rowling: Robert Galbraith
Michael Crichton: John Lange, Jeffery Hudson and Michael Douglas
Stephen King: Richard Bachman
Washington Irving: Jonathan Oldstyle, Diedrich Knickerbocker and Geoffrey Crayon

I'd love to hear comments about your pseudonym, or pseudonyms of other writers.






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