HANK PHILLIPPI
RYAN: When I was, oh, eight, I used to
read Photoplay (anyone, anyone?) and look at photos of movie stars. Back then
(imagine old woman voice) you could send in for eight-by-tens glossies of the
stars, and they would send them to you. Free, if you sent a stamped self-addressed manila envelope.
That was irresistible to
star-struck me, but I thought my own name, Harriet Ann, was not cool enough to entice
a movie star to send me their photo. So I made up a name. A cooler name. And my secret identity is the one who sent in my request to Photoplay.
Time went by. Some
weeks later, my mom came into my room holding a manila mailing envelope. With our number, street and city. Strangely, in my handwriting. But to someone she did not realized lived with us at 4102 North Ritter.
“Who,” she
inquired in a bewildered but amused voice, “is Rita Capri?”
Erica O’Rourke totally understands. She's the award-winning author of young adult fiction, and she needed a new name too. But not
to snag movie star photos.
Here’s the
scoop on how she handles her secret identity…and then we want to know: what
would you do?.
The (Kinda) Secret Life
of Lucy
In publishing,
“debut” is a big word. So big, it should be surrounded by lights, perhaps
posted on a marquee. Many of the (very nice) reviews I’ve received for my new
book, TIME OF DEATH, mention that it’s a debut.
And technically,
it is. TIME OF DEATH is Lucy Kerr’s debut novel.
But it’s not my
first book. It’s my first adult novel, my first mystery. But I’ve published two
entire series of books already. How do I put this gently? I am the publishing
equivalent of “a woman of a certain age.”
And yet, that
word keeps cropping up. “Debut.”
The trick, of
course, is that I’m Lucy Kerr – but I’m also Erica O’Rourke. Like Clark Kent
and Superman, Diana Prince and Wonder Woman, and countless other superheroes, I
have a secret identity now. (Technically it’s a pen name. A nom de plume. A pseudonym. But I have a
superhero-obsessed eight-year-old, so secret identity it is.)
What prompts a
mild-mannered suburban mom to take on a secret identity?
The first reason
is practical: Lucy and Erica write different books. Erica writes young adult
books with a strong element of magic or science fiction, and an equally strong
romantic bent. Lucy’s books are traditional adult mysteries. My teen readers
know what to expect when they pick up a book with my name on it—and it’s not a
thirty-two-year-old emergency room nurse who solves mysteries. The same applies
to my adult readers: picking up paranormal romance when they’re expecting an
amateur sleuth mystery might be an unwelcome surprise. Using different names
for such different genres means my readers can easily find the types of books
they’re interested in.
The second is
psychological. When I sit down to write a Lucy book, my writing process is
different, my authorial voice is different, my entire attitude changes. If
you’re a crafter, maybe this will make sense: imagine knitting a sweater, and
then crocheting one. Both times, you start with yarn and end up with clothing.
But the stitches, the tools, and the directions are distinct. Even the way you
hold the yarn changes. (Admittedly, I don’t enjoy crochet. This metaphor only
works so far.) Using a pen name actually helps me shift my thinking as I
write—it’s an outward symbol, but it still seems to reset my brain.
The answer was
no, no, and definitely no. (I have
three children, an elderly cat, and I’m a full-time author. Simple is the
watchword at my house, whether we’re talking about author profiles or meal planning.
We can talk about meal planning in the comments, if you like.)
Instead, I made
four small changes:
- I had a new author picture taken—one that was considerably
sunnier than my very dramatic young adult picture.
- I added Lucy to my social media profiles, so they all say “Erica
O’Rourke/Lucy Kerr.”
- I made sure LucyKerrBooks.com
connected to EricaORourke.com.
- I had my graphic designer come up with a cute header for my
newsletter incorporating both names. (and those author pics!)
The result: Lucy
Kerr and Erica O’Rourke peacefully coexist on the Internet and in my office.
Unlike Batman and Bruce Wayne, you’ll often see us in the same room. And in the
end, it doesn’t feel odd to have two writing names, because the stories I write
and my connection to my readers doesn’t change, no matter what they call me.
The last question
I get is a simple one: How’d I land on Lucy Kerr? I wish I had some sort of
fancy story, but in fact, I went with old family names—and my grandfather’s
love of Lucille Ball, which my children seem to have inherited, made Lucy the
obvious choice.
If you could
create a secret identity for yourself, who or what would you turn to for
inspiration?
HANK: And what name would you choose?
Share it in the comments! (We promise not to tell.)
Lucy Kerr is the pen
name of Erica O'Rourke, an award-winning author of young adult fiction. Her
debut adult mystery, TIME OF DEATH,
launched with Crooked Lane Books on December 13, 2016. Lucy lives outside
Chicago with her family, her cat, and many, many piles of books. She likes
strong coffee, rainy days, old buildings, and fresh-baked cookies -- but she
likes telling stories best of all.
TIME OF DEATH
It’s been twelve years since ER nurse Frankie
Stapleton fled her hometown, but with her sister’s pregnancy taking a dangerous
turn and a string of failed relationships in Chicago hanging over her, Frankie
is back–and hoping to put the past behind her. Within minutes of arriving at
Stillwater General Hospital however, she ends up saving a man’s life, only to
have him turn up dead hours later—and the hospital blames Frankie. With her
career–and future–on life support, Frankie must catch a killer, clear her name,
and heal the wounds of her past.
good riddance to bad rubbish. On the Chinese calendar it was the year of the monkey, not the most auspicious of the Chinese zodiac's 12 signs. As Alice said, "Curiouser and curiouser... now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that
ever was! Good-bye, feet!" 
good riddance to bad rubbish. On the Chinese calendar it was the year of the monkey, not the most auspicious of the Chinese zodiac's 12 signs. As Alice said, "Curiouser and curiouser... now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that
ever was! Good-bye, feet!" 
Pantone’s colors of the year were Rose Quartz and Serenity. We needed a little of the latter, that's for sure. Next year its color of the year is the equivalent of slime green. Good luck to us.
