When I sat down to write this blog post – I was at a bit of a loss what to actually say. I mean I have done the Q&A one already so what else do I have to say? Unfortunately this is why I don’t blog much. I really envy writers who can come up with regular blog posts and keep readers entertained with witty thoughts or clever prose about things they are doing, but I am just a boring IT programmer that doesn’t have much to say.
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| Colin the Pugnacious Pug |
I decided I would write about what I am working on now – and the answer, in short, is nothing and everything. I have just handed in the copy edits on the third Dark Brethren novel which is due to come out in august. This leaves me in a spot I haven’t been in for some time, free to write something different and new. So the long answer is, I can now write erotica, or work on my colonial saga, or maybe try my hand at a post apocalyptic YA novel that has been muttering in my head. Or how about a children’s story on Colin the Pugnacious Pug.
It’s all very exciting, but what does this mean for my author identity?
As some may know, I write short erotica under the pen name Tracie Sommers and will be dabbling in this space again in the near future. This is writing is different to my urban fantasy novels and I made the decision early on about “branding” myself so that people know what to expect. If it is a Tracey O’Hara novel, then it’s going to have a dark urban fantasy story line, but when looking at a Tracie Sommers they will hopefully know to expect an explicitly sexy story.
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| German Cover for Night's Cold Kiss |
Many authors have go down this track. Nora Roberts/JD Robb and Jessica Bird/JR Ward are two that immediately spring to mind with very successful branding dualities. And it works. I’ve had people say, “I don’t like Nora Roberts, but I adore JD Robb,” knowing full well they are the same author. Each brand name has its own fan base, which can be veracious and protective for that particular author name.
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| German Cover for Death's Sweet Embrace |
As an author – having two identities can sometimes get a bit confusing, but on the whole it is easy it separate the two. So does this mean if I branch out into other genres I may have to come up with more names? Possibly. But I’m definitely saving crossing that bridge until I get to it. Right now – I am going to take my time, enjoy myself and rediscover who I am as a writer. In short – I’m going to have fun.
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| Cover for the Audio book due out early 2012 |
When I sat down to write this blog post – I was at a bit of a loss what to actually say. I mean I have done the Q&A one already so what else do I have to say? Unfortunately this is why I don’t blog much. I really envy writers who can come up with regular blog posts and keep readers entertained with witty thoughts or clever prose about things they are doing, but I am just a boring IT programmer that doesn’t have much to say.
It’s all very exciting, but what does this mean for my author identity?
As some may know, I write short erotica under the pen name Tracie Sommers and will be dabbling in this space again in the near future. This is writing is different to my urban fantasy novels and I made the decision early on about “branding” myself so that people know what to expect. If it is a Tracey O’Hara novel, then it’s going to have a dark urban fantasy story line, but when looking at a Tracie Sommers they will hopefully know to expect an explicitly sexy story. 
Oooh, I'd love to read the adventures of Colin the Pugnacious Pug. :))
ReplyDeleteGlad you have time to have fun with your writing and write all sorts of different areas.
Good luck, T (that covers both Tracey/Tracie) ;)
Thanks Eleni - the the adventures include sock stealing, toe biting and being ridiculously cute.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you write will be fantastic Tracey/Tracie =))
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