Long story short. I have decided not to use a pen name. Obviously Rayvenne Black was never my real name, which I have said on a few occasions.
As I am getting closer to publishing my debut novel the subject had been weighing on my mind.
There were a few reasons I finally decided to use my own name.
Originally I felt that Jennifer Howell is a bit too common and not so memorable. Also if you google Jennifer Howell several others come up, including a producer (I think) for South Park.
Well having a long discussion with one of my best friends we were talking about said pen name. My friend Andrea brought up a good point. It just doesn't match my genre. Maybe if my stories were more on the paranormal...but they aren't.
Another thought was to go by my maiden name, as it ISN'T common.
But part of me would feel bad using it. I am proud of my married name.
So then we came up with J.A. Howell.
I like it because there are plenty of others that have their initials then their last name.
Also, you don't immediately know if I am a man or a woman. I like that it makes it a bit ambiguous. Makes it a little harder to be biased based on that fact only.
Also, even if I decide to write in other genres, it still works.
Lastly, I decided that I want to see MY name on the book. And I know my family and friends will also enjoy seeing my name on there. But it is something I have decided is important to me
Normally, I wouldn't recommend changing things up like this...however for me I felt it was right. Writing books is something I have always wanted to do and I see myself doing it for a very long time. Right now, my following and my online presence isn't really built up, so I think the damage there should only be minimal. I have a lot of work ahead of with regards to building my presence so if I was going to change, now was the time to do it.
Anyways, I thought I should make an official announcement. Hello world... I am J.A. Howell.
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