A New Name

I’ve just signed a contract under a different writing name and ‘met’ my new editor for the first time.

A new name for a new genre. I’m leaving pure romance behind – at least for the moment – and embracing mystery, though the book still involves romance of a kind. I’ve been scratching my head over how to name what I’m writing and ‘romantic suspense’ is the nearest I can get. In the US romantic suspense is a recognised genre but it seems little known here in the UK. That may be one of the many challenges ahead!

Over the last few months, I’ve been debating whether or not to carry on writing as Isabelle Goddard. I talked a little about changing writing names on my blog in January and the discussion there is still a valid one. It would make sense to continue with my existing name - after four novels, and two more being published very shortly, it’s a name that’s beginning to get known and it would be helpful to capitalise on that fact. On the other hand, the new book is definitely a different genre and if people buy it without looking too carefully at the book description – and they sometimes do – they could end up disappointed customers. In the end, after much humming and hawing, I’ve decided to go for a new name. So meet Merryn Allingham!

The decisions don’t stop there though. The next one is whether or not to build a new website or whether simply to ‘share’ the existing one between two author names. And then, of course, there’s a new facebook page to consider and a new twitter address. I’m beginning to realise that it’s going to mean a complete restart. But then writing is always a challenge, so why not set myself one more?