Virgin No More: Sarah Anderson!

WELCOME to a brand new feature on my blog:  VIRGINS NO MORE!

This is the place where debut authors get to spout off about their literary de-flowering, and their sometimes scary, sometimes confusing, always exciting journey from timorous writer to happily published author. 

Today I’m very excited to introduce our first virgin-no-more…Sarah M. Anderson, whose debut book, A Man of His Word, is being offered by Harlequin Desire in both print and ebook on December 6^th!

 

Sarah Anderson

Available Dec 6th!

This award-winning author may live east of the Mississippi River, but Sarah’s heart lies out west on the Great Plains.  With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux.  She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go.  When not helping out at school or walking her rescue dog, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband and son.

Here’s a summary of Sarah’s first book–A Man of His Word:   Attorney Rosebud Donnelly has a case to win. And she never lets anyone see her sweat.  But her first meeting with Dan Armstrong doesn’t go according to script.  No one warned her that the COO of the company she’s fighting would be so…manly. From his storm-colored eyes to his well-worn boots, Dan is an honest-to-goodness cowboy.  But is he honest? Her yearning for the Texas tycoon goes against reason, against family loyalty, against everything she thought she believed in.  And yet, in Dan’s strong arms, Rosebud feels she might be ready to risk everything for one more kiss….

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? 

So there you have it.  Take it away, Sarah!

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Name that Author!

Okay, I’m going to give you the answer up front:  The name of your guest author today is Sarah M. Anderson.

But it almost wasn’t.

Sarah M. Anderson is my real name.  It’s on my driver’s license.  The bills are all addressed to Sarah M. Anderson, and I pay them with checks that have Sarah M. Anderson printed on them.

When I started writing four and a half years ago, I thought about taking on a pen name.  I didn’t for a good-at-the-time reason:  I already had a second name.  I have a family nickname, which means I already have what borders on a split personality.

I remember the first date I went on with my future-husband.  We’d been set up through work, which meant he kept calling me Sarah.  I knew pretty quickly that he was at least a man I was going to have a relationship with, if not wind up marrying, so I had to tell him on that first date to call me by the friends n’ family name.  It took him a few weeks to get the hang of some people calling me one name, and other people calling me a different name, but he did.

When it came time to pick a pseudonym, I didn’t think I could handle adding a third name to my brain.  So I stuck with the official name.

I did choose to add the M, however.  Sarah Anderson, it turns out, is a pretty common name.  I was trying to register domain names, and www.sarahmanderson.com was the only one available without having to add ‘author’ or some other additional word to the address.

So I had a name.  And for three and a half years, I had no regrets about using my own name.  Mostly because no one else really noticed it.

But then something wonderful happened:  I sold a book! (A Man of His Word, available from Harlequin Desire this month!)  Suddenly, I’m everywhere.  On twenty different guest blogs.  Doing radio interviews.  Book signings.  Websites.

And now?  I wish I’d gone with a third name.

Why?  Well, I have a six-year-old son.  I am also naturally a little paranoid.  I’m one of those parents who do not believe in putting my child’s name, face, and embarrassing activities out there in the cyber world where anyone, anywhere can see it.  I want to preserve as much of a normal childhood as I can for him—which includes not having strangers come up to him and start talking about the time his mom wrote that hilarious blog about when he wet the bed (which, for the record, he doesn’t do.)  (I do write about less embarrassing stuff, like when he lost his first teeth, though).  Until he’s old enough to provide informed consent to having his name and likeness broadcast around (which, at least by Facebook standards, is 13), I’m not going to put him out there.

Except that I’m using my real name.  Which means that if someone is really serious about it, they could track down not just info about my son, but much more personal information than I’m comfortable with complete strangers knowing.  Chalk it up to that natural paranoia I have. 

So, for all you other virginal writers out there, take a few moments to think about your name.  What’s more important to you—seeing your real name on the cover of book, or preserving your privacy?

And readers—this is what I want to know.  Do you care whose name is on the cover?  Do you like it better when an author is using her real name, or does it not matter as long as the story is good?  I’ll give away a signed copy of A Man of His Word to one lucky commenter, and I’m also giving away a Locket of Love on January 1^st!  You can find details on my website.

Giveaway on Jan 1st!

  

(NOTE:  This post is brought to you as part of the A Man of His Word Blog Tour. U.S. residents only.  For a complete tour schedule and rules, visit www.sarahmanderson.com.)

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