I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the genre I write it, which is paranormal romance. I’ve written 2 novellas, one about a vampire and one about a ghost. I’ve written two novels, one about an elf and a wizard, and one about a ghost. I’m currently working on another novella about a vampire. And I do really like paranormal romance. But it’s not my first love. Since I discovered Stephen King in high school, I’ve been a fan of horror. That’s my favorite genre. Mysteries and paranormal romance compete for my second favorite.
So why didn’t I start out writing horror? Mostly because I had this love story about a ghost in my head. And it went from there. But I’ve been questioning myself a lot lately about whether or not I want to continue to write solely in this genre. I don’t want to abandon it altogether. But I want to spread my wings a little.
Another consideration. If I do pursue horror as a writing subject, should I write under a separate pen name? My gut feeling is yes. I don’t want to confuse readers when they’re used to me writing under a certain genre. And I’ve developed relationships with other authors in the paranormal romance genre. And another thing I’ve thought about. No matter how much we want to deny it, this is still a man’s world. It’s getting better, but we aren’t there yet. So would it be better to write under a pen name with just initials so no one would know my gender? Female horror writers aren’t very common and probably not very well accepted. Just some thoughts. What do you think?
lauralynnelliott.com 
So, take on a new challenge. I would think, especially in E-publishing, a female writer might have an advantage as being different. IMHO. You know I’m writing in different genres; you’ve read or are reading a different one right now. And I think, fear?, I might try a new one or two before I’m finished, or they finish me off.
Horror, considering some of what you have already written, is a natural step for you, good luck, can;t wait to read it. But never give up on your vampire love.
I still think I might need to use a different pen name. And my paranormal romance isn’t that close to horror. Except maybe a couple of small scenes in Starfane. In fact, I got a semi-bad review on Club Blood because it wasn’t “animalistic” enough. And that wasn’t my intention in the first place.
I say you do whatever your heart tells you to do and how you want to do it. Write what you want to write and how you want to write it. As long as you are happy with what you are doing and you have put your best effort into it who cares what other people think!
The pen name is totally up to you. I think it would be a good idea to have a different one. I like the idea of using initials in the name. I’ve always thought that was more interesting anyway.
Happy writing!
Thanks, Anya!
Definitely take on new challenges. It will help keep you fresh as a writer. And it’s a lot of fun, too.
The pen name, I’ll advise against, for two reasons.
1.) Horror and paranormal romance are at the very least related fields of literature. I don’t think you’ll shock too many of your readers as long as you clearly promote your horror stuff as horror.
2.) Many readers, maybe even the majority, don’t stick with one genre. They read all kinds of stuff. So if you’ve built a fan base in one genre, why wouldn’t you want to pull some of those fans into your other literature? Sure, some readers will balk, but some won’t. And the readers who do balk, they’ll return whenever you go back to writing what they like.
Just my opinion.
Thanks for the advice, Ty. As a fellow author, your opinion means a lot. Horror is actually my favorite genre and I’ve got this idea rolling around in my head. And then my husband started adding to the idea, then I started adding more, and it got kind of scary. LOL
The thing is, this is so totally different from the other novels and novellas I’ve written. But you might be right about keeping the fan base. With a new pen name, it’s kind of like starting over. So I may just take your advice. Thanks!
Now the question is…do I finish the paranormal romance I was working on, work on both of them at the same time, or abandon the PN for now and go with this one. Decisions, decisions! 😉
I’m totally with Ty on the pen name. It might be different if you were a big-name auto-buy. Then it would be like pulling Fruit Loops off the shelf and finding Corn Flakes in box. Not cool. But if you’re not Fruit Loops yet, then customers are probably still checking out the product description and sample. Just be clear about the genre in the description, and you should be good. As a reader, I’m often searching for voice and competence, an author I like to read who tells a good story. If you do that for me, I’m probably going to want to cross genres with you, especially if we’re talking about genres that aren’t too far removed, like PR and horror. But I can’t follow you if you hide who you are, and you’ll be missing out on some of that building on multiple titles we’ve seen as so important to indies.
Where I would recommend a pen name in different genres is if one of the genres is geared toward young readers, like a children’s lit/YA subgenre, and the other is completely inappropriate for them, like erotic romance, erotica, or some really gnarly horror.
(I’m pretty sure Kait agrees with me about this, so go ask her too.)
Thanks for giving me your opinion on the pen name. I just wasn’t sure, but it seems like most people are leaning toward writing under the same name. Which makes things a WHOLE lot easier. LOL. Now my biggest question is whether to write both stories simultaneously or finish one before starting on another. :0)
My mind is such a simple place, I don’t even have a pen name. I can’t imagine having multiple identities.
The only reason I have a pen name is because there are a lot of people in my life that might be offended by the kinds of things I write. My family and very close friends know who I am. Zoe knows me in real life, too. But…it’s complicated. LOL