Names?

One of the major choices on getting published (reminder, Mousenet, due out November 8^th) is deciding who to be. My first instinct was to use the name Prudence Martin because that’s who I was, when young, but Steve Malk, the agent who first took on the book, asked if I was out of my mind (or words to that effect) when I had such a great married name at my disposal. Breitrose. Bright Rose. Wasn't that great for a children's author? Yes, but. Steve had never been in a waiting room at the Palo Alto Clinic watching a nurse struggle with “Breet. . . Breti. . . er, Prudence?” He’d never had his Safeway discount card handed back with a “Thank you Mrs. Brut. . .Bret. . Would you like some help out with that?”

But Steve was right. Not just because I can now maybe teach some people how to pronounce my name but because there already is a Prudence Martin on Amazon. You can look her up. She produced a line of romantic novels thirty years ago in the Candlelight Ecstasy Series with titles like “A Strange Elation” and “Moonlight Rapture.” Not what you’d expect when you’re looking for books starring mice.

Besides, according to Google there are eleven Prudence Martins in the United States, but they can only find one Prudence Breitrose.