I’ve been writing mysteries since 1993. My first published short story,
My Late Aunt Hattie, was an 800 word short-short that combined elements of comedy, mystery, and the supernatural. It was published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and went on to be included in The Haunted Hour anthology.
I am the Agatha Award nominated author of over 24 novels published with Penguin, St. Martin’s, and Kensington, 10 of which have been IMBA National Bestsellers.
I am also the author of over 80 short stories. I’ve been nominated three times for the Derringer Award for Excellence in short mystery fiction, and I’ve had stories included in the Mystery Writers of America Anthology A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime, as well as Murder Most Crafty, and The Haunted House.
What’s in a name?
by Tim Myers (and friends)
When I first started writing in the early 90s, I never
dreamed I’d ever use any name but Tim Myers for my work. Sure, my birth certificate said Timothy, but that
name has always felt as though it is one I have yet to grow into. To those who know me, I’ve always simply been
Tim. So when I published my first short
story in Woman’s World, my byline was never in question. As I suffered through the next one hundred
twenty three submissions before my second sale, I doubted many things,
including my abilities, my talent, and dare I say my sanity, but I never gave
my name a second thought. Ultimately I sold over eighty short stories before I
started publishing novels with Penguin/Berkley as Tim Myers, and I thought I’d
never have to give it another thought again.
Life’s funny that way, isn’t it?
Several books into my career, my agent contacted me and said
that an editor at another Penguin line, NAL
Signet, wanted someone like Tim Myers, only female. He called and asked me for recommendations,
and I instantly asked, “Why can’t I do it myself?” This led to a series of discussions between
the three of us, and then, after two partial submissions, the editor finally
agreed that I’d captured the voice they’d been looking for. There was one catch, though. I couldn’t publish the books as Tim
Myers. I struggled mightily with this
decision to change my name, but finally, I agreed, and thus Elizabeth Bright
was born. Like a great many difficult
things we deal with for the first time, it got easier as the years rolled
on. In fact, it turned out that my mysteries
sold better when they were told from a female point of view with a female
author’s name. And we writers are an
empathetic bunch. After all, we put
ourselves in the minds of killers all of the time. Why not the opposite sex? The next time a new series for
Penguin/Berkley presented itself, I was told that I’d need yet another female
pseudonym for them, so Melissa Glazer was created.
As I continued to write and publish, my next batch of names
became more androgynous in nature, again at the insistence of my publishers,
with names like Casey Mayes, Chris Cavender, and a few others I’m not allowed
to disclose to this day. When I started
adding some independently published books of my own to Kindle and Nook, I swore
I’d never use another nom d plume in my life.
But then the complaints started rolling in. Many of my gentle mystery readers were
shocked by my tough suspense novels.
They wanted a clear warning, despite my best attempts to provide it,
that the new and darker books wouldn’t be mistaken for cozies. I created DB Morgan, and he now handles all
of my suspense, though I share a byline with him. There’s one more name I can mention,
blossoming from my other Woman’s World work.
I sold them a romantic short story and submitted several more, all under
the Tim Myers name, but I found there was an aversion to that new collection under
my own name, so Kelly Roberts was created to address the situation.
I get notes all of the time from readers telling me that
this is all very confusing, that they just want to read my books, and people constantly
ask why I use so many names when I write.
As you can see, the answer is much too complicated to clear up with a
simple response, and mostly I just say with a grin, “Different name, same
writer. I love my name, but my
publishers don’t.”
What it all boils down to is that I’m just trying to create
the best fiction I’m capable of writing with each and every word I choose. And in the end, isn’t that all that
matters? We writers are, in my opinion, nothing
more than simple storytellers trying our best to amuse, entertain, and maybe
even enlighten.
And nothing less.
No matter what name we use.