Say... Aren't you...

[mtlawson]

Having a common name has its advantages.  If you tried Googling me cold, you'd have difficulty trying to find information about me because of all the other "me's" out there.  Among the other people with my name, there are:

• A cellist
• A dentist
• A gynecologist
• A Professor of Human Development at Binghamton University (sorry Josh, that other Michael Lawson

Comments

[jimhines]

And people ask why I include my middle initial with my byline...

So have you gone into a bookstore and offered to sign stock yet?

[mtlawson]

And people ask why I include my middle initial with my byline...

Yeah, I'm thinking that M.T. Lawson sounds pretty good if this hobby ever makes it that far. Of course, that does sound like "Empty Lawson", so I might want to modify that a bit.

So have you gone into a bookstore and offered to sign stock yet?

I may be crazy, but I'm not insane.

[mtlawson]

Well, my middle name is my dad's name, so I kind of nixed that from the beginning.

[kimberlywade]

Argh, i discovered this same thing just before my first book was published in 2007. There was already another sf writer using the name "Kimberly Wade." As far as i know she's only published a couple of stories that are listed on Locus online. I haven't read them, but i hope they're good in case anyone thinks they're by me!

This is why i included my middle name, which i think sounds pretentious, but i thought using initials may be even more writerly pretensious, so i didn't know what else to do.

And there are a few thousand other mes out there, too!

[mtlawson]

Yeah, ain't it wonderful knowing that people will judge you based on the name on the cover without ever having known the reason for it?

[kimberlywade]

I know it happens, but hopefully it's not too negative!

[amusingmuse]

Oh dear. I didn't think your name was that common. Heh. I guess I'm already published, even if it is in scientific journals.

Though when I google my name, it's hard to find me, as I have the same name as a wife of an extremely famous man of history.

[mtlawson]

There used to be a sexual psychology doc in Australia with my name, but I'm having difficulty finding his entry these days. He may have died in the decade since I last went hunting down the other virtual me's.

What's scary is that even if you put in my name and Cincinnati in it, you'll find a lot of references to other local Mikes before you find something relating to me.

[tracy_d74]

You have a book published! Dude! What gives? Why didn't you tell me? ;)

[mtlawson]

/facepalm

Oh, I so asked for that.

[bondo_ba]

LOL. I, apparently, seem to be the only person with my name on the planet...

[mtlawson]

Although you bear a striking resemblance to Michael Phelps. ;-)

[bondo_ba]

Yeah, I get that a lot... Maybe I Should pretend to be him.