Kind of a Stupid Question, I Know...

[krylyr]

You thought I was kidding about the contest, didn't you?  The signed Murky Depths showed up this afternoon.

First thing I realized: it's going to be really weird to write D.K. as a signature. 

Comments

[bogwitch64]

I vote for a Sharpie.

[krylyr]

That won't smear on gloss?

[avocadovpx]

I would try it on something else first, but yes, I was going to guess Sharpie.

If that seems like a bad idea, you could go for an inexpensive, non-gel ballpoint, like a Bic Clic Stic. They tend to write very dry, unlike, say, a good rollerball. Just try not to tear the cover with it.

[krylyr]

Huh. Okay, I guess it was a really stupid question. If it bleeds too much, I'll check out the Clic Stic. Because tearing would be bad.

[rufusthered]

Sign it in blood! The hardcore take a pin and prick a small hole in their index finger. Just allow time for it to dry.

[evangoer]

Seriously! Your journal is named Fingerpainted in Blood fer cryin' out loud. Your question answers itself.

[krylyr]

And a No Prize for you, too. Although, I do wonder how much my blood would bleed through the page.

[krylyr]

Now why didn't I think of that? I'd say you win a No Prize, sir!

[eljaydaly]

Sharpie!

[krylyr]

Huh, with the conensus here, maybe I really am just an idiot. I just figured they would bleed too much.

There's a few sharpie's lying around here, so I guess that wins in the cheap department!

[prusik]

Actually, this brings to mind a question that I've always wanted to ask. Why do you write as DK?

I ask in the spirit of most people default to their legal name so if they're using something else, it means they've thought about it. I don't write using my legal name because it drives me nuts when people call me it. My goal is for no one to know my legal name except for those who absolutely have to. (e.g., if you're a well-respected publisher offering me a decent three book deal, you get to know my legal name because it has to go on the contract. Actually, that's setting the bar a bit high, but you know what I mean.)

Yes, this means I've screwed up the header of every manuscript I've sent out until Monday. I've fixed that for my most recent submissions (as if that were the problem all along...)

[krylyr]

Wait, now I'm wondering if *I* know your legal name. I thought I did, but now I'm not sure

[prusik]

Well, my legal name isn't "John."

Like I said, I was curious because people who don't use their legal names tend to have put some thought into it. I thought about something more distinctive for a while. But the field isn't exactly flooded with Chinese-American authors. I figure I'm safe for a while.

BTW, I'd expect that people end up calling you DK, or "Deke" if they don't know your actual first name. That's actually a question I have for people who write with a name that's drastically different from their own. Do they learn to answer to radically names? (i.e., when James Rigney was alive, did he answer to "Robert?" I suspect he was far better known as Robert Jordan. Certainly, that's the name Tor used on the cover when he blurbed Mike Ford's brilliant collection Heat of Fusion.)

[krylyr]

Yup, you're absolutely right. People do call me DK on some message boards. I try to subvert it by posting as DKT, and so sometimes they call me that instead, which seems slightly better. However, people like you call me Dave, and I'm hoping that anyone I meet will do the same, and the knowledge will slowly spread in a grass-roots sort of way.

[videlia]

oh gosh oh gosh I need to email!
*runs in circles*

And any waterproof marker should do, shouldn't it? MIND YOU DON'T SPOIL MY COPY!

[krylyr]

Yes, ma'am!