Cherish’s latest release is LANCELOT’S LADY. She’s drop by today to talk about “what’s in a name” and “creating pseudonyms with meaning.” Did I mention, Cherish has a second name? I’ll let her explain.
Thanks so much for featuring me here on your blog during my Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour, which launches my contemporary romantic suspense, LANCELOT'S LADY. Please call me Cherish; I prefer first names. You could also call me Cheryl, since that’s my real name. No, I'm not a witness to a mob hit and in the witness protection program, and I'm not guilty of identity theft. Well, not really.
Cherish D'Angelo is the name I’ve adopted as my pseudonym, so that I can detour from writing mainly suspense and venture into the romance genre. Cherish D’Angelo is a flowery, romantic pen name. I selected it a few years ago when I started writing my first romance novel. Since my real name is Cheryl, which means “dear one” or “beloved,” I wanted something similar, and “Cherish” came to mind.
Finding a last name to go with Cherish proved to be trickier. After all, when I make it big in romance, I’ll have to sign that name on thousands of books. Hundreds of thousands, hopefully. So I wanted something that would feel and flow naturally. But which last name do I pick? Do I keep my initials? Do I choose a last name beginning with 'A' so I'm first on a list?
I wanted a last name that meant something to me, so I reflected on my past. I started an angel collection years ago as a memorial for my son, who died at birth. Prior to his birth and death, I’d ordered two angels from a friend who made ceramics. She wasn’t sure if I’d want them after he died, but I did, and this started a collection that grew every year around his birthday and at Christmas.
Now I have a special wall in my house called my "Stairway to
Heaven," where I keep all my angel ornaments and photos of family members who have died. I'm surrounded by angels. Angels…hmmm…Cherish Angel? No. Cherish D’Angelo. YES! I’d found my new name. It means: “beloved angel” or "cherished one of the angels". Yeah, that’s me.After Cherish D’Angelo was “born”, she went to work on her first contemporary romance ― REFLECTIONS. It was a story of a woman stranded on a tropical island with a reclusive rich guy, who wasn't happy to have company. Cherish wrote about half of it, then hid it away on my computer.
I had other stories that were demanding my attention ― darker, more suspenseful stories. It wasn’t the right time for Cherish. So she slipped into a kind of coma, though every now and then she opened her eyes and said, “What about me?” before slipping back to sleep.
In June 2009, I heard about a contest over at Textnovel.com. I’m really not much of a contest person, but what drew me to this one was the fact that Dorchester Publishing, the oldest independent mass-market publisher in the US, had paired with Textnovel and was offering a small advance and a book contract.
Cherish took a huge breath of relief as I released her to work on her old novel, REFLECTIONS. The story changed; it became darker in places, steamier in others and much better than the original. Finally, it merged into what is now LANCELOT’S LADY. Cherish D'Angelo's deep sleep is over. She's now plotting her next romantic suspense.
LANCELOT’S LADY ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled
past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down. LANCELOT’S LADY is available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon's Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers. Help me celebrate by picking up a copy today and "Cherish the romance..."
You can learn more about LANCELOT’S LADY and Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherishdangelo.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com. Follow Cherish from now until October 10 on her Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour and win prizes.
If you were to write a romance novel, what pen name would you choose?
Leave a comment here, with email address, to be entered into the prize draws. You're guaranteed to receive at least 1 free ebook just for doing so. Plus you'll be entered to win a Kobo ereader. Winners will be announced after October 10th.
Cherish, thanks so much for stopping by today. It is fun to have a pseudonyms even if you’re just writing a blog (like in my case). Now a pen name for a romance author, I’ll have to think on that one a bit. Okay, who’s taking a guess at a romance novelist pen name?
