What’s in a name?

When I chose the name “pen_name_nz” in 2005, I had just finished the first five chapters of “First Fun & Games” and I was impatient to sort out an email address for myself and post my story online. However, within a few weeks I was already regretting my choice. The main problem was the name wasn’t the name of a regular person, which I now realise is somehow important to me. It wasn’t the kind of name that anyone would use if they were going to write to me. “Hi Pen_name_nz.” “Thanks for your story Pen.” It doesn’t work like a real name does.

I persisted with “Pen_name_nz” for several years before finally making a change. “Chris Warner” is still a bit of a random choice, but I like it. It’s a bit of an inside joke for New Zealanders. Chris Warner is one of the main characters on a New Zealand TV soap, but still a common enough sounding name that I don’t think the TV people will hassle me about it. I also liked the fact that the name Chris can be either a guy’s name or a girl’s name. I’m not trying to hide the fact that I’m a guy. However, if I write a story from a female perspective, there isn’t the problem of the obviously male author’s name getting in the way of the reader.

Of course, one of the main benefits of having a real person’s name is that you will hopefully feel a bit more of a connection with me and my stories. You may even feel like writing to me. “Hi Chris.”

Contact Me

Pen_name_nz’s Story Page.

Chris Warner’s Story Page