Okay, well Danielle Thamasa is a pen name I created for myself around six or seven years ago. Yes, I do like the name my parents gave me, but in the past I also really liked the idea of keeping my personal life and my published life separate. However, as the years have passed I have realized that I don't have much of a life outside of my writing. One would think that I would then just start using the name my parents gave me for my writing, but I have become quite attached to Danielle Thamasa and I enjoy it when my writer friends refer to me as Dani. I just think that is cool.
So, I think I'm going to just stick with Danielle Thamasa for my writing endeavors. Perhaps someday in the future I will also decide to let the world know exactly who I am, but until then I will enjoy the anonymity of using a pen name. I guess I should probably admit one of my silly little dreams is to go to a book discussion for one of my novels to listen to what people are saying about it. The fact that I would be using the name my parents gave me while in the discussions means that no one would really expect that the author of the novel is actually there with them.
On the other hand, I have realized that not letting the world know who I am also means that I can't really do book signings or anything of the like. But, since I'm not quite published yet, that isn't exactly the worst thing in the world. Of course, I guess if my books were huge successes that I would reconsider the whole anonymity thing, because really, that would just be a little awesome.
Anyway, so more about me. I have a B.A. in English Literature and a M.L.I.S. (Master's of Library and Information Science). My degrees enable me to teach at the college level, to work in a library, museum, or archival center, and I could also work in PR, Communications, or possibly even do something with editing. While in undergrad I also worked on the school newspaper, rising up to become editor-in-chief my junior year, so I could technically work for a newspaper as well.
Basically, what most of my experiences have prepared me for is some sort of profession that revolves around books. My whole life has been that way. My mom told me that she used to read to me, even before I was born. When they would do reading comprehension tests in school I always tested way higher than the grade level I was in. To give an example, in fourth or fifth grade I had the reading comprehension level of a college graduate.
In high school I was the Library Assistant at school. I got the job when a fellow student was looking for a book that had not been put back in its proper place. Luckily I had found the book earlier that morning as I browsed for another book to read. I grabbed the book, off the shelf, handed it to the librarian, and was told "you're hired."
I guess if I had to go back to when I decided to be a writer, it would be in seventh grade, the start of junior high. I had been telling and writing silly little stories for years, but in junior high I actually started writing longer tales. Most of those stories are long gone now, thanks to computer crashes and the like. But in high school I did an incredible amount of writing. I think I started something like 200 stories. I think I finished five or so.
In the middle of November my senior year of high school I discovered this really cool writing event called NaNoWriMo, and that is probably what really set me on the path to becoming a published writer. I'll get into that more in my next post.
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