I’m lucky my publishers are willing to continue publishing me, given how many changes I always want to make to my books at the last minute. About the only thing I haven’t tried to change in The Truth About Truman School is the author’s name. Though, come to think of it…Dori Hillestad Butler is awfully long. What in the world ever possessed me to write under both my maiden AND married names??? Hillestad is quite a mouthful for a kid…I should know; I lived with that name as a kid. Wouldn’t Dori H. Butler look better on a book???
Well, it’s too late now…the book went to press yesterday (yes, on Halloween!). (And really, when I’ve been writing under Dori Hillestad Butler all this time, it would be weird to change now.)
So, what’s next? The sequel to Do You Know the Monkey Man. Right now I’m tentatively calling it T.J.’s Story, which seemed really lame to start with. But it’s starting to grow on me. Anyone who’s read Do You Know the Monkey Man would know immediately that T.J.’s Story was the sequel…they wouldn’t even have to open the cover.
This is my NaNoWriMo challenge…to finish a draft of this book by the end of the month. Do You Know the Monkey Man was right around 44,000 words. I already have 5,000 words on T.J.’s Story. If 90,000 people (including everyone in my immediate family) can write 50,000 words this month, I should be able to write 39,000…especially given I have an outline! And a contract. And no other job (unless you count “Mom.”)
When I queried agents, I did so under both my maiden and married names (just because it had a nice ring). Then when the sale was announced in Publishers Lunch they left off my maiden name. I just let it go. I took it as a sign, lol.
Wow, so it wasn’t anything you labored over like I did…the decision as to what to write under was sort of made for you.
Once in a while when I do some educational writing, they’ll leave out my maiden name, but it’s fine. All my books have been published under all three names, though, so that’s the way it’ll be from now on.
go Dori! 🙂