Who is Author Keira Beck?

Ciao, amici! I just finished two big projects. Instead of beginning the next item on my to-do list, I thought I should keep my promise. (I’m a firm believer in staying true to my word.) I’ve been talking about it and dropping hints for a long time. So, here’s my confession.

I said I’d never write with a pen name. Now I am.

I don’t consider it a lie. (I don’t lie.) I believed it when I said it. But things change. At the end of last year, Sterling and Stone was looking for in-house writers and editors. I’ve got two kids in college — applying for a job where I can work all day doing what I love (from the relative comfort of my home) was a no-brainer. So I applied.

And I got the job.

I’m now editing for several of their imprints and writing for three of them. The first of my work to hit Amazon’s virtual shelves is another romance series, the Nightforce Security series. Those of you who have been following me for a while know that this is a spinoff of my Medici Protectorate series. What you may or may not have noticed was that it released under the name Keira Beck.

So, why would I give up an obvious connection between Medici and Nightforce by switching names? Honestly, because it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Sterling and Stone are synonymous with being on the forefront of the publishing world without all the stodgy arrogance and antiquated thinking of the Big Five in NYC. (If you’re reading this and are happily under contract with one of the Big Five, congratulations. I hope it’s everything you’ve dreamed. But that isn’t the path for me.)

Now that you know what’s going on, I can be more open about it. I’ve been editing up a storm for them, genres all across the board. I’ve also been writing. A. LOT. Since January, in addition to the editing, I’ve written five complete novels and two short stories as well as outlined five new works. I’ve also begun marketing under my new pen name. And in 2019, I’ll be releasing novels under yet another pen name. (More on that one later.)

For now, though, I want to thank everyone for their recent support when I released Tortured Soul under my name and for the support of Keira Beck’s Nightforce releases: Hideaway and Gamble. Oh, and guess what… the third installment comes out in two days. That’s right; Keira Beck’s Overboard, book three of the Nightforce Security series, comes out on September 27 (barring any minor snafus with the upload).

I never expected to write under a pen name, but I have to tell you, I’ve never been more productive. Much of the thanks has to go to Sterling and Stone, for making the process so writer-centric. Next year, I’m hopeful to release more titles under my own name in addition to under my pen names, but I have to get up to speed at my job first.

In the meantime, thanks for coming on this ride with me!

---

I’d love to hear your thoughts about writing with a pen name. Do you do it? Or do you think you’d never try to manage more than one name? (Or maybe that’s the only name you’re managing.) Let’s discuss it.