New Pen Name & the Reasons Why

Greetings, everyone! Authortaku here, and... Oh, that's right. I suppose I should explain the sudden name change...

This past year has been quite an adventure for me in the daunting and exciting world of writing. I was so proud and thrilled over making the plunge that I admittedly did not do my due diligence. When I began writing, I used the name I had been known by since childhood, "T.J. Bell". It only seemed right. That is what I was called growing up, and when I was young, I submitted books to a Young Author program by that name as well. What I did not know was that there are other authors that use that name. Several, in fact. This was causing a great deal of confusion as I was being contacted fairly regularly by readers thinking that I was the other authors.

After giving it some careful consideration, I decided to publish my books going forward under a new pen name. But that is where things got even trickier. This time, I decided to do some research, yet every name seemed to be used by someone (sometimes in the literature world and sometimes elsewhere). So, I decided to just make up a word instead. I combined the words "author" and "otaku" to come up with Authortaku. Now, everyone is familiar with the word "author", but what the heck is "otaku"? Otaku is a Japanese word that means "your house" and is associated with those that have extreme fandoms, often times linked to video games, anime, and manga. I do have hobbies that include these forms of entertainment, and I am an author. It only seemed fitting.

Part author, part otaku, and full-blown nerd. I have taken up the mantle as Authortaku.