|
About My Name & Pen Name:
"Barbara Edtl Shelton"
by Barb(ara Edtl) Shelton
If you've spent any time here at my website, you've probably seen my name written as "Barb (or Barbara) Shelton" in some places, and as "Barbara Edtl Shelton" in others. Are you wondering what in the world "Edtl" means? Or how it's pronounced?... If not, I don't blame you; just go back to the Main Lobby. But I'm asked about this often enough that I thought I'd just take a moment to explain it...
First "Edtl" is pronounced like "kettle" without the K. And there really isn't supposed to be an "e" at the end of it.
And for what it is... It just happens to be my maiden name. German. I have included it in my "pen name" because, much as I love my married name of "Shelton" (which is sure a lot easier to explain to people needing to spell it), who I am came originally from my parents. They're the ones who gave me my genes for organization and chart-making, my love of English grammar, and my "historian" tendencies. So I felt they should get credit in my writing.
My awareness of giving my parents "credit where credit is due" probably first arose when their grandbabies were being born. My parents have 7 children - 6 of whom are GIRLS! Yes, only ONE boy, and don't feel sorry for him as he was the only one who got his OWN ROOM! ;-) Well, our local newspaper has this policy of printing only the current last name of the mother, not her maiden name, without which the maternal grandparents receive no acknowledgement. My parents are NOT glory seekers, but their children and grandchildren are a big part of their lives, and when a grandbaby is born, it's a very special thing to them. But with 6 of their 7 children being girls, out of the 22 grandchildren they've had, only 3 (my brother's children, of course) have been "publicly identifiable" with them at the time of birth.
So, all that to say... when I went to write my books, I decided that I would give my parents credit - for better or for worse - by including my maiden name in my pen name. Thus "Barbara Edtl Shelton."
Of course, there was the chance that they may not have wanted credit for someone with such radical views and unconventional writing style. But I figured that if they "borned" me, they ought to get "becredited" for me! ;-D However, just to be on the safe and polite side, I did ask them.
Oh, and they're just fine with it.
|
