All right, who is Brant Randall?
In 2006 my first novel, Philippine Fever, was published. It gave me great satisfaction and joy to see my name on the spine of a book in my local bookstore.
To celebrate I Googled myself…and discovered that there were three other authors named Bruce Cook. Surprised (and a little horrified at the coincidence) I then researched how common my name really was.
My university had granted degrees to 35 other Bruce Cooks. There are four others in the film industry, where I have worked for almost forty years. There were three Bruce R. Cooks of the exact same age with PhDs.
I attended a mystery convention the following year. As I sat in the author signing room after having been a panelist, a man approached me with an armload of books to sign. I took a look. Nope, I hadn’t written any of them. There were other crime novels, books of criticism, Westerns, some erotica…a nice eclectic mix.
I realized that one of the Bruce Cooks represented in the pile was already deceased. It was a moment fraught with embarrassment for both the fan and myself. He didn’t bother to buy my sole current book.
After the conference I did some more internet research. Bruce Cooks by the score showed up, of all ages and occupations, on every continent, of every race and religion, both living and dead.
When I got to Bruce Cook the porn star I realized it was time to come up with a pseudonym for my next novel. This pretty much ended the celebration stage of having my name on the spine.
My second novel, Blood Harvest, came out in 2008, written under the pseudonym Brant Randall. Randall is my middle name and Brant is a favorite hard-boiled character of mine from Ken Bruen’s novels. I researched ahead of time to make sure there were no other Brant Randall’s writing books.
Of course it meant that I was trying to establish a new brand for myself, and that those readers who had liked Philippine Fever would have no way of knowing my new nom de plume. The new name also drew some criticism from my parents, wife, and publisher, all of whom thought my real name was fine.
That’s when I had the brainstorm. Bruce and Brant would collaborate on my third novel. That way they could each draw upon their former readers. They could share the writing load. They could split the electricity bill for the computer. They could get a timeshare. They could… Well, you get the picture.
I can’t say it has been easy. Bruce and Brant don’t always get along.
I just hope it doesn’t end in a lawsuit.