Fabulously40.com - Writer makes name with sex

Writer makes name with sex

Monday, June 11, 2007

By cnn

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UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland (AP) —Zane never intended to surround herself in mystery and intrigue.

The author, whose steamy sex novels set among black professionals have propelled her onto The New York Times list of best sellers, says if she could do it over, she’d have chosen a less provocative pseudonym.

About a decade ago, she was in an America Online chat room and needed to call herself something. She picked Zane because it was the first thing that popped into her head; she’s always liked the name.

When she started writing erotic fiction in her spare time and e-mailing it to friends and online acquaintances, it made sense to keep calling herself Zane—after all, she couldn’t be sure who was reading her work. Then she developed a following and discovered she could sell a book, and Zane was destined to stay Zane.

"If I had known that this was going to actually end up being a writing pseudonym, I would have picked something with a first and last name," Zane says.