Some years ago, my eyes went blurry while at work. I figured I needed new contacts, so I casually rocked into an optometrist the following week. The next thing I knew, the doc was telling me I needed emergency surgery within the next 24-72 hrs or else I'd go BLIND (a thread) I'd just moved to Beijing alone for work, and this was a LOT. But it's funny when news hits you out of the blue like that. You think it'd get all muddly really fast. Instead, I felt strangely calm. I let my work know, booked surgery, and my parents jumped on the plane from NZ.

When I first started writing, the prospect of creating a pen name was enough to get me jumping with anticipation. Finally! A chance to give myself a more exciting last name than the one I was born with, or the unhyphenated, double-barrelled one I got through marriage... A THREAD Great! I thought. Not only could a good pen name give you ideal placement on the shelves, it could also make you more memorable, accessible, and marketable. In a crowded and competitive world of writers, it was important to be smart about these things.