Romance Pen Names (aka Noms de Plume, Aliases, and Author Pseudonyms)
How many romance authors use their real names to write books? Certainly not all of them!
The use of pseudonyms exists in all fields of writing. Author and raconteur Mark Twain was born Samuel “Longhorn” Clemens. George Eliot was a woman named Mary Ann Evans. Even J.K. Rowling shortened her real name, Joanne Kathleen, to publish her Harry Potter blockbusters.
In the romance genre, an author might use a pen-name for various reasons. Perhaps their real name lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.
Some romance writers produce fiction in multiple genres, so they use different names. There are male novelists who want to appeal to the majority female audience. Or they could be a married couple or duo who need a catchy nom-de-plume.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
ROMEO AND JULIET, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
By any other name would smell as sweet…
Romance Author Pseudonym List
Below is a brief list of writers and their pen names. Thousands of authors use aliases; therefore, this is a short compilation. Here we included only those novelists we have reviewed, highlighted, or soon will review.
With each romance author’s pseudonym, we provide a book or link to a book review. We will add more names to the master list as we come upon them.
NOTE: For more writer aliases or their real names, go to the ROMANCE AUTHOR PSEUDONYM PAGE that is linked under the main AUTHORS page.
List of Pen Names
| AUTHOR NAME | BOOK (clickable link) | OTHER PSEUDONYMS | REAL NAME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosalyn Alsobrook |  | Gina Delaney Jalynn Friends Jean Haught | Rosalyn R. Alsobrook |
| Judith Arnold |  | Ariel Berk Thea Frederick | Barbara Keiler |
| Lara Adrian |  | Tina St. John | Tina St. John |
| Iris Bancroft |  | Andrea Layton Iris Brent | Iris Bancroft |
| Janice Bennett |  | Eileen Witton | Janice Bennett |
| Jennifer Blake | Louisiana Dawn | Elizabeth Trehearne Patricia Ponder Patricia Maxwell Maxine Patrick | Patricia Ponder-Maxwell |
| Laurey Bright |  | Daphne Clair Clair Lorel Clarissa Garland Daphne de Jong | Daphne Clair Williams de Jong |
| Phoebe Conn |  | Cinnamon Burke | Phoebe Jane Conn Ingwalson |
| Emma Darcy |  | Wendy and Frank Brennan | |
| Katherine Deauxville |  | M. H. Davis Maggie Daniels Maggie Davis | Maggie Hill-Davis |
| Teresa Denys |  | Jacqui Bianchi | |
| Jude Devereaux |  | Jude Gilliam Montassir | |
| Jacqueline Diamond |  | Jackie Hyman Jackie Diamond Hyman Jacqueline Topaz Jacqueline Jade | Jackie Diamond Hyman Wilson |
| Kathleen Drymon | Destiny’s Splendor | Kathleen McCall | Kathleen Drymon |
| Jane Feather |  | Claudia Bishop | Jane Robotham |
| Connie Finch |  | Gina Robins Debra Falcon Connie Drake | Connie Fedderson |
| Peggy Gaddis |  | Georgia Craig Gail Jordan Perry Lindsay Peggy Dern | Erolie Pearl Gaddis Dern |
| Roberta Gellis |  | Max Daniels Leah Jacobs Priscilla Hamilton | Roberta Gellis |
| Georgina Gentry | Bandit’s Embrace | Lynne Murphy | |
| Catherine George |  | Deirdre Matthews | |
| Victoria Gordon |  | Gordon Aalborg | Gordon Aalborg |
| Heather Graham | Liar’s Moon | Shannon Drake Heather Graham-Pozzessere | Heather Graham Pozzessere |
| Dorothy Heaton |  | Mary Cummins Susan Taylor | Mary Susan Cummins |
| Melissa Hepburne |  | Lisa Lenore | Craige Broude |
| Kathryn Hockett |  | Marcia Hockett & Kathy Lynn Kramer | |
| Deana James |  | Rachel Davies Mona Sizer | Mona D. Sizer |
| Kristin James |  | Lisa Gregory Sharon Stephens Candace Camp | Candace Camp |
| Penny Jordan |  | Caroline Courtney Annie Groves Lydia Hitchcock Melinda Wright | Penelope Jones-Halsall |
| Kathryn Kramer | Love’s Blazing Ecstasy | Katherine Vickery; Kathryn Hockett | Kathy Lynn Kramer |
| Jayne Ann Krentz | The Cowboy | Jayne Bentley Jayne Castle Amanda Glass Stephanie James Amanda Quick Jayne Taylor | Jayne Ann Castle Krentz |
| Charlotte Lamb |  | Sheila Coates Sheila Holland Victoria Woolf Laura Hardy Sheila Lancaster | Sheila Coates-Holland |
| Andrea Layton |  | Iris Bancroft | Iris Bancroft |
| Leandra Logan |  | Mary Schulz | |
| Laura London |  | Tom & Sharon Curtis | |
| Marsha Manning |  | Hettie Grimstead | Hettie Grimstead |
| Connie Mason |  | Cara Miles | Connie Mason |
| Anne Mather |  | Mildred Grieveson | |
| Kay McMahon |  | Catherine Emm | Catherine Emm |
| Fern Michaels |  | Mary Ruth Kuczkir (& Roberta Anderson) | |
| Constance O’Banyon |  | Micha Leigh | Evelyn Gee |
| Diana Palmer |  | Susan Kyle; Diana Blayne; Katy Currie | Susan Spaeth |
| Natasha Peters |  | Anastasia Cleaver | Elizabeth Jordan |
| Dana Ransom | Rosalyn West Nancy Gideon Lauren Giddings | Nancy Gideon | |
| Louisa Rawlings |  | Ena Halliday Sylvia Halliday | Sylvia Rosen Baumgarten |
| Barbara Riefe |  | Alan Riefe | Alan Riefe |
| Nora Roberts |  | J. D. Robb Jill March Sarah Hardesty | Eleonor Robertson |
| Maura Seger |  | Maeve Fitzgerald Anne MacNeill Jenny Bates Sara Jennings Laurel Winslow Laura Michaels Laura Hastings Josie Litton | Maura Seger |
| Janette Seymour |  | Mike Butterworth Carola Salisbury | Michael Butterworth |
| Valerie Sherwood |  | Rosamund Royal | Jeanne Hines |
| Lass Small |  | Cally Hughes Callie Hugher | Lass Small |
| Sally Wentworth |  | Doreen Hornsblow | |
| Tiffany White |  | Anna Eberhardt | |
| Jennifer Wilde |  | T.E. Huff Edwina Marlowe Beatrice Parker Katherine St. Clair | Thomas E. Huff |
| Lauren Wilde |  | Joanne Redd | Joanne Redd |
| Gina Wilkins |  | Gina Ferris Gina Ferris Wilkins | Gina Ferris Vaughan Wilkins |
| Jeanne Williams |  | Megan Castell Jeanne Crecy Jeanne Foster Deirdre Rowan Kristian Michaels J.R. Williams | Jeanne Williams |
***For a more extensive list, go to the ROMANCE AUTHOR PSEUDONYM PAGE.***
Your Opinion
If you don’t see a pen name listed above, please let us know. Did you know these authors went by other names?
Please drop a comment below and let us know what you think!
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Hi, Jacqueline.
As always, a well-researched article. It’s one of many things I appreciate about your work.
To answer your question, yes, I did know that many of the book authors had pseudonyms; in many books, the author’s real name will be listed before the main book begins.
I’ve only read a few of the authors you have listed, most notbaly Rosalyn Alsobrook (I’ve read books published under her real name and her aliases), and Connie Feddersen (as Carol Finch and Gina Robins). Interestingly, I found I liked the books written under Mrs. Alsobrook’s aliases better than the ones published under her own name (even though almost all were published by Zebra/Kensington).
(Ok, it looks like I have to type all my comments out. I can use my phone to post articles, but not to reply comment, apparently. That is odd.)
One of the things I appreciated about older works is that they were diligent on documenting real names and cover artist on their copy right pages. It makes research easier. Zebra had quite a few authors write books under one name and then use another pseudonym to create others. So too, did Harlequin, but I didn’t document many, as we haven’t covered those writers yet. This list will be a long work in progress. I know other sites provide author pseudonyms, but I want to have as much info available in one centralized location. This endeavor will take time, which I don’t mind. I have so many irons in the proverbial fire going on, that my focus is limited.
I hope all is well, and your aches and pains aren’t acting up. This weather is atrocious for people with bad joint and/ or circulation issues. Hub wants to move to California, but if I’m going to live in a crappy state, I’ll stay in New York. Oh, I complain, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Home is home.
Thanks so much, Jacqueline. Because of sources like Fiction Database, I’m always discovering more and more pseudonyms and real names. Your list is the first one I’ve come across that focuses on vintage romance authors. A big help! I’m sure I can add more listings in the future.
I wonder: which romance author used the most pseudonyms? As I mentioned in my recent review of “Shadows on the Moon”, Peggy Gaddis used twelve, though some were for genres other than romance. Can anyone beat that?
I forgot to include Peggy on this list! I’ll add her to the Author pseudonym page. As I said, it’s a work in progress. There are many useful sites which provide pen names, but they include modern or non-romance authors. Our site will focus on vintage authors and link names to book reviews.
Male author Con Sellers wrote some Gothic romances and historicals in the 1970s and 1980s. He wrote 300 books in total, from pulps to porn to westerns to sagas, and he had about 90 pseudonyms! He used to churn a book out every two weeks. I don’t know how those authors did it
This is such a great article! I knew about a few of these and I can’t even describe the thrill I felt when I first found out Diana Palmer had books under Susan Kyle and Diana Blayne – some of which you can read online https://www.adonaipublishing.com/product/100vintageromanceebks/
It’s so euphoric, when you’ve just finished the last book in your tbr stack for your favorite author and you’ve read all the books on the backlist already, and you’ve just made the decision to start your tbr stack all over again, but through the magic of online blogs and reading groups you discover not one but 2 pseudonyms!!!
It was like stepping through the wardrobe to Narnia, when I found out Joan Hohl and Amii Lorin were one and the same and Sandra Brown is also Rachel Ryan and Erin St Claire, or even finding out Sarah Holland is Charlotte Lamb’s daughter! This was my introduction to A Candelight Ecstasy Imprint!
Dear Romance4real,
Thank you for the links. One of my favorite authors, Louisa Rawlings, wrote under multiple aliases, and I had to collect everything she wrote! Also, thank you for the other author pseudonyms; I will add them to the master Author pseudonym page. I love getting feedback for these articles, it really helps out!
Update:
Micah Leigh was a one-off pseudonym used by Constance O’Banyon (real name Evelyn Gee) for an August 1986 historical romance called “Texas Dreams”. Ms. Gee (or O’Banyon if you prefer) wrote the book in collaboration with Emma Merritt, a prominent Zebra/Kensington author from the mid 1980’s-mid 1990’s who, before writing historicals for Zebra/Kensington, published nine Candlelight Ecstasy Romances under the name Emma Bennett.
Thank you I will add these to the master Author Pseudonym page. There were so many authors I missed. I think more writers use pseudonyms than don’t.
Two updates:
Lauren Wilde is a pseudonym used by Joanne Redd.
Leandra Logan is a pseudonym used by Mary Schultz.
Thank you! 🙂