Pen Names and Personas with Trish Esden

When we first reached out to author Trish Esden about interviewing her for AuthorPods, we wavered between which of her pen names we should use. Her two distinct writing personas—Trish Esden and Pat Esden—are both derived from her name, and she actively writes under each one. Esden authors the Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery series as Trish, while her Pat books are described as “contemporary fantasy that’s a touch dark and a bit sexy”.

With the impending release of A Wealth of Deception, the latest Scandal Mountains Antiques Mystery book, we knew the time was ripe to ask Esden all of our burning Trish versus. Pat questions and here is what I found.

Who came first, Trish or Pat?
I started using Pat, an abbreviated version of my given name, when I first began to get published. At that time, I was exclusively writing fantasy. The name was easy to remember and gender-neutral—two qualities that could possibly help me break into the industry. I sold a handful of short stories and novelettes under that name, then went on to sign with an agent. The agent sold my Dark Heart series and the Northern Circle Coven series to Kensington Publishing. While I was still fulfilling those contracts, my agent left the industry. I was ready to step away from writing fantasy and novels that were a touch sexy. Honestly, a large group of my fans told me they loved my writing and stories, but would have preferred to not have explicit sex in the books.

So I moved on to writing in another of my favorite genres: mystery. My first mystery project—The Art of the Decoy—had no explicit sex, very limited swearing, but retained the same tone and rural New England settings as my previous novels. When I completed The Art of the Decoy, I found an agent interested in signing me. She pointblank told me I needed to be open to changing my author name—and she was right to give that warning. When my novel received a two-book offer from Crooked Lane Publishing, an author name change was a requirement. Luckily, I didn’t mind. Trish was my new beginning, a clear demarcation between books that were sexy contemporary fantasy and mysteries that featured an art and antique dealing sleuth.

Does your writing process differ much depending on which genre you’re writing for?
It doesn’t differ at all. I start a project by creating a short blurb, then I write a brief synopsis focused on the story’s turning points. The world building, backstory, magic system, and characters are things that I discover and refine as I draft and during many rounds of revision.

How do the different “personas” affect your social media/promotional presence? Do you have very different online aesthetics for each genre?
I don’t have different personas for each name on social media—just the real me. That said, when Trish appeared on the scene, I swapped all my social media to that name and focused on promoting my Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery series. I do promote Pat’s novels to a small degree under my Trish name. I just don’t overdo it. The name change didn’t result in me losing any followers on social media or newsletter subscribers, though interaction from fantasy readers is lower. As far as aesthetics go, the fact that the tone and setting of all my novels are similar has prevented any noticeable change in that area.

What was the inspiration for the Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery series?
I’ve been an antique dealer since my teens, along with having a variety of other professions. The industry is full of all sorts of quirky characters and amazing discoveries. It’s deeply connected to history, ever changing, and has a real world underbelly. I’ve always wanted to take what I’ve experienced and heard about and to transform them into even wilder and more dangerous adventures.

What can we expect from the newest installment in the series?
A Wealth of Deception is scheduled to be released April 18th, 2023. It’s set in the world of galleries, art connoisseurs, and high-stakes schemes, as the main character—art and antique dealer, Edie Brown—races to untangle the mystery behind an unsettling piece of outsider art.

And, we have to ask, what books by other authors would you recommend for fans of your work (maybe a couple for Trish fans and a couple for Pat fans)?
That’s easy. I also have a nonfiction recommendation for writers: