It was mentioned in another thread how Charles Ardai (real name) writes under the name Richard Aleas, and I think another pen name of his was mentioned in the CrimeWAV podcast, though I'm not sure. I was wondering, from an author's perspective, what goes into a pen name, and why choose to use one? I remember hearing in a Dragon*Con panel from this year (one I missed but listened to the mp3 later) that Seth had considered a pen name because he had previous experience under his real name, but decided he did want to keep using his pen name. What are some of the potential reasons for using a pen name, and what are some pros and cons?

After listening to "Secret Service" over at CrimeWAV, I think I'm going to have to check out Charles Ardai's big anniversary book for Hard Case Crime... sounds like a cool concept. I'm your typical reader who has only brushed into that series... I read the Stephen King one and that's it. If I like Fifty-to-One, I'll have to check out more of them!

Personally I loved Ride a Red Dragon and would like to have more stories along those lines.