What’s in a Name?

The internet is a funny place. There are things on it that, when you discover them, strike you as completely nonsensical, and make you laugh at the thought that they exist at all. I had that reaction recently when I was invited to join the ranks of an online database for authors and illustrators with unusual second names. Yes, that’s right – an online database for authors and illustrators with unusual second names. The kind of thing you would never ever think of, yet it exists out there, in cyberspace.

The funny things is, when I took a look, and had a listen to some of the messages left by other authors – all of them offering tips on how to pronounce their difficult second names – it actually started to make a strange kind of sense. It was a nice way of finding out a little more about authors you liked or were curious about, and it was part of a site supporting reading in schools, which was all to the good, I thought. Then I saw that the likes of Shaun Tan and Neil Gaiman had left their own messages and I was sold – I wanted to be part of that gang.

So you can now follow this link to hear my very own ‘Name Pronunciation Guide.’ And do check out some of the other recordings as well… they’re strangely addictive – further testament to the internet’s capacity for getting us hooked on things we would otherwise never have thought of. Thanks for the invite TeachingBooks!