Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you use a pen name?

Because my legal name, as you may have seen on the site's front page, is Bryn Neuenschwander, which has caused me problems all my life. People mistake my first name for Bryan and think I'm a man, and they all-too-frequently can't spell or pronounce "Neuenschwander." (For the record, it's NOY-en-shvahn-der, although I'll also answer to NEW-en-shwahn-der, which is the Americanized pronunciation.) I've gotten used to these problems, and don't mind them so terribly much, but as a name to publish fiction under it seemed more trouble than it was worth. I want people to be able to find my books, after all.

Why "Marie Brennan"?

I wanted my pen name to bear some relationship to my legal one. "Marie" is my middle name, and "Brennan" kind of echoes "Bryn N." I found out a couple of years after I thought this up that there's an Irish singer named Maire Brennan, but I think we're in different enough fields (and countries) that we won't be mistaken for each other. :-)

What should I call you, then?

Honestly? Marie. If I'm wearing my writer-hat, that is the name I tend to use -- kind of like you you might be Katie at home but Katherine at work. And it's the name I want people to remember, since it's the name they put on my books.

Can I write fanfiction based on your stories? (Or any other fan activity.)

If you want to compose your own music, or draw some art, or write a story, or whatever, based on any novel or short story of mine, then so long as you aren't using it for commercial purposes or trying to lay claim to the original work itself, I say have fun.

If commercial profit comes into the picture (you're a musician who wants to record the song on your next album) or you might be stepping on the toes of a right reserved in my contract (a student film), then please contact me so we can work something out. Even if what we work out is just a thumbs-up to whatever you had in mind in exchange for a link to my site, it's better to make that clear. I'm unlikely to object or to charge you some exorbitant fee. (Unless you're a major Hollywood studio, in which case I'm getting a media agent and instructing that person to take you for all they can. (I should be so lucky.))

In the case of things like music and visual art, I'd be flattered if you let me know this is happening. If it's fanfic, I'm unlikely to read the work in question; legal twitchery aside (what if you write something and then someday I use a similar idea?), it would probably just hurt my brain to see other people's takes on my characters. But I do believe that fan work is a sign that readers are engaged with the story, so I don't mind people playing around with my ideas. If you feel so inspired, then by all means, go right ahead.