You can’t pick your relatives, but you can pick your name – if you’re a fiction writer. Yes, Raegan Teller is my pen name.
My ancestry is Welsh on my father’s side, so I chose an Irish first name, because Welsh names are difficult to pronounce. Raegan, means “spiritual strength” and my English surname, Teller, means “storyteller.”
In my non-fiction life, I am Wanda Craig, a former business writer and copy editor. I’ve also been a marketing manager, executive coach, corporate training manager, and an insurance claims adjuster. While I was in school, I even sold burial vaults. How apropos is that for a mystery writer!
Not surprisingly, I am a fan of fictional mysteries and suspense stories. Like most writers, I read voraciously and have been influenced by every mystery author I’ve read., mostly in a positive way. I’m often asked who my favorite writer is, and my answer is usually the author of the latest, well-written book I’ve read. While writing my first novel, I realized my writing is particularly influenced by a handful of writers like John Grisham, Harlan Coben, and Mark Ethridge. (I’m proud to add North Carolina’s Ethridge to this list because I think his work has gone relatively unnoticed. If you haven’t read Grievances, you should.) I could certainly add a few more authors, and maybe I will later, but these come to mind most readily.
What these writers have in common for me is that the protagonists are often ordinary people caught up in events that put them in extraordinary situations. Family dynamics are often a crucial part of plot, and the murder-and-crime part of their stories is secondary to the emotional turmoil and human heartaches that unfold. Most importantly, these authors, like all good ones, are outstanding storytellers.
I hope you’ll agree that Raegan Teller is a good storyteller, too.
