I don’t know about you, but I’ve rarely heard my middle name spoken out loud and when I have, it was rarely a good thing. I can just hear it: “Gregory Blake Tjosvold, you are in so much trouble!” But, in spite of this negative reinforcement, I have to admit my parents accidentally gave me a killer writer’s pseudonym.
From time to time I pull out my pen name, “Gregory Blake,” to add a little obfuscation to my identity, almost always to shield my family or children from being associated with something awkward or even potentially dangerous. Unlike a name like John Smith or Jason Lee, when you have a last name like Tjosvold, your name becomes a direct path to your life. When I Google myself, almost everything that comes up is actually about me. Lord help me if the one other Greg Tjosvold I am aware of ever becomes an axe murderer because if he does, everyone will assume it is me in the news. It is bad enough that the AI recruiting bots have decided to head-hunt me based on his resume, but I suppose there is some comfort in knowing that if I ever want a job in upper management in the Minnesota hospitality industry, I have a firm foot in the door.
Most of the time, I am OK with this direct online connection to my life. Part of the reason I am comfortable preemptively “doxing” my pen name is that, as someone active in the tech space, I know that if someone really, really, really wanted to connect the dots online, it isn’t terribly difficult to uncover the name behind a name. Pseudonyms are casual identity protection at best.
No, for me, Gregory Blake is the name I use when I want to add a layer of plausible deniability for my friends, family, and familiars. There was a time and Twitter account with a large following a few years back when Gregory Blake was researching romantic gestures and even got a call from the Steve Harvey Show1 about a guest appearance. While that book is currently on hold, I chose to use my pen name to save my middle school students the “ewwww” moment of Googling me and finding out their teacher was into all that lovey-dovey stuff.
I am super excited to report that Gregory Blake is coming out to play again, this time as a horror writer. Remember a few posts back when I said this year felt like the year I became a real comic writer? I can now reveal that one of the reasons I am feeling that way is because I am officially like with contracts and such partnering with one of the most talented illustrators I know, Viktor Farro, to bring one of my story universes to life. Ankle Biters™ started as a writing exercise / dad joke, but in the end, it morphed into something richer. Upon reading the script, Viktor saw the potential and suggested we officially collaborate. His unique style is guaranteed to elevate the story to an entirely new level.
So, if this collaboration is going to produce work that I will be proud of, why obfuscate my real name? The short answer is preschool and branding.
I am scheduled to become a grandpa in September. Looking forward a few years, I can just imagine the parents at my grandson’s preschool questioning the safety of a play date at a house with “that guy who writes that creepy stuff.” That’s some side-eye my family doesn't need. I need their first impression of me to be more teddy bear “Grandpa Tjosvold” than Chucky-esque guy.
The first issue of Ankle Biters is definitely R-rated and intended for an adult-only audience. I know many of you who have been attracted to my work thus far are not into horror. There are no little white dogs or anthropomorphic rodent scientists in this story. So, at least in the comics world, if you see Gregory Blake on a title as the writer, you can self-select whether or not it is for you.
For those of you who are horror fans, be sure to subscribe to our new Ankle Biters substack and follow us on all our new Ankle Biters social media feeds. We’d love to have you join us on our journey as this new IP comes to life.
But what about The Lump Sum Saga?!
Does this new collaboration mean I am done with The Lump Sum Saga? No! 100% no! In fact, my new collaboration with Viktor has opened up new opportunities. For example, as a mid-campaign surprise in the Lump Dog campaign on Kickstarter, we just launched two gorgeous new variant covers featuring Viktor’s art. The campaign for this second installment of TLSS runs until May 9th, so there is limited time to pick up these gems.
I bought a new shirt, and then they ghosted me. But I’m not bitter. Grumble, grumble.