Why use a pen name? That’s pretty simple. Google Mike Reynolds once. Go ahead, I’ll wait… Got it? Right, sixty-four pages of dudes who aren’t me. We have an architect, a congressman, and, oddly enough, a handful of other writers. E. Michael Mettille gives me a chance to differentiate myself from all of the other individuals who share my very common name. If you’re looking for me, I want you to be able find me without digging through a big pile of gents with the same name.
So, what does the name mean? Well, let me break it down for you. E. is for Emil, my grandfather. He was the greatest storyteller I’ve ever known. Whether it was an old yarn or a good joke, he’d paint you a picture to get lost in. Once you were neck deep in the world he was creating around you, he’d hit you with the climax (oftentimes a wildly hysterical punchline) from out of nowhere and take you completely by surprise. That man delivered a punchline like an expert boxer delivering a sneaky right hook to finish a match. I hope to be able to tell a story as well as he did someday.
Michael is me. That’s easy. Not too much to say here. I’m not trying to distance myself from my identity or real name. I actually wanted to keep an obvious piece of me in it.
Mettille is my stepfather’s last name, my dad. He’s the guy who raised me. Good or bad, I’m mostly his fault. When deciding upon a surname to represent my creative persona, his name was really the only option. I owe him everything.
So there you have it. Please welcome E. Michael Mettille to the world. I hope you love his work.