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[threemonkeys]

I just got an email from somebody with the same name as me (first name and last name). What an odd feeling. I guess if you have a commonly occurring name then such things happen from time to time, but this is a first for me. There are a few of us around the globe. The temptation to do a vanity search means that it isn't a surprise that my name isn't unique but I have never been in contact with any of them before. I guess he googled his own name and found mine. I appear to be the most frequent hit for this particular search, but if you go down a couple of pages you get an awful lot of hits for a Baptist church in Macon Georgia. Now that, I have to tell you, is an even stranger feeling.

Comments

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

I seem to be the only Cat Sparks in existence. I think that's a bit creepy.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

I'm the only Gilian Polack if I google, but there seem to be more Gillian Pollacks (Gillians Polack?) one of whom lives in New Zealand. This makes everything confusing because when people mis-spell my name I sometimes wonder what the Gilians Pollack make of their identities being diluted by me. Every few months I google their name just to watch the confusion in process. I've not met any of them, though.

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

I would expect there to be a fair few of each of us out there. maybe all the other Cat Sparkses are mild mannered, non self promoting types?

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

Or they all call themselves Catherine or Cathy or Cathie or Catriona or some such variant.

I firmly believe ( as of 3 seconds ago) that the plural of Cat Sparks is Cats Sparks. Cat Sparkses is too gollumish.

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

I'm a Catriona -- but there aint no Catriona Sparkses out their in networld either. No matter -- one is probably way more than enough as it is.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

Same with Gillian Polack. More than one of either of us is just too terrifying :).

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Well we all know you are unique anyway so this just proves it. :-)

Interesting that terms like unique, one of a kind, distinctive, sui generis and special are all generally regarded as positive.

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

special isn't always positive. as in 'special needs'

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

But that interpretation of special is an ironic one. At the base level the meaning of the word is positive and it is just a sarcastic usage of it that gives it a negative twist.

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

true. uniqueness is generally considered goodness. I can say what I like but the day I meet another Cat Sparks, I'll probably feel a bit bad about it. especially if she's a writer. especially if she's a shit hot writer...

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

And so you see the odd feeling that I got.

But the chances of two Cat Sparks who are both shit hot authors would be just too extreme to happen. (thus proving that I can see the obvious compliment opening when it is presented to me, but since I just read Melt down my plutonium heart just a few minutes ago I have evidence that it is genuine)

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

you are too kind. I'm having a bad year, story sales wise, so a compliment is very welcome!

There's a Bryn Sparks out there who writes SF. He and I are not related -- he nearly missed out on being published in Agog because of his surname. I didn't want folks thinking I was publishing my own family... but realised it was too mean to be prejudiced against him because of the surname factor.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I know him - we have exchanged a few emails. It was nice of you to not be prejudiced against him for being a Kiwi in an Australian publication.

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

Ha! he wrote me a fabulous letter when I was reading for Smashing Stories, explaining in great detail why he ought to be considered as an almost-Aussie. He convinced me! the last 2 anthos have included non-Aussies. I'm still most interested in focusing on pacific region stuff - because its hard enough reading all the subs I get from our end of the globe without having to cope with US stuff too. Not sure what I'm going to do about the next one yet. But NZ-ers should always try me, even if I say I'm only looking for Aussies.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Most local writers I know assume that any Aussie-only market is a target for them unless told otherwise. On the other hand there just aren't really all that many writers over here.

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

its a fair assumption. Not many writers in general or not many spec fic writers?

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Not many spec fic writers. You can't go out of the house without tripping over a childrens book author.

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

Ha! Sounds like the Illawarra region of NSW where I live. I think we have more children's authors than children!!!

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

:-) Sounds like my home town in South Canterbury.