How     my         pen name             became   Janet Lynnford

My grandmother, Lynnferd Lucy McMahon

"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  Shakespeare knew what he was talking about when he said we might call things by many names.  With this in mind, I chose a pen name when I started writing fiction, since my real name was complicated and hard to spell.  In fact, being a lover of history, I decided to use the first name of my paternal grandmother.

Lynnferd Lucy McMahon was born in 1889. Her papa called her Lynnferd, but everyone else called her Lynn. I changed the "ferd" to "ford" (because it's more common and easier to remember) and that's how I came to write as Lynnford. I kept my first name, Janet, because I knew I would forget to answer to anything else.

My grandmother was my romance heroine when I was young. As the daughter of the mayor of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Lynnferd grew up at the center of small town society, a vivacious red head who enjoyed family gatherings and friends and knew how to dress and act the part of a gracious, accomplished lady.

Here she is, immortalized forever by the camera. You can see what a high-spirited lady she was. I still have her lovely scrapbook, full of early 1900s photos of her, family, and friends as they enjoyed motoring, parties, and picnics. She went to college and earned a bachelor's degree just after the turn of the century, despite the fact that most women of her era never dreamed of going on to higher education. She adored the classics and collected books of all kinds, many of which I inherited (such as her complete, leather-bound sets of Dickens and Hardy). And she always sent me books as gifts and encouraged my writing in high school.

Lynnferd at the lakeside with friends.

Sadly, Lynnferd died the year I graduated from high school, so she has not been here to see my romances published. I am convinced, however, that she is watching from above. A while back, my mother said, "What do you suppose Lynnferd thinks of your accomplishments as an author?" We both agreed that Lynnferd is very proud of me, and touched that I've chosen to keep her memory alive by using her name.

Lynnferd was a true belle. The camera caught her at her best during her college days, when she and her friends visited the lakeside. Look how comfortable she is in the arms of two handsome young men.