When I originally published, I decided early on that I wanted to use a pen name. The decision was an easy one for me. I worked in a lab at the time and was publishing scientific papers and wanted to keep both facets of my life separate.
Zavi James was a place for me to explore my writing. I spent most of my life with my head in fantasy books and stumbled into mafia and dark romance, so naturally I gravitated towards writing in these genres. It has become a name that I use when I want to write darker topics or build worlds that house magical and unusual creatures.
I’ve always been open about my struggles with mental health on my platforms. As much as I enjoy writing in these genres, sometimes it can become draining. I’ve had days where I’ve cried and had to leave the laptop before coming back and finishing the chapter I started. Sometimes that process was repeated over several weeks. It becomes exhausting and there are times when I’ve put myself in a difficult headspace because of it.
To combat this, I read more contemporary romance and romantic comedies. And the more I read, the more ideas flourished in my mind until I decided I wanted to take a shot at writing them.
Straight away, I knew that these books would have a different feel from the ones I’d already published. Not just in their content, but in the way the cover design would look and the promotional materials. There was a clear idea in my head and it didn’t fit with the Zavi brand. Because of that, I set up Naaz Spencer.
A massive thank you to everyone who’s been with me as I set up and launched the new name. I’ve got a list of stories ready for Naaz to write, so please keep an eye out for them. I’m not giving up writing the darker and more difficult genres, but just giving myself the best chance at keeping myself a happier and productive Zav.
If you want to find out more about Naaz, you can follow her on Instagram.
-Zavi-
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