We are close to spring! I cannot be more excited. For this #BehindTheScenes, though, I want to focus on something else other than good green things. I wanted to speak about how I value privacy and my name (which I am sure I said at one point). I have to admit...
Sara Ellie MacKenzie is a professional name.
It came about because of old stories that my father told.
I was in a family of five, with one older sister and one younger brother. When my sister was born, my father wanted to name her Rhiannon, after the Fleetwood Mac song. Of course, my mother refused. When I was born a couple of years later, my father suggested another name after another Fleetwood Mac song: Sara.
My mother again refused. She claimed she knew somebody with a little girl named Sarah and did not want us confused. I became something else. But the name stuck. I was obsessed because I hated my birth name. While I am more reconciled with it, I love the name of Sara today because it gives me a sense of privacy. Not to mention, it also means Princess and I had jokes with my father about being a royal pain.
That is the power of being an author. I don't need to use my real name. Most certainly, I did not want to utilize my surname. I wanted to be uniquely me. In high school, in the mid-2000's, I created the full name.
Ellie is short for many names. I pulled it from Helen/Ellen, the Greek word for light, and after a girl I knew at grade school. MacKenzie came from the clan from the Highlands, meaning "son of the fair bright one". Funny thing is, I have ancestors that came from the Lowlands of Scotland. More on that later.
So, that girl on the left? Yeah, that was me in high school, when I began calling myself Sara Ellie MacKenzie. At that time, I was writing lame poems that still make me cringe. I was also plotting stories, some I am working on publishing today. At that point, I was unsure of myself. It was a passion, but I felt it was never good enough.
Back then, I did not know the power of the name I chose.
At that point, I knew that I wanted to be different and have privacy as the same time. I wanted to be away from where I was, not knowing that it would hurt and heal me later. There were things that I wanted to do with my life, but I was never sure of how I would proceed. The future was a blank canvass and I was too afraid to step.
I can forgive myself for being immature.
I want to ask everyone to respect our privacy. Any information gained from providers, friends and family are not authorized by us. You can believe that it is the truth or not. I know that I tell the truth, no matter what. How you receive the message is the way you communicate.
My husband and I are also fiercely protective of our son, Calvin. He and I are careful when placing him on a public platform. I am pretty sure I have a #BehindTheScenes post about that somewhere.
Don't ask anybody about me except for me. Trust me, I have the scope on everything! Worst thing I could say is no or deflect questions.
Namaste, everyone! Have a great day!
Comments