“The Puritan Coven” series by Louise Cypress kicks off with “Bite Me.” Ward yourself, slayers, Promageddon is coming! (Kindle Direct)

“The Puritan Coven” series by Louise Cypress kicks off with “Bite Me.” Ward yourself, slayers, Promageddon is coming! (Kindle Direct)

This mom has a secret — and you can read all about it

Jennifer Bardsley is self-publishing a new series of books, but you won’t find her name on the cover.

It’s not often that someone you think you know makes a shocking confession, but this is one of those moments: I have a double identity.

You know me as Jennifer Bardsley, the Edmonds moms of two who has written this column for six years. You might also know me as the author of “Genesis Girl” and “Damaged Goods,” two young adult novels published by Month9Books. But here’s my secret: I also publish under a pen name, Louise Cypress. (Louise is my middle name.)

My Louise Cypress books are clean and wholesome teen romance, and they are selling like candy. “Bite Me” is book one in my vampire series called “The Puritan Coven.” It’s about a nerdy high school senior who transforms into a vampire vixen, unaware that her hunky date for prom is the slayer sent to destroy her. Literary masterpiece? No. Binge-worthy? Absolutely.

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Somewhere in the middle of me writing about Promageddon, my agent sold two more of my books to Owl Hollow Press. “Narcosis Room” comes out in 2019, and the third is scheduled for 2020.

The weird thing about my pen name is that it’s squeaky clean — no sex, no drugs, no alcohol and almost no swearing. Usually when traditionally published authors decide to self-publish under a pseudonym, it’s because they’re writing something risque in the hopes of making quick cash. I’m the only author I know who writes cleaner books under my fake name.

Part of being Louise Cypress means asking weird questions. If you were trying to help a Sasquatch escape to Canada, does it make sense that it could cross the border to freedom through North Cascades National Park like a bear? That was the plot line from “Hunt Me,” which is about an all-girls vampire camping trip that turns deadly when a Sasquatch hunter is accidentally killed.

Another aspect of being Louise Cypress is that I hover around the computer and hit the refresh button on an application called Book Report all day. Every time a book sells, it makes a “cha-ching” noise, like an old-fashioned cash register.

Since “The Puritan Coven” is self-published, all the profit belongs to me. I don’t mean to sound crass, but hallelujah! I’m making meaningful money. If you are a stay-at-home-mom like me, then you’ll understand why just typing that last sentence makes me teary-eyed.

The best thing about being Louise Cypress is that I was finally able to publish the book that is closest to my heart. “The Gift of Goodbye” is a story I wrote to help parents explain what Alzheimer’s disease was like to their children. It’s not selling as well as “The Puritan Coven,” but that doesn’t matter. It’s the book I wrote in honor of my grandmother, and the dozens of children who read advanced copies loved it.

I always wanted to grow up and be an author someday. Whatever you want to call me, I’m still me!

Jennifer Bardsley writes books under her own name and her pseudonym, Louise Cypress. Find her online on Instagram @the_ya_gal, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as The YA Gal.

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