Why Echoreyn? Where did that come from?

Several people have approached me about the name of my alter ego, my pseudonym if you will, Echoreyn. Where did it come from? Did I come up with it? And am I the only Echoreyn there is?

I thought I'd spare everyone the mystery and finally provide an explanation. Echoreyn is a name I came up with in early 2005 when I was brainstorming for character names to use in a novel I was writing at the time. Many of the names I invent for characters are combinations of two separate names that I adore, and this is no exception. Echo comes from the ancient Greek tale of Echo and Narcissus. Echo was a shy creature, cursed to only repeat the words that she heard others speak. She fell in love with the vain Narcissus, but, enthralled by his own reflection, he never even noticed her. Reyn comes from the name Reyna which is a Spanish name with royal connotations. Essentially, together, Echoreyn means "Queen of the echoes."

After giving this name to a character in a video game that I began to play in 2005, I started to feel a strong connection to it. Like Echo, I often felt like I was unable to speak to others. I've always been a bit of an introvert, and my feeling of invisibility was matched by Echo's own nonexistence. Also, I have always loved the name Reyna because of both its meaning and its similarity to the word rain. There is nothing I love more than dancing outside on a warm summer's day in the pouring rain.

As far as I know, I am currently the only Echoreyn in existence. Since late 2007 when I began to use this name for my internet persona, I've garnered an extremely extensive web presence. I'm quite sure, therefore, that any and all mentions of Echoreyn are references to my own alter ego.

So there you go! I am, and forever will be, Echoreyn.