About Me

YVONNE JOCKS believes in many magicks, particularly the magic of stories. She has written since she was five years old, and received payment of an a.m. transistor radio for her first short story, published by a local paper, at the age of twelve.

Soon after that, she decided writing wasn't lucrative enough to pursue professionally (transistor radios aside). Luckily, this decision did not last like the fun of writing did.

Under the name Evelyn Vaughn (E. Vaughn), Yvonne sold her first romantic suspense novel, WAITING FOR THE WOLF MOON, to Silhouette Shadows in 1992. She promptly bought a larger television set. Three more books (BURNING TIMES, BENEATH THE SURFACE, and FOREST OF THE NIGHT) completed her "Circle Series," which featured witches and monsters, before the Shadows line closed. The last won Favorite Science Fiction Romance in AFFAIRE DE COEUR magazine's 1997 Reader's Poll, and the entire series was reprinted in the summer of 2002.

Under her own name, Yvonne then wrote a series of historical romance novels called "The Rancher's Daughters"--BEHAVING HERSELF, FORGETTING HERSELF, PROVING HERSELF, and EXPLAINING HERSELF--for Leisure Books. She followed this up with a historical (SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE) and anthology story for Zebra. She also enjoys writing short stories and novellas in the Science Fiction/Fantasy and Mystery genres, including A DANGEROUS MAGIC, CREATURE FANTASTIC, and CONSTELLATION OF CATS from DAW books, among others.

Her latest projects have consisted of a return to Silhouette Books and the pseudonym, Evelyn Vaughn. After a Silhouette Intimate Moments (BURIED SECRETS) and an installment of the Family Secrets series (THE PLAYER), she has become one of the early authors of the new Bombshell Line, set to launch in July 2004. Yvonne’s first Bombshell, AKA GODDESS, will be available in August, to soon be followed by a sequel (HER KIND OF TROUBLE) and an installment of the Athena Force series (CONTACT). She is also contracted to contribute a story to Silhouette’s 2005 Halloween anthology.

A resident of Texas for 26 years (after living in places as diverse as Window Rock, Arizona and Pearl River, Louisiana), Yvonne still loves the magic of stories, movies, books, and dreams. Her enjoyment of literature brought her a Master's Degree at the University of Texas in Arlington (her thesis traced the history of the Romance Novel). An unapologetic TV addict, she lives happily with her cats and her imaginary friends and teaches happily at Tarrant County College, Southeast Campus, to support her writing habit… or vice versa.

Why Three Names?

My real name is Yvonne Jocks. My friends call me Von. But when I sold my first book, the publisher asked me to take a pseudonym, and I was too green to disagree with them, so I chose a pretty good one: Evelyn Vaughn. That way, whenever I heard someone say, "Miss Vaughn," I would hear "Miss Von." Also, with the first initial, that makes that particular pseudonym "E. Vaughn" (or Yvonne).

There are several reasons for authors to take pseudonyms. One decent reason is so that readers won't be confused when a writer skips between two different genres--romance readers may not want a science fiction story, and vice versa. Another reason is mine--the publisher wanted it. See, this way I need the publisher's permission to use the name "Evelyn Vaughn" on other works (although neither can the publisher use the name on someone else's work). Or I did, before they kindly changed their policy. And a third is, to hide what one is writing. NOT my intention!

Now I try to write my historicals as the more formal "Yvonne Jocks," and my contemporary paranormal stuff as "Von Jocks." I figure most readers will be able to figure out that I'm the same person--and in the meantime, it differentiates between genres.