What’s In A Name?

I am annoyed and have a dilemma and I am not sure quite how to deal with it. Someone else has my name, well my initials anyway and my surname. Another writer. How dare they, I mean, what were they thinking actually doing this writing thing and having their own website and everything ahead of me?

They even have books, lots of book on Amazon and now I don’t know what to do. Because they are using their name quite legitimately, I don’t know whether I should use mine.

Our parents spend a long time contemplating our names, names that are with us for the rest of our lives unless it’s something too horrific that demands a quick trip to change it to something cool and exciting. Our names mean something to someone. Maybe you are named after a relative or someone else who meant so much to your parents that it was an honour to name their child after them.

When I first started writing stories I would visualise my first published book with M J Fletcher printed down the spine in all it’s glory but now I feel almost cheated.

I don’t want my work to be confused with someone else’s or vice versa whoever heard of two Terry Pratchetts’ vying for the best sellers list?

So what do I do? Write under a pen name? But I am not sure whether that would feel like I am hiding me somewhere and if I did go down that route what name should I chose?

I am totally thrown by this other M J Fletcher, I mean it’s just rude having the same as me, I wonder if I can persuade them to change their name instead so I can go back to being me?

Any advice dear friends would be greatly appreciated as I appear to have writers block over my own name.