Suma Subramaniam: Hello, my name is Suma Subramaniam. Suma Subramaniam.

Suma means flower in Kannada, which is a South Indian language spoken in the city of Bangalore where I was born, although currently I live in Seattle, Washington. And Subramaniam is my father's name. I also have a second name, Jayalakshmi, which means, "The goddess of victory." It's also the name of both my grandmothers. I don't use it as my author name though. It is reserved for special Hindu ceremonies in my family. My names are long and windy and not always easy to pronounce, but they're easy to say with a little practice. I do love both of my names.