Why two names?
My mother and my aunt independently picked the same name for a son: James Dudley. James just happened to be the first name of my mother's father and my aunt's father. Dudley was my father's father's middle name. My cousin was born first so he got James Dudley and I got stuck with Dudley James. While it may be popular for millennials to have unusual names, it was not a good thing when I was a kid. I've always hated the name Dudley. It's almost painful to see it in print. My cousin Jimmy passed away in 2008 after a long battle with cancer. James Dudley Benton Obituary When I started writing, I decided to try D. James. I may never get used to it, but it sounds a lot better than Dudley! Perhaps I should also explain Dr. Winklestein's picture: I dislike seeing a picture of myself more than I dislike seeing the name Dudley in print. Yeah, I've got issues. Who doesn't?

Of course, no one will ever mistake me for the most famous (and handsome) Dudley...

That would be Dudley as portrayed by Denzel in The Preacher's Wife.