. ▁ ▁C ory ell ▁was ▁embar rass ed ▁by ▁his ▁background ▁in ▁d ime ▁nov els ▁and ▁conce aled ▁his ▁author ship ▁of ▁Nick ▁Carter ▁from ▁his ▁sons . ▁When ▁they ▁discovered ▁in ▁their ▁att ic ▁cli ppings ▁from ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Week ly ▁featuring ▁Nick ▁Carter , ▁their ▁father ▁sw ore ▁them ▁to ▁secre cy . ▁C ory ell ▁did ▁admit ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 5 , ▁though , ▁that ▁“ The ▁creation ▁of ▁the ▁now ▁famous ▁Nick ▁Carter ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁my ▁greatest ▁success es .” ▁ ▁Begin ning ▁with ▁his ▁Nick ▁Carter ▁stories , ▁most ▁of ▁C ory ell ' s ▁work ▁was ▁published ▁pseud onym ously . ▁Many ▁nov els ▁were ▁written ▁under ▁the ▁name ▁“ Ber tha ▁M . ▁Clay .” ▁This ▁had ▁been ▁the ▁pen name ▁of ▁English ▁writer ▁Charlotte ▁M . ▁Br ame ▁( 1 8 3 6 – 8 4 ). ▁She ▁died ▁leaving ▁a ▁novel ▁un comple ted . ▁C ory ell ▁was ▁asked ▁to ▁finish ▁it ▁by ▁Street ▁& ▁Smith , ▁Br ame ' s ▁publish er . ▁They ▁were ▁so ▁pleased ▁with ▁the ▁result ▁they ▁asked ▁him ▁to ▁continue ▁writing ▁stories ▁as ▁Ber tha ▁M . ▁Clay . ▁His ▁contract ▁called ▁for ▁a ▁million ▁words ▁a ▁year ; ▁he ▁often ▁wrote ▁six ▁different ▁nov els ▁simultaneously . ▁C ory ell ▁estimated ▁that ▁he ▁wrote ▁over ▁two ▁hundred ▁nov els . ▁Since ▁there ▁were ▁about ▁four ▁hundred ▁Ber tha ▁M . ▁Clay ▁nov els , ▁few ▁if ▁any ▁of ▁C ory