It is correct the colon is out-of-date, but take note of your last two examples: He shouted defiantly. "I won't give up!" In this there are two...
The ground crew sifted through the rubble pile. The building had been demolished by a misplaced orbital strike. A tall, decorated officer stepped...
I would worry about getting published first. IF you get published, THEN you can worry about a pen name. It's kind of like a little leaguer...
Separate names with a comma.