437: The Freedom of a Pen Name and the Power of Voice in Memoir - Interview

Today, Lori is interviewing Carolyn Hays. They’ll be talking about the freedom that can be found in a pen name and her new book A Girlhood: Letter to my Transgender Daughter.

Carolyn Hays is an award-winning, critically acclaimed, bestselling author who has chosen to publish A Girlhood: Letter to My Transgender Daughter under a pen name to protect the privacy of her family. 

Her novels have been published by Hachette, Simon and Schuster, and HarperCollins; her books are also widely translated. A Girlhood will have four overseas editions, including those by Picador UK and Flammarion in France. 

Her past books have been listed as New York Times Notable Books of the Year and Kirkus’s Best Fiction of the Year, and she’s written for National Public Radio and the Washington Post.

You can find her on her website or follow her publishers on Twitter at @PressShopPR and @BlairPublisher.

 

In this episode Carolyn Hays and Lori discuss:

• Why writing in second person is perfect when writing about gender.
• How to recognize a scene while you’re living through it.
• When to write out a scene in your memoir and when to summarize it.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/437