Change Your Name – Open Book Blog Hop #535

Topic #535

If you had to choose a new author name, what would it be?

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If I had to choose a new author name, I’d be quite upset. It’s not just that this name is my name, utilizing my first initial and last name, but holds a lot of meaning. What if someone came along and told you had to change your whole name, connected to so many important parts of your life, is how that question reads. How very upset the idea makes me.

Firstly, my initials exist across my dad’s family. Now, I’ve passed on the tradition to my daughter. This is a family thing! Certainly, I have a lot of feelings of ownership and belonging in that mix. Who would I be without these connecting threads? I’d feel like a whole other person. Sure, I could take on another K name, but there isn’t one I’d like to take. Not one of them is me.

Secondly, my initial stands for the sound of the letter, the way you say K. This corresponds to the short name of my great grandmother, who left so much of an impression upon me. There are a multitude of ways I pay homage to this matriarch. Kay, as she was known to friends, took much of my heart with her when she passed. Leave us our lasting connections, untouched, or I certainly shall be destroyed a second time!

Thirdly, my name reflects my heritage–another aspect of Gramma Katie. My first name is such an Irish name! I hold that aspect dear, too. My ancestors sacrificed and went through a lot and I am the legacy of that. Therefore, I know I need to reflect them back out to the world. That name I carry is key to finding them and mapping them back into our family knowledge, too.

Changing my name would disconnect my accomplishments from my ancestors and descendants, too. Isolating me from them would be tragic. Humans need connection, and family is the base of our community. Sure I love my found family (friends) but I am not about to drop my name to bear theirs instead, or vice versa. That would be confusing and weird. In fact, I am glad I never married, so a name change was not compelled. Disappearing into another family’s story isn’t something I really ever relished the idea of. That said, I didn’t ever meet anyone compelling.

The way life worked out for me, as it turns out time and again, is the best way for me. My connections remain unbroken to those who have meant the most to me throughout my life. They’re with me everyday in that name. Nope. I certainly would not exchange that! If anything, I might go for a traditionally spelled Irish version of my first name, but I just know most folks would butcher it. That’s great for some laughs, but would it make me memorable enough? I don’t think it’s worth parting from the family initials.

I wonder what my daughter will choose? If she chooses to be a mother at all…

Let’s see what the other authors think about their author name by clicking on their links below in the scroll box. Don’t forget to subscribe before you go. The hop will find its way to your inbox every Friday. See you back here next time!

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