Frequently Asked Questions
1.
How do you pronounce your first name?
Eel-eye.
2.
What’s your real name?
My full name is Ely Percy Calderwood but I write under the name Ely Percy.
3.
What’s the name you were born with?
My birth-name was Lynsey Calderwood, but I changed it in August 2017, shortly after I came out as agender. You can read more about my transition and my name change here https://beanloveblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/human-bean/ and here https://knighterrantpress.com/store/
(Note: Please think twice before asking a trans / non-binary person what their 'real' name is - more info about why this might be upsetting / considered offensive is available here https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-you-should-never-ask-trans-person-what-their-real-name-is )
4.
What pronouns do you use?
They, them and theirs.
5.
I heard you had amnesia – what’s that like?
I was diagnosed with retrograde, anterograde and post-traumatic amnesia following an acquired brain injury in 1992. You can read more about it here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cracked-Recovering-After-Traumatic-Injury/dp/1843100657
6.
See if I hit you over the head with a <insert blunt object of your choice>, do you think that would help get your memory back?
Please don’t!
7.
Why are lots of your stories written under a different name?
See answer to question 3.
8.
I really enjoyed your Bean Love blog – why did it have to end?
Bean Love was an experimental year-long writing project that I started mostly as a way of keeping in touch with my friends back in Scotland. I learnt a lot from it, but it was also stressful at times because I felt I wasn’t always being my authentic self – I was constantly editing the posts so that they reflected the person I thought my family and friends wanted me to be. (I added the entry on coming out two years after what I’d intended as the final post because I wanted to be completely honest with my readers)
9.
Can I ask a question about your writing?
Always!
10.
Where can I buy your novel?
‘Vicky Romeo Plus Joolz’ will be coming out in the spring of 2019. You can follow me on twitter @decenthumanbean where I will be posting more info about this closer to the time of publication.
Alternatively, you can get updates from my publisher here https://knighterrantpress.com/blog/