Carrie Kills A Man: A Memoir

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I wanted to be the person I needed when I was younger, because I didn’t see myself in so many trans stories. Many of them follow a well-worn path that starts off with ‘I always knew’ and ends happily with the love of a good man. But I didn’t always know, and I wasn’t interested in men, good or bad. And I’ve since learnt that that’s incredibly common. So I wanted to write the book I wish someone had written for me. One of the things I really wanted to express was the joy and wonder of it all. Being trans, like being gay, isn’t a shameful, undesirable thing. It’s a gift, a joyful, magical thing. The sadness we experience isn’t because of who we are; it’s because of how we’re treated by others. Especially at the moment. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak Children’s Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by The Week Junior Until COVID put live music on hold I co-wrote and co-presented the podcast for Scottish Women Inventing Music,an organisation that’s focused on levelling the playing field for women in every part of the music industry in Scotland. I’ve also appeared as a guest on several podcasts, including A Sonic Hug and Damian Barr’s Literary Salon. Speaking and songwriting I love 404 Ink, and have done since their first ever title, Nasty Women. They’ve published some of my very favourite books and introduced me to some of my favourite writers. So I’m really excited that they’re going to publish me. I’d love to. Carrie Kills A Man is a bit like a Scottish version of Titanic where the boat is my life, the iceberg is me being trans and nobody wants to paint me like one of their French girls. It’s about growing up weird, escaping into pop music and trying to hold things together until you can’t hold them any longer – and what happens when you have to hurl a hand grenade into the middle of an apparently perfect life.

Queen Elizabeth: (Volume 88) Little People, BIG DREAMS by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrator Melissa Lee Johnson That’s a really good question. I think probably the biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that most people aren’t playing life on easy mode; I just thought they were because as an apparently straight cisgender guy I was playing life on easy mode. And I still have it easier than many. See below for the full list of nominees: Books of the Year – The 2023 shortlists Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by Good Housekeeping

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I had a bit of a wobble when people I knew started posting photos of the book: ‘Oh god! They’re going to know EVERYTHING!’ But I’ve been really delighted by the response so far, because it seems to be really connecting with people. And that was always my wish. It’s an incredibly honest and lovingly detailed book, which makes the story all the more powerful. Do you think it’s in those personal recollections that the story emerges?

Damian Barr’s Literary Salon tempts the world’s best writers to read exclusively from their latest greatest works and share their own personal stories. Star guests include Jojo Moyes, John Waters, Yaa Gyasi, Mary Beard, Diana Athill and Louis de Bernières—all in front of a live audience at leading glamorous locations world-wide. Our London home is the Savoy. Suave salonnière Damian Barr is your host.The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg et al Non-fiction: Narrative BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by The Big Issue