Explaining the "Elle": A Guide to Pronunciation
It’s time we cleared the air. See, it has recently come to
my attention that my name stumps peeps. The “Hill” part isn't a hurdle, but the
palindromic nature of my first name appears to confuse many would-be
pronouncers.
Because I’m me and think everything deserves a story, let me
first provide some background. “Elle Hill” is a nom de plume, a moniker I plucked from the ether a few years ago
when deciding to honor my greatest passion and publish my fiction. The first name
on my birth certificate, like 83% of the rest of my family’s, begins with an “L”;
as a result, I named my writerly self “Elle,” pronounced like the letter. In
this way, my literary identity constantly honors 83% of my beloved family of origin
(sorry, Kris).
My last name, “Hill,” derives from my father’s middle name,
an honorable name with a boatload of history. I proudly wear my father’s surname,
Owen, in my everyday life, but I also wanted to honor him as a writer; hence, “Hill.”
(This last name is important to keep in mind should you ever
want to buy books with my
poetry in them, since I publish those under my given name. I figured it
would look kinda cool, or at least acceptable, to future employers, far too
many of whom seem to think Googling their future employees is kosher, to find
my name connected to poetry. OTOH, and as a once-underemployed sociologist on
the job market, I admit to a slight concern with associating my professional name with
paranormal bodice rippers, especially given our unfortunate cultural
devaluation of feminized genres. As I mentioned
in a previous post, it’s all about giving in to the dark side of marketing
and making oneself a commodity.)
So, in short, my nom
de plume is pronounced EL (think “L”) HILL.
And, Kris, I have decided Elle Hill has a middle initial. It’s
K.
Love love it!
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