This is very interesting Lynn. You know, since my father (and mother) died before I even began writing my first memoir, this isn’t something that I looked into. But it’s an important distinction to know about…and very sad that perpetrators have such strong “rights” in this regard. So does this mean that you just can’t use their names? I mean, could you, say, use the word “father” if you don’t use their names? Or how do you get around this?

Though neither I nor my publisher consulted an attorney with the first memoir, I did have to talk to the Norton attorney with the second, and she “strongly suggested” that I change all sorts of odd things such as, for example, the name of the motel in the Georgia sections. I just found that so bizarre, but I didn’t have a choice.

But you make a good point that it’s better to check with an attorney before publication, if you’re unsure of anything…and not wait until after the fact! Sue