On October 15, the crowd was aghast when Carmen Mola, author of The Beast—a thriller about a journalist, a police officer, and a young woman tracking down a serial killer—was awarded a book prize at the Planeta awards. Why? Well, turns out, the beloved novelist was actually three men using the name as a pseudonym, and it was only revealed when the trio took the stage to claim their prize. I know we are used to men being the best women at this point, but I never thought we'd see the day that three men ended up being one woman winning a prize!

I can only imagine the faces in the crowd looking on in a mix of confusion and horror. I bet it was something akin to the immediate reactions when Kanye nabbed the microphone from Taylor Swift.

These men--Augustin Martinez, Jorge Diaz, and Antonio Mercero--didn't just write under the pseudonym. They created an entire background for this woman: "a female university professor who lived in Madrid with her husband and children". Mola's work was recently included in a collection of "feminist reading" published by the Women's Institute, a national organization for equality in Spain. Cue the feminist outrage!

A former director of the Women's Institute Beatriz Ginemo wasted no time to voice her opinion.

"Beyond using a female pseudonym, these guys have spent years doing interviews. It's not just the name, it's the fake profile they've used to take in readers and journalists. Scammers."

I think Ginemo is just upset she fell for it. I wouldn't exactly call the men scammers. It just sounds like they created a great marketing campaign. Regardless, one would think the author of a great novel wouldn't matter so much as the book itself… Hmm…

You know what! Maybe I can get an award if I publish under the name Josephine! What do you think?

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