Pamela A. Karanova is an Adult Adoptee, Award Winning – Freelance Writer, Creator of, The Real Adoptee Moxie on Substack, Author of Born In The Shadows, Living in The Light: My Adoptee Epiphanies, The Fight of My Life, Former President of Adoptees Connect, Inc, and the Founder of Adoptee Remembrance Day – October 30th. Pamela has been featured on Adoptees On, Religion News Service, Canvas Rebel, LEX 18 News, and Overcoming Odds where she has spoken openly about the adoptee lived experience, systemic issues within adoption, and the importance of truth centered dialogue.
Former Co-founder of the Adoptees for Awareness Grant. Creator/Designer of True-to-Life Greeting Cards at The Real Adoptee Moxie Emporium.
Pamela has been featured on various podcasts and video platforms like, Adoptees On, Who Am I Really?, Adoption Unfiltered, National Association of Adoptees & Parents, and Thriving Adoptees.
Her advocacy and writing have been recognized with the 2019 Angel in Adoption Award from the Indiana Adoptee Network and the 2025 Adoption Vanguard Award from Adoption Knowledge Affiliates.
In August 2026, Pamela launched the first-ever Adoptee Remembrance Day Substack Publication, creating a year-round home for the mission of October 30th and a dedicated space to share the voices and lived experiences of adoptees. The platform centers first-person stories from adoptees who have experienced suicidal ideation or survived suicide attempts, alongside remembrance of adoptees lost to suicide, ensuring these conversations continue long after October 30th has passed. All published stories remain free and accessible to everyone, while paid subscriptions help sustain the platform, support the ongoing work of Adoptee Remembrance Day, and provide honorariums to adoptee contributors because their emotional labor deserves to be valued. To learn more about ARD visit the website here.
Welcome to Pamela A. Karanova’s Website for 2026
As she steps fully into 2026, Pamela A. Karanova does so with clarity, strengthened boundaries, and renewed purpose. This year marks a defining chapter in her work and advocacy. After sixteen years of writing, rewriting, and living the layered experiences that shaped her story, her long awaited memoir is now being released in serialized form.
Titled Born in the Shadows, Living in the Light: My Adoptee Epiphanies – The Fight of My Life, the memoir officially launched its first chapter on February 20, 2026, on Substack through her publication, The Real Adoptee Moxie. Rather than waiting for traditional publishing gatekeepers, Pamela chose to release her story chapter by chapter, in real time, creating space for community dialogue and deeper engagement along the way.
This memoir is written for adoptees who have struggled to find their voice, for those carrying the weight of identity confusion, grief, estrangement, and loss, and for anyone willing to confront the unfiltered realities of the adoptee experience. It is honest. It is vulnerable. It does not dilute the truth to make others comfortable. It reflects a life examined without apology.
In addition to serializing her memoir, Pamela continues to expand The Real Adoptee Moxie on Substack as the central hub for her writing, reflection, and community building. This is where monthly newsletters are released, where adoptee centered conversations unfold, and where subscribers gather to explore difficult topics with depth and transparency. The Luna Lounge offers a dedicated space for paid subscriber dialogue, and each memoir chapter opens new opportunities for reflection and discussion.
Her work also extends beyond writing. Pamela remains the founder of Adoptee Remembrance Day, observed annually on October 30, honoring adoptees lost to suicide, addiction, deportation, abuse, neglect, and murder. Through her advocacy, she continues to call attention to the systemic failures that too often go unexamined. She has recently launched Adoptee Remembrance Day Substack publication to create a year-round home for Adoptee Remembrance Day, documenting the lived experiences behind the statistics. Adoptees telling their own stories of grief, loss, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, survival, and what it has actually cost to live adopted. Subscribe here.
The Real Adoptee Moxie Emporium continues to grow as well, featuring her True to Life Greeting Card Collection, created by an adoptee for adoptees and others navigating complex origin stories. The collection reflects her commitment to bold truth telling, even in unexpected spaces.
Pamela’s focus moving forward is intentional. She is channeling her energy into completing and releasing her memoir chapters, cultivating meaningful adoptee centered content, expanding community engagement, and building sustainable platforms that honor lived experience.
She recognizes the adoptees who feel forgotten, lost, estranged, or alone. Her work stands as a reminder that those feelings are not signs of defect, but responses to profound separation and systemic silence. No one navigating this journey is alone.
If you are a USA adoptee experiencing a mental health crisis, please take immediate steps to ensure your safety. Contact a licensed mental health professional or call or text 988 for immediate assistance.
For adoptees around the globe, international crisis resources can be found through the Mental Health Helplines Global Directory.
A curated list of recommended resources for adult adoptees and adoption advocates is also available on this site.
To follow the serialized memoir and join ongoing conversations, readers are encouraged to subscribe to The Real Adoptee Moxie on Substack.
Thank you for being part of this evolving journey and for supporting Pamela’s work.
Understanding is Love,
Pamela A. Karanova
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article and podcast are those of the author, Pamela A. Karanova. These articles are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared on this platform should be considered psychological, medical, or legal advice. Reproduction of the material contained in this publication may be made only with the written permission of Pamela A. Karanova.
While Pamela hopes you find the information on her website useful and informative, please note that the information provided is for general informational purposes only. Although every effort is made to ensure the information is up-to-date and correct, Pamela A. Karanova makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the resources listed on the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained therein. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk.
Through this website, you may link to other websites which are not under the control of Pamela A. Karanova. She has no control over the nature, content, and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorsement of the views expressed within them.