What's Behind the Name?

So... What’s behind the name? This is the question of the hour! The answer is simple, Denisha Karmè is my given name. The Denisha my Mom knew owned a beauty Salon. I bet she was sassy! Karmè was the middle name of a girl that my mom babysat for many years before having children of her own.
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To my surprise, both names are of French origin! I did some extensive research to answer this question because even my Publisher was curious! De•ni•sha (Deh-knee-shuh) Kar•mè (Car-May)
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It took a perfect stranger at a wedding to make me realize how special my name was. It’s true, in my younger years I would beg my Mom to change my name. Her response was always the same! “Your name is beautiful and unique and I think you should be proud of it!” It grew on me eventually but as a kid/teenager, I wanted a common name that wasn’t a conversation starter. You know, we always want something we don’t have. We want to be like the girl across the room instead of standing out and being proud of who we are...
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When you become an Author, you have this really cool opportunity to create an alias if that’s what you desire. So, when I was asked what my Author Pen name was going to be, I’ll admit I was a little caught off guard! She said I could literally pick a name out of the sky if I wanted and some people do as a way to protect their identity. Not me! I lived in the shadows, ashamed of who I was for far too long! No ma’am! I want everyone that reads this book to know exactly who I am!
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My husband introduced me to this man and his daughter at a wedding we were attending recently. When she repeated my name “Denisha” it sounded so classy. Then she said “what’s your middle name?” As I cringed, I responded “Karmè”... I didn’t expect what came next! She spoke my first and middle name together and it sounded like royalty! It sounded like 1 complete name! She was taken back at how unique and beautiful my name was. She said “Your Mom must be awesome!” Oh, I could see my mother in my mind, smirking and rolling her eyes at me because she had told me my entire life how perfect my name was for me. Ok. Ok. You were right Mom!
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It was there, at that wedding on a golf course, where my husband and I looked at each other having the same thought! A few days later my husband said, that’s it, that is your Author Pen Name: Denisha Karmè! If said correctly, it rolls off the tongue so eloquently! He has always loved my name but I was still unsure.... I just needed to confidently own who I was and that’s exactly what I have done!
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My Mom did good. Sometimes, I wonder what she prayed over me when she was pregnant! She made sure nonetheless that I had a name that was unique. I think she knew that one day, I would need that rare form of identity to help me stick out!
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Thank you for reading the story of how I chose my Author Pen Name. If you are new, welcome! If you’ve been here a while, thank you for sticking around. Stay tuned for more exciting news. I am Denisha Karmè Patterson, a newly published Author. My book From Grief To Grace will be coming available for purchase soon!