Carmen is a family name. My aunt is Jeanne Carmen and her aunt was Jeanne Carmen. My parents named me after two different aunts, so they chose Carmen to keep in the family and combined it with everything else. My actual given name is Debra (aunt) Carmen (aunt) Nichole (random) Gamble (but now I'm married). Imagine growing up with that! I was so proud of myself when I was finally able to spell the whole thing, out loud, by myself, without getting confused or losing track of which name I was on!
I started my blog naming it after my aunt Jeanne. I like Jeanne Carmen a lot, as a blog name, and was ready for my first post. But then, I started writing and kept deleting everything. Nothing felt right, nothing was flowing and it all felt fake. Typing in the first person was impossible, because using "I", to me, meant "I, Jeanne Carmen", and I'm not Jeanne Carmen! The whole thing would be based on a lie! Yes, I know this is absolutely ridiculous. But, so am I.
And there you have it. A blog named after myself. So I can write with ease and rest at ease. :)
