Karen Lankford-Carnes

“"It was SOOO funny!” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

“It was SOOO Funny!”             By Karen Lankford-Carnes       This is an excerpt taken from an unfinished, most likely self-published on Amazon memoir of what I have personally experienced since the age of twelve. I’ll be skipping around a bit, so as not to lose the actual topic of this week. This is absolutely a true, absolutely intimate, and absolutely painful retelling of a time of my formative years.     I don’t think “Mean Girls” really cov...

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“I Am Hope” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

Submitted to Contest #106

I Am Hope By Karen Lankford-Carnes From the day I met her, I knew she was different. Not in a bad way, but just...different. She carried herself with a certain sort of grace. She fairly glided rather than walked. Tori was envious. Tori was always envious. She never dared believe that she would amount to much. Her step-father made sure she knew she was useless, hopeless and in the way. Tori never knew her real, as in biological, father. He was a painter, and he fell from a ladder while working. By the time anyone found him, he'd bled out. H...

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“Linda Lou” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

Submitted to Contest #106

Linda Lou By Karen Lankford-Carnes “Good morning, Ladies, it’s my turn to talk about a Godly woman that you have known. I wrote the whole story so I wouldn’t start crying. I think I might anyway. Grab some coffee and carbs and let’s settle in.I hope you enjoy this.” ~ If you’ve ever known someone who was so optimistic about everything. Optimistic ad nauseum, then I’ll see you and raise you my cousin Linda Lou. That was her honest to God, legal, given name. Her brother? Donnie Lee. I guess it’s a southern thing. Sure I like to see people h...

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“Warrior Woman” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

Submitted to Contest #106

Warrior Woman By Karen Lankford-Carnes Dorcas hated everything about her life. “Why would you ever name your child Dorcas?!!! It’s cruel!” “Honey, it’s from the Bible.” “Well so is Nimrod! Good thing you didn’t have twins! Honestly! Great idea. ‘I wanted a perfect baby instead of a crippled one, so I’ll name her Dork-Ass!’” “Now stop it! It means gazelle”. “They don’t know that. If you wanted to name me gazelle you should have just named me gazelle. Then they could have called me ‘Guzzle’ instead.” “'I don’t like you swearing like that.” ...

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“The Fortunate Son” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

Submitted to Contest #106

The Fortunate Son By Karen Lankford-Carnes This isn’t ideal, by any stretch of the imagination. Siobhan thought as she punched her timecard, in only eight hours. I can do this.Just find a purpose, a reason for being here. Some reason. “I really, really hate this gig. How am I working in a restaurant? It’s not even a clever cliche. “Malarkey!” That's what he said, with conviction,no less. Siobhan couldn't even whisper it without going into one of her uncontrollable laughing fits.She had more and more of these as of late. Here she was, a 32...

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“It May Have Been Maybury” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

Submitted to Contest #106

It May Have Been Maybury By Karen Lankford-Carnes She was back, supposedly to “take care of some business”, except there was no business left to take care of. Her older brother and his wife had taken care of it already. They were the dynamic duo of taking care of business. They were also the only ones in the family who had their shit together. Kathy, Kelly or Kim...no, Kaye was her name, decided to take a walk around her old town. She was reminded each time that she visited a doctor that her name could’ve been Kathy or Kelly or Kim. It w...

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“Wait. What? ” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

Submitted to Contest #105

     Wait.What?      By Karen Lankford-Carnes“Hi Melissa! Are we still on for lunch? Good, good. Mexican or Mediteranian? Nah I’m good with either. Great! I’ll see ya then. Say, uh, there’s something I want to talk to you about. Like adults, you know? Okay, I’ll see you ‘bout 1:00 then. Bye.” Izzy was a little concerned about this “talk” she wanted to have with Melissa, but she had to speak with someone about it. She wanted to understand the why and the how of it all. She didn’...

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“What's Jung Got To Do With It?” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

Submitted to Contest #104

Karen Carnes  5475 Sarvis Ave  Waterford, MI 48327  947-414-1977  KarenCarnes63@gmail.com  What’s Jung Got To Do With It?  Karen Lankford-Carnes  What on earth gave me the impression that I should, rather could, be married? Me?! Debbie domestic? People like me should never marry. Within a month of marriage, I was “jokingly” telling others: “What the hell was I thinking?” Yet, here I am twenty-five years later, nearly despising the man who’d clung to her and her daughter like toilet paper to a shoe. He h...

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“On the Road to Maddog ” by Karen Lankford-Carnes

Submitted to Contest #103

Karen Carnes 5475 Sarvis Avenue  Waterford, MI 48327 karencarnes63@gmail.com On the Road to Maddog By Karen Lankford-Carnes Tess was hanging around her boyfriend’s music store after hours. Jim was a guitar player, she, a singer. It wasn’t an odd coupling and quite prevalent in the regional industry. She never felt anything close to passion coming from a guitar, it was her lot to date guitar players, and politely applaud their playing. This night would be different. Although the kismet and dynamics were certain to end the ...

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