Please Welcome Guest Author/Beauty Maven Kathy Patrick

The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to LifeWe are so pleased to have as our guest today Kathy Patrick, founder of the Pulpwood Queen’s Book Clubs and author of The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life. Kathy has managed to tie together her passion for books and good hair in a most inventive way: a combination hair salon/book store named Beauty and the Book that is the happenin’ spot in East Texas.

DB: What do you love about big hair and books?

KP: They are the perfect marriage as they both compliment each other so much. The big hair came about when my book club, the Pulpwood Queens, was asked to be on Good Morning America to kick off their Read This! Book Club with Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson. We were asked since we were from Texas if we would have big hair. I don’t know, if you were asked to have big hair to be on Good Morning America, why not? the Pulpwood Queens don’t take ourselves very seriously but we are very serious about the books that we read. We’re big on hair and big on books and what do most people do when they are waiting in the beauty shop? They read. I have always talked about books after I figured out how a client wanted their hair done. Don’t you share stories with others when you go to the salon? Hmmm…Just makes good sense to me.

DB: Why do you think book clubs are becoming popular again?

KP: Because we no longer have the time that our mothers had for bridge club or having coffee with the neighbor over the fence. We are women who work. Book clubs are a legitimate way to have license to play. After all we are promoting reading and literacy, right? We get a night out with our girlfriends to talk about a good book, share our lives and maybe have a glass of wine, too. Women need conversation. With our lives busier than ever, having a career, raising families, and all of our community activities, it is no wonder that book clubs are springing up faster than dandelions! Besides, reading and sharing a good book is fun!

DB: You’ve been a reader for a long time—how does it feel to be on the other side of the book fence as an author?

KP: Strange, I’m not sure if the shoe fits but I’m walking the walk and talking the talk. I have a new respect for authors, too. I never really thought that I could ever attain the status of published author, but I have. I also will tell those reading this that writing and publishing a book is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It took me six long years to write my story but it has been well worth it. The rewards have been great—from readers, complete strangers send me these amazing emails. I have always considered myself a reader. Writing is something I did, too, but for myself. I was too scared to even admit I wrote anything, but now that that door has opened, look out, world, here I come!

DB: One thing that came through for me while reading your book is how passionate you are about books and how much fun reading can be. With so many books on the shelves how do you decide what to add to your-to-be-read pile?

KP: I have no problem choosing books to be read as I am sent so many. I look at them all but I usually can tell within the first page or two, sometimes the first sentence, if it is a book I will love reading. I get a special thrill from discovering undiscovered authors, their books, and helping them get discovered in big ways. I cannot take claim for the success of Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood or The Glass Castle or Eat, Pray, Love, but I can tell you I selected them when we read them before Oprah or the Today Show or Good Morning America or the New York Times.

Now let me tell you about The Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon. Because even though this is a YA book, the Pulpwood Queens and I were given this book while on book tour and we read the entire book aloud in between bookstore shops. We laughed our heads off and I kept telling everybody they should read this book. In fact, everybody should read all of our Pulpwood Queen Book Club selections, as each and every one of them is a treasure. That is exactly why I insisted all my books I have selected since inception be included in my book. The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life is a one-stop shop for readers and for those who are searching for their purpose in life. I have found that reading is the road you need to take to get you there.

DB: What’s your favorite recipe in the book?

KP: The Pulpwood Queen’s Married with Children Driving a Damn Mini-Van because I made that drink up after a day where I could not make anybody happy. This drink ended up making my whole family happy, including me. (Special note: I was the only one that had the alcohol in the drink, though; the kiddos just had the ice cream!)

DB: If there was one thing you would like to say to our readers what would it be?

KP: I would say that writing my book brought me full circle. I told my story of my life in books as best as I could remember it. In doing so, I found myself and what I truly believed in, so I will ask all of you reading this to do two things.

First, write down the books that spoke to you in such a way that your life was changed. There need be no specific number. Then look at your list. You will find out more about yourself than you ever dreamed.

Second, I would like to say that we are all born with a talent and a gift. It may not be hairdressing, it may be something as simple and beautiful as taking care of children, a home, or giving yourself to others by serving them. Never let anyone tell you that the thing you love to do does not have importance. To serve others is the highest honor. Do what you love and love what you do. We are all born with a purpose and a story. You may have many stories so you need to write them down because if you do not tell your story there will be a library lost to your family and friends. Pay it forward and help others who have fallen behind you. Lift them up.

Last, never let others take away your dreams. You only live life once so make it a wonderful life!

Tiara Wearing, Beauty and Book Sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club and author of The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life (Grand Central Publishing, now available)
WWW.BEAUTYANDTHEBOOK.COM
WWW.PULPWOODQUEEN.COM
WWW.SOUTHERNAUTHORS.BLOGSPOT.COM

19 Replies to “Please Welcome Guest Author/Beauty Maven Kathy Patrick”

  3. Dear Jenny and Danielle,
    Thank you so much and I knew the minute I found your website, I had found some amazing peeps! I mean girls who declare themselves “Debutantes” is just around the corner from the Pulpwood Queens who have crowned themselves “Queens”, beauty within Queens for being readers. We were destined to meet!
    And twofold, as I love authors more than anybody in the world! I can’t wait to read your books!
    You must, you must, come to Girlfriend Weekend, always the third weekend in January here in East Texas. Our Grand Finale is our “Ball of Hair” and I guarantee we will debut the Debutantes at this outrageous ball. Our theme this year is “Black and White and “READ” All Over” so go for it!
    And Heads Up! The Pulpwood Queens are going back to Europe this fall for a literary tour to London, England and Wales then cruising back on the Queen Mary II! I’ll have more details by the end of this month. Last time we went to France and Italy, we had a blast and stayed in virtual palaces. I have made a lot a friends over the “big pond” since my book club has gone international and these trips aren’t your standard fare. You literally will feel like a Queen if you travel with us, okay!
    Which brings me to my next book which I think should be called, “The Pulpwood Queens’ Magical, Mystical Book Tours,(armchair and otherwise). This is the continuation of my story of my life in books only this time it’s the travels that books have taken me. My family, my friends, and The Pulpwood Queens and I have been going on book tours for years. This will be the story behind the story on those adventures and the authors and their books. I am already madly writing on this next book endeavor and never having so much fun in my life! Oh, the wonderful places books do take you and from a small town Kansas girl, I never dreamed of such fantabulous adventures.
    Now I can never write anyone without telling others about outstanding books so here are my Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selections so far this 2008 year and who knows what great ones after reading yours will be added to this bookloving fray, (see below)!
    Tiara wearing and Book sharing,
    Kathy L. Patrick
    Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs

    2008 Official Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selections (so far)!

    January 2008
    The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life by Kathy L. Patrick, Grand Central Publishing

    Bonus Book
    The Stylist: A Novel (P.S.) by Cai Emmons, Harper Perennial
    From the Heart: Seven Rules to Live By by Robin Roberts, Hyperion

    Splinters (our teen version of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    Rowdy in Paris by Tim Sadlin, Riverhead Hardcover

    Pinecones (our pre-teen version of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    The Curse of Catunkhamun by Tim Raglin, TR Books

    February 2008
    Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunee, Grand Central Publishing

    Bonus Books
    The Sweet Life by Lynn York, Plume
    The Big Beautiful by Pamela Duncan

    Splinters (our teen version of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    Pinecones (our pre-teen version of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Shermie Alexie, Little Brown Young Readers

    March 2008
    The Pirate’s Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson, UnBridled Books

    Bonus Books
    God Said Yes by Heather Hornback Bland, Berkley
    The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs, Simon & Schuster

    Splinters (our teen version of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection)
    Pinecones (our pre-teen version of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, HarperCollins

    April 2008
    Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West, Harper

    Bonus Books
    One Fell Swoop by Virginia Boyd, Thomas Nelson
    All the Numbers by Judy Larson, Ballentine Books

    Splinters (our teen version of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection)
    Pinecones (our pre-teen version of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    My Mother The Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow, Harper Teen
    From Emporia: The Story of William Allen White by Beverley Olsen Buller,

    May 2008
    A Model Summer by Paulina Porizkova, Hyperion

    Bonus Book
    the memoirs of a beautiful boy by robert leleux, St. Martins Press
    Women of Magdalene by Rosemary Poole-Carter, Kunati Inc.

    Splinters (our teen version of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection)
    Pinecones (our pre-teen version of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    Remember As You Pass Me By by L. King Perez, Milkweed
    Jim Limber Davis: Black Orphan in the Confederate White House by Rickey Pittman, Pelican Publishing Company

    June 2008
    The Schooling of Claybird Catts by Janis Owens, Harper Paperbacks

    Bonus Book
    My Brother Michael by Janis Owens, Pineapple Press
    Myra Sims by Janis Owens, Pineapple Press

    Splinters (our teen version of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    The Chicken Dance by Jacques Covillon, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

    Pinecones (our pre-teen version of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
    Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton, Pocket Books

    July 2008
    The UnLikely Lavender Queen by Jeannie Ralston, Random House

    Bonus Book
    Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World’s Most Coveted Handbag by Michael Tonello, William Morrow

  7. I am SO in for The Ball of Hair!!! Next January you say? Sounds like a perfect time to get out of Toronto.

    I’m thrilled to hear you’re working on another book. Do you find the second one easier or harder to write? Or just different?

  9. Eileen,
    Well, since my first book was like 600 pages long, my editor cut it down to what it is today so we could save the other stories for the next books. The first book too was on the job training, as I was a reader, not a writer. Now that I had on the job training, I do believe the next book will be so much easier. Kind of like having a baby, the first one about killed me, (24 hours labor for the kiddo, six years for the book). The second one born, my doctor goes push and ta da! I see many similarities between giving birth and the birth of a book. They are both your babies so don’t you dare ask me which one I like better, ha ha ha!
    Go to http://www.pulpwoodqueen.com and you can scroll back to see the big hair beauties. Author, Debbie Rodriguez of “The Kabul Beauty School”, Timber Guy Nelson Collier and I all volunteered to do the authors hair. We took donations for author, Heather Hornback Bland of “God Said Yes” who was in attendance as she is fighting the battle for her life. Check it out at http://www.godsaidyes.net.
    Okay now back to you all. I get so excited talking about beauty and books that I can write a book on a blog!
    Tiara wearing and book sharing,
    Kathy L. Patrick
    Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs

  11. Thanks so much for joining us, Kathy! I too had BIG, I mean, casting a shadow over half the state, its own gravitational pull and zip code-BIG hair back in the eighties. (It’s a wonder I don’t have back problems today as a result…)

    Anyway, you all are too much fun!!! Congratulations on your book, and here’s to many more years of reading, writing, and celebrating both! With big hair!!

  12. I totally want to see these big hair pictures when we get together in San Francisco at Nationals, you guys…I will tell you this–my hair was always permed…Egads, how we ever did that to ourselves??? Oh, and very big shoulder pads back in the 80’s too.

  13. Kathy!~

    All hail the Pulpwood Queen — sign me up for the Ball of Hair, sounds like a fabulous time!!!

    I miss big hair. I have lots, so my hair is big whether I want it to be or not.

    Best of luck to you and all the Pulpwood Queens, your book sounds funny and charming and wonderful — I can’t wait to read it.

    Best,

    Lisa

  14. To all Debutantes,
    Thank you so much for spreading the good “literacy promoting” word! I am telling everybody about your website! I certainly hope you can come to our annual Girlfriend Weekend, the third weekend of January 2009. But we have two more amazing events coming up in NOVEMBER!
    First, our annual Christian and Inspirational Book and Music Festival, BOOKS ALIVE! which is a total fundraiser for the mission and outreach of the church in Jefferson that helped all the displaced Hurricane Katrina and Rita families, The First United Methodist Church. Author, Denise Hildreth of the Pulpwood Queen favorites, “Savannah” series and more is our Mistress of Ceremonies! This event is held the first weekend in November here in historic Jefferson, Texas!
    Then right before Thanksgiving, are you ready for this! The Pulpwood Queens are heading back across the “big pond” for our second literary tour, this time to England and Wales then get this, cruising back on the Queen Mary II! This will be the bomb for girlfriends who like to go and love books! More on this soon at http://www.pulpwoodqueen.com. Maybe we could have a “Debutante Ball” on the cruise! Now how cool would that be!
    More soon and love you all! Send books for consideration for Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selections to me at:
    Kathy L. Patrick
    Beauty and the Book
    608 North Polk Street
    Jefferson, Texas 75657
    903-665-7520
    Now let’s join literary forces and rock this world with the love of reading!
    Bowing to my new found Queens and Debutantes!
    Kathy L. Patrick
    Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs

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