The TRUTH about Author Book Tours as told by The Pulpwood Queen!

The TRUTH about Author Book Tours as told by The Pulpwood Queen!

What is it they always say, "The Truth Shall Set You Free"! I believe that with all my heart so here is my book tour story and I'm sticking to it!

"This is the day that the Lord hath made, let my sorry self try to do good works", I said as I stumbled, bleary eyes and dragging tail as I shuffled to make some serious coffee this morning. You see I just got home from book tour. I have been waiting my whole life for something as great as this, writing my own book, getting it published, hitting the book tour trail. The experience has been life changing. I have never had more fun in my life. I also have never gone so long without good sleep, one pooped KAT!

You see this all began when my book, "The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life" was published by Grand Central Publishing. They wanted me to hit the road for book tour right after the pub date of January 2, 2008. As I finished the last of my client's hair on New Year's Eve, (I own a hair salon/book store in Jefferson, Texas, Beauty and the Book), I realized that my dream of a book tour was about to come true! A bunch of the Pulpwood Queens, Timber Guys and I went out to celebrate the New Year at Music City Texas then New Year's Day I spent packing for what we called the "BIG, BLONDE, AND BEAUTIFUL BOOK TOUR"! I was going to be taking with me four of my book club members, Elizabeth Stokes of Palestine, Texas, Jean Wright of Linden, Texas, Kay Brookshire of Lake O' the Pines, Texas, and Joyce Smith, my neighbor here just outside of Jefferson. I dubbed then the Pulpwood Queen Posse'.

Our Timber Guys, husbands, were laughing their fool heads off as we crammed 24 assorted bags into the back of our recently acquired Suburban. Suburbans are called "Texas Cadillacs" here in Texas. I mean we were going to have to be on book tour for a month and a week for goodness sake. Who knew what the weather would be like as we traversed was it, ten states! As we pulled out of my driveway in Texas, there was no looking back. We were girlfriends on the ultimate book loving road trip! Kind of like Thelma and Louise and Joyce, Kay, Jean, Liz, and Kat!

Now there is no way I can cover the whole trip in this southern author blog! But here to me are some of the highlights of our trip broken down into the following categories; Riding the Roads, Bookstores, Authors, and Girlfriend Weekend!

Riding the Roads!
You want to know what fun is? Take a road trip with your girlfriends! What are you waiting for! Time is the essence! I have so many stories from the road it's not even funny. But one thing happened on the road that still cracks me up, ONE SMOKING GINA! At the very first of the trip, we were just riding along, just minding our business when we saw a PT Cruiser up ahead with "ONE SMOKING GINA" hand painted across the back of the car. Nobody said anything as I started to pass the car but we were all craning out necks to get a look see of the driver. As we pulled along side, this grey haired bun, wearing woman whips her head over to take a gander at us gawking girlfriends and I swear she had a cigarette dangling out of her mouth that she had just sucked a three inch ash that was about to fall off. We all just lost it as I go, "Yep, One Smoking Gina." We were all laughing so hard, choking and driving, I told the girls, "Look, look at that sign on the side of the Indian Nation Turnpike." There up ahead was this sign that stated, "DO NOT DRIVE INTO THE SMOKE". Well, by then we were just beside ourselves, laughing and crying. I go, "Looks like One Smoking Gina is known in these parts." Now if you have no idea what that sign really meant, I'll tell you in my next book as I am going to have to write a whole chapter on this girlfriend book touring Pulpwood Queen Posse".

Bookstores!
Years ago, Mary Gay Shipley, who owns and operates That Bookstore in Blytheville, Arkansas, my mentor, and I tried to put together a bookstore tour through the south. I cannot think of anything I would rather do than visit independent bookstores. Well, I hit as many as I could on this book tour and you can go to my official book tour blog site to view them all at www.pulpwoodqueen.com which has photos, stories, news features, and more that continues if not daily, pretty close. Each one could be a chapter in my new book but here's one story that cracks us up as we hit Mary Gay's store in Blytheville.
We arrived a little late as crosswinds had as hanging on for dear life as our Texas Cadillac careened down the interstate from St. Louis, Missouri to Blytheville. When we pulled in a parking spot just off the main street where Mary Gay's store is situated, the girls told me to run on so I wouldn't keep the crowd waiting. Later Pulpwood Queens Jean and Kay told me this story. Evidently after I ran to the store, 74 year old Pulpwood Queen Joyce Smith followed wearing my faux fur leopard coat, my leopard Fat Baby Cowboy boots as her bunion was killing her, she had on her "Go to Town" big hair and tiara pulling my leopard printed suitcase loaded with Raquel Welch Hair U Wear Put on Hair Pieces for the Big Hair Makeovers I was giving away to a lucky girlfriend at a drawing at each store. As she approached the bookstore pulling the rolling bag up the sidewalk, head bent down to tackle the blowing gales of wind, a young man approached her with a child up on his shoulders bundled for winter. "Ma'am, ma'am," he cried as he met her and took her arm, "is there someone I can call, there is not way you need to be out on the street in this weather.". The girls told me that the look Joyce gave him had to have been priceless. He thought she was a homeless woman and now Joyce is going to kill me for telling this story but what a story. We are still laughing about it!

Authors!
Now I know that my mission to promote literacy would have never come into fruition if it had not been for the wonderful, fantabulous authors that have graced our doors at Beauty and the Book. There stories have changed out lives and to have the authors come to our book club meetings and call our chapters brings the book to life when we feature a book each month. Several of those authors have become more like family to me. In fact, I have adopted them as my brothers and sisters. One in particular is Denise Hildreth from Franklin, Tennessee who we stayed with while in Nashville. Now this darling little spitfire of an author is a trip. As we sped through Nashville on a driving tour given by Denise she took us to the Parthenon. Yes, a complete recreation of the Parthenon in Greece. Who knew? Not me, as we sped going the wrong way into it's entrance. I calmly said, "Denise, aren't we going the wrong way on a one way entrance." She whipped her little S.U.V. in a U e, and we were parking before I could catch my breath. Denise may seem petite, demure in person but girl, get that author behind the wheel and a whole new personality comes out. She's a tiger!
Now you can view photos of Denise and the Pulpwood Queen Posse' at my blog site, www.pulpwoodqueen.com.
Another highlight was our stay with my brother, yes, I adopted this author as the perfect brother and he is, Michael Morris. His wife, Melanie also is adopted as the perfect sister and you all, did she spend all day fixing us up a feast. Now that day we began with a live television morning show in Atlanta, Texas, went on to Addison, Alabama where we did a morning television show, interviews for eight county newspapers, one blog spot, a fashion magazine interview, another spot for the evening news all with reporter, Theresa Shaddix who had just crowned herself Head Queen of a new Alabama chapter. Talk about a woman who is a tornado for promoting literacy. All hail Theresa Shaddix! Then we went on to Michael and Melanie Morris's house to stay. They greeted us with open arms and terrific wine and appetizers! God Bless Pulpwood Queen authors, they are the best. We quickly caught up and then headed on over to meet Jake Reiss, the owner of Alabama Booksmith in Birmingham, Alabama. What a bookstore and a splendid attendance including Rhonda on her pink scooter who I knew from Southern Living magazine. Again, those photos are posted at www.pulpwoodqueen.com so scroll down for the full story.
We all headed back to the Morris's for this incredible Martha Stewart presentation of a dinner and gorged on her fine cuisine. I looked across the table after the meal barely being able to keep my eyes open and spied Pulpwood Queen Jean Wright nodding off at the table. We begged forgiveness but excused ourselves from the fabulous table and Jean and I stayed in Melanie's art studio. Divine and she even gave me one of her incredible paintings which now hangs prominently in my great room behind the chair where I am writing this blog. I love you Michael and Melanie and hope our paths cross again soon.

Girlfriend Weekend!
Nobody and I mean nobody can top our annual Pulpwood Queen Book Club hosted Girlfriend Weekend. Two days of author panels, workshops, and two nights of entertainment including our infamous "Ball of Hair", a dance we hold as a celebration of authors, books, literacy, girlfriends and BIG TIME FUN! Highlights this year was watching international supermodel and author, Paulina Porizkova's effect of being in my home town of historic Jefferson, Texas, population 2, 199. Timber Guys lives were changed and I look forward to the month we will be reading her book "A Model Summer" this coming spring.
Again this will be a whole chapter in my next book because the event is something I work on all year and this year it hit smack dab in the middle of my book tour. I am certifiably insane to pull this off but I did and BIG TIME my friends, BIG TIME.
The absolute highlight of this event was author, Debbie Rodriguez of "Kabul Beauty School", (also winner of The Doug Marlette Award for Pulpwood Queen Book of the Year) volunteering to do authors hair at my shop, Beauty and the Book, prior to the "Ball of Hair". Somehow I got caught up in to the backcombing big hair fray, I was only going to unlock the shop for her to do hair and then my dear friend and fellow stylist, C. Nelson Collier got lassoed into doing hair too. Then my childhood friend, Heidi Teichgraeber, former Miss Manhattan/K-State and my sister, Karen Penner of Karen Penner Designs got roped in to doing the makeovers. You all what happened in my shop with my agent, Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff and Associates and authors, Cassandra King, Judy Larsen, Lynn York, Darnell Arnoult, bookstore owner and creator of "The Book Report, Elisabeth Grant-Gipson (go to www.thebookreport.net) will not stay at Beauty and the Book. I plan to tell the world in my next book! The funnest time of my life and stock rose on hair spray that evening. I was left with 15 minutes to get to my own event where I was the host! What was I thinking! Mostly, you all live for that moment of which I did BIG TIME!

Now there is so much more to this book tour and I plan on including everything in my next book which I am calling, "The Pulpwood Queens' Magical, Mystical Book Tours (armchair and otherwise)!" which will be my stories of riding the roads with my authors and girlfriends, the stories behind the stories of all our book tour adventures and I can hardly wait to begin this writing adventure.

If you all can't tell that I love what I am doing then you all just aren't right in the head. I love doing hair, talking books, helping undiscovered authors get discovered in really BIG WAYS. I am living the American dream and it's all because I am a reader. Now a couple of days into my book tour I asked the girls, "Do you think anyone has ever died from going on book tour?" We laughed but I couldn't help commenting, "Think of the book sales! The publicity!" All I can say I tried my darnedest and it's as I always say, "You can sleep when you die!" I loved this book tour and seriously, I am beyond tired but it's the best tired anybody could ever dream of. Grand Central Publishing made my dreams come true by supporting this book tour for me! I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I gave it my all as I call my editor, Natalie Kaire, my publicist, Elly Weisenberg, her assistant, Darcey, Heusel, and webmaster, Miriam Parker, my Publisher Pulpwood Queen Posse'.

I thank my agent, the best agent in the whole wide world, but more importantly best friend, Marly Rusoff too for holding my hand along this reader now writer's way. She is also the winner of a new award we will be giving each Girlfriend Weekend. The Pulpwood Queen Literacy Award which is an award given to an individual who has devoted their life to promoting literacy. Congratulations Marly!

And now I thank all of you for making my life have a purpose and especially the Pulpwood Queens! You all came out in full regalia to meet me on the road and The Pulpwood Queens of Roarin' Red River even followed me throughout the great state of Mississippi! You are the best! It's reading folks, good books from good authors. God Bless You All and say a prayer for my book tour recovery. This 51 year old bookloving dreamer needs your prayers. Right now I have lost the juice in my "Energizer" batteries and so need you all for a recharge, okay! ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tiara Wearing and Book Tour Sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
"Hairdresser to the Authors"
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs
Beauty and the Book
608 North Polk Street
Jefferson, Texas 75657
903-665-7520
www.beautyandthebook.com, official website
www.pulpwoodqueen.com, official blog site
P.S. I will be back in my shop, Beauty and the Book, February 12th for those of you who actually can't believe I do hair. I'll leave the hair dryer on for ya! Don't call me before then as in book tour recovery. You can email me at kathy@beautyandthebook.com and I will get back with you as soon as I recover.
That night is our monthly book club meeting featuring Kim Sunee's "Trail of Crumbs". Kim will be calling in, hopefully, for a teleconference if she has recovered to from Girlfriend Weekend. Everybody brings a covered dish and great recipes in Kim's book as you see she is also the Food Editor for Cottage Magazine. Elisabeth and the Windows Book Shop crew will be joining us so all I can say is bring it on! See you at the shop and again God Bless You All on your Book Travels! XXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOO

Day Five of The Pulpwood Queens Infamous Book Tour!

Dear Reader,
I will have a full report on Day Five of The Pulpwood Queens Infamous BIG, BLONDE, AND BEAUTIFUL Book Tour but first I must travel at this time, 5:00 a.m. to Kansas City to get there in tim to be on there morning news show! I now know why authors sigh when you ask them how their book tour is going! So I'm leaving for now, my hometown of Eureka, Kansas sadly, our wonderful hosts for our stay here were my childhood and school age friends, Heidi and Art Teichgraeber! We have had a fabulous time getting to hang out with the and getting know their incredible girls, especially Veronika who has crowned herself QUEEN and joining us again down in Austin, Texas where she is currently a student of Philosophy and Government at the University of Texas! Hook em Horns! Headed from Eureka Tornado country up through Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk, GO K U! In the meantime enjoy the beginnning of a series of interviews with author, Margaret Sartor that I did for the Wordsworth Books website, see below. Goodbye Kansas and now on to over the rainbow!
There's no place like home,
there's no place like home,
Kathy L. Patrick
kathy@beautyandthebook.com
P.S. Special thanks too to Erika who gave me the most incredible present anybody has ever given me, her love and her heart! Those Surber girls and their family sure are special!

Margaret Sartor and Kathy L. Patrick: A Conversation with the Pulpwood Queen, part 1

Margaret Sartor: Hi Kathy, I’m so incredibly pleased to be the lucky one to ask you questions about your very funny and very moving new book, The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara-Wearing, Book- Sharing Guide to Life!
Kathy, your book is a practical guide to finding and sharing great books, but it is also a memoir. In it, you tell the story of how you overcame substantial obstacles to eventually open the first of its kind combination bookstore and Hair Salon and start the utterly unique Pulpwood Queens Book Club. As an author, I have personally experienced the magic of the Pulpwood Queens and what impresses me most is how the book club celebrates not only literature, but also friendship, family, and community.
I’m guessing we all want to know more about you and how you how you came to do all these wonderful things. So let’s start towards the beginning:

Where did you grow up and where do you consider home to be?

Kathy Patrick: I was born and raised in Eureka, Kansas, in the flint hills of southeastern Kansas. I now live in historic Jefferson, Texas, which I call “Mayberry on the Bayou”. I have lived here for over 20 years. I married a guy from here, Jay Patrick, raised our now two teenage daughters here, but when I consider the word “home”, it’s still in Kansas. Because no matter where I travel, basically when it comes down to the heart of the matter I’m just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”

Margaret: Having just published a memoir, I know how difficult it is to write a book about real people who are still a part of your life. How did your family, particularly your parents, respond to your publishing your story?

Kathy: No one can ever expect what will happen when you write your own story. I have been no exception. I had a hard time getting my family to listen to any part of my book as I tried to read it to them. When I would try to ask questions about my life to clarify things of my memory, the subject was often changed. I finally sat my Daddy down when he was visiting and made him listen to the part about my mother and him in the book. I knew it would be difficult to read but his response took me totally by surprise. At first he told me that I had written the book beautifully. He wished he could write like that. I was so touched I started crying. Then he started laughing which caught me totally by surprise. I immediately stopped my sniffling and demanded he tell me what was so funny? He told me that the part and about him and my mother, though written beautifully, was totally untrue. You could have knocked me down with a feather, as this was the story I had been told my whole life by my mother. My parents are divorced, and when you read my book you will see how I resolved this issue.
My mother, after reading the advanced galley that I had sent her and all my immediate family, called my sister, Karen, who lives here, and told her that I had to call her immediately. She was violently opposed to my book. In fact, I found out later from my editor and publicist that she had called my publisher and tried to put a stop to its publication. I called her to find out exactly why she did all of the above, and the first thing she told me was I had no right to print in that book she was raised in the country. I blurted back to her, “But mother, you were raised in the country, that’s a fact.” She then explained to me in specific terms that she preferred that nobody know, and demanded for me to take her out of my book. I told her, “Mother, how could I take you out of my book. Your mother is the most important person in your life”. Needless to say, she has not spoken to me since and now neither unfortunately has my youngest sister. My father and my next youngest sister, Karen, are in full support of my book.
Someone once told me when you finish a book, you should turn over that book to God. I am putting my book in his hands and my faith in him and my mission on promoting literacy and reading shall light my way. I love my family very much, all my family, regardless of their actions. I would very much love to read their life story.

Margaret: Growing up was difficult for you. Did you develop your positive attitude over time as a survival strategy or have you just always been this way?

Kathy: I spent most of my childhood scared half to death. I was very shy and introverted. When life got too hard, I escaped into books, sometimes reading hidden under my bed, sometimes up in my sisters’ and my tree house or fort. As years went by and I read more and more, I became brave. If Tarzan could be raised by apes and survive in the jungle, maybe I could too in my own neighborhood, backyard, and home. I also discovered that there were others like me who had it far worse than me and they became champions for causes. Helen Keller was a favorite. Laura Ingalls Wilder another. I began to emulate some of my favorite storybook characters and have become quite a character myself. You want to know who I am, read my library. My books became my mentors, as well as other caring adults, such as my teachers and librarians. It’s funny, both my parents fairly recently told me, “I never ever saw you read a book.” I think my escaping hiding to read must have been pretty good. At 51, reading three to sometimes six books a week, I find that bit of information absolutely fascinating. I wonder what else they missed in their raising of me.

Now my mentors have become the authors of the book themselves. They encourage me everyday, “You go Kathy”. They are my greatest heroes. In fact, each author that visits my doors today has become my mentor and my unofficial and underpaid therapists. Author Doug Marlette was the greatest mentor I could have ever had. I mourn his tragic passing every day and catch myself sometimes starting to email him an article or to ask him a question. So it is my desire that I keep him alive by telling folks, “You have just got to read this author’s books!”

Books saved me. I know it is now my dream to share those books with as many people as possible. If my book gives one person that spark to kindle a fire in their heart for hope of a better day, then I consider my book a great success.

Check back for more from Margaret Sartor’s interview with Kathy Patrick, tomorrow and throughout the rest of the week-all leading up to Kathy L. Patrick, the original Pulpwood Queen and author of The Pulpwood Queen’s Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide To Life, appearing at Wordsmiths Books on Sunday, Jan 13th at 2 P.M. Don’t miss the fun-and don’t forget to enter the “BIG HAIR” contest for a hair-do from the Pulpwood Queen herself, Kathy Patrick! For rules or to enter, email russ@wordsmithsbooks.com

Margaret Sartor is the author of the acclaimed coming-of-age memoir Miss American Pie, a Pulpwood Queens Book Club favorite.

Kathy L. Patrick is the proprietor of book shop/beauty salon Beauty and the Book, the founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club, and the author of The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara-Wearing, Book-sharing Guide To Life .

Special super-duper thanks to Lucy for the editing work.

Russ | 7 January 2008 | Uncategorized, author interview, Margaret Sartor, Kathy Patrick, Pulpwood Queens, Leopard Print, Tiaras | Comments

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P.S. A ton of photos coming too!

Day Four (Cont.) of The Pulpwood Queens Infamous Book Tour!

Dear Reader,
As we arrived at Watermark's Bookstore & Cafe in Wichita, Kansas I was overwhelmed getting out of our Texas Cadillac, our silver Suburban to see women too arriving by the car loads wearing tiaras. I walked in and the place was packed with women sitting in chairs all to here me talk about my book. I could not believe it! The owner, Sarah greeted me and escorted me to the front to give me a fabulous introduction. As I looked out into the sea of faces I spotted some friends from my hometown Eureka, Jean Burke and her daughter, Michelle who I use to teach Sunday School and who was in my youth group. Michele is now a teacher which blows my mind! Where did the time go?
I think my book talk went over well and then went right into the big hair makeover. Sonja, a woman from Eldorado won that honor and as you can see from the photos, we gave her some really big hair. Then a precious little woman told me she always wanted to have big hair so I gave her some big hair too! That's Elizabeth I am loving on at a young 86 years old! Also see photo with author Beverley Buller who wrote this amazing book on William Allen White for children that I am making a bonus Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selection!
We then had the booksigning and the store sold out of books! I then hauled in the two cases that I brought just in case, GONE! They are ordering more to send to me to sign then send back. I would have to say Watermark's really knows how to put on a book event! I signed their author wall of fame along with David Small, Tomi de Paola, and more! Watermark's then treated The Pulpwood Queens and all my Eureka friends to some great coffeee and this amazing cake! We were all laughing and catching up on years of not seeing each other when Sarah approached us saying, "I hate to tell you this but it is closing time!" Yikes! 5:30 p.m. and my part was suppose to be over at 4:00! I bow to the feet of Sarah, Beth, and all the wonderful staff of from what I can tell a pretty incredible bookstore. Biggest event so far and did we sell some books! So read below some more on last night and love to hear your comments. Thanks too to all my hometown friends who drove over for the events! You are the best and you all there is no place like home, there's no place like HOME!
Tiara wearing and book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
www.beautyandthebook.com

Day Three of The Pulpwood Queens Infamous Book Tour!

Dear Reader,
I forgot to post one photo yesterday and one that is very important! Above you will see on the right a photo of me and my cousin, Terry Pursell and his wife, Jan. They came all the way from Enid, Oklahoma to meet me in Edmond and to get signed copies of my book. You can read all about my cousin Terry in the acknowledgement pages of my book. Terry has always been my hero. He's a retired pilot and Lt. Colonel of the Air Force and now flies for Northwestern. Jan is just mad I did not put her in my book, but I'm saving her for my next book, ha ha. I love you guys and God Bless You for being my family! I could write a whole chapter on their wonderful family alone as the too are real readers!
Now we started out having the most amazing day! We arrived at Steve's Sundry, Books & Magazines, a Tulsa tradition since 1947, so we could have lunch at their fantabulous soda fountain. We all ordered Steve's Grilled Cheese Special of which you will view above the delicioso grilled two cheese with tomato's, onion, bread and butter pickles, on rye! I ordered a chocolate coke to go with mine. That took me right back to my childhood trips to the Rexall Drug Store in Eureka, Kansas with my grandmother, Helen Maloney. We kids called her Mudder.
Then we met some of the most amazing people, Steve, the owner of Steve's Sundry's, (photo with silver haired man), Jean Anne who was a manicurist, pedicurist, massage therapist at The Perfect Ten, (photo with girl in green with cup), Louis Hasty, who we have just dubbed "Psychologist to the Pulpwood Queens", (photo of very wise man in Timber wolf shirt), and Tim Raglin, who is this incredible children's author and illustrator I met at the Kansas Book Festival. We have him coming to our annual Girlfriend Weekend, January Also our sweet little waitress, Amelia Alexander founded the Egyptology & Ancient Egypt Studies Society, go to www.eaess.net so check it out. She bought one of Tim's books that had a Egyptian element to the story, The Curse of Catunkhamun. We plan to follow Amelia's Egyptian studies.
The last photo posted is me with author, Tim Raglin on right and Steve's daughter-in-law Joanie on the right who really rolled out the red carpet, in this case tablecloth, for our book signing. We learned of her daughter studying in Japan and becoming a Manga artist, we browsed their incredible and deep shelves of magazines and books, and even bought some Udder Essense, which is a butter like cream for dry skin. Ever since we hit the Oklahoma border our skin has dried up like hard pan on the desert. It's much dryer to our skin here but Oklahoma is certainly one of the most friendly and welcoming states, but I digress.
I looked in the mirror the second morning and I didn't have just crows feet, a whole flock had landed. Amelia was kind enough to bring this product to our attention and even let us sample the product. SOLD! Aren't bookstores wonderful that can cater to all your needs besides books. Steve's Sundry is the best you all. Great food, great people, great customers, and great products! When you are in Tulsa be sure and stop by this store for all your reading needs. They make a great sandwich and as Pulpwood Queen Kay Brookshire can attest, a great chocolate sundae too!
Back in the room last night, this brought us to talk about similar products we have found do wonders for dry, itchy skin. Being a beauty expert, you might want Boudreaux's Butt Creme and Monkey Butt, anti itch cream. Don't laugh, they WORK! I know you can get Boudreaux's in Jefferson and Kay's husband uses it all the time. See Larry I worked you into the story, aren't you pleased. Monkey Butt I found at Tractor Supply back in Marshall, Texas. I bought my dad some and he is still laughing and took back to Kansas to show all of his friends at their morning coffee klatch. So there, your itchy dry skin problems are solved. We will now continue on the road with supple, smooth skin nary of one single wrinkle!
We had a beautiful suite at the Doubletree in Tulsa and if you go there, the service we received was fantastic! Joe the doorman is like part of the family. Hauling 24 bags to the room we really got to know each other well. I gave him a signed copy of my book which he had me sign for his mother Barbara. We had a bit of delay getting in our room so we camped out in the lobby. Eventually our thirst got the better to us and we moved to the bar. The first chapter of my book has always been, if life hands you a lemon, margaritas. Jimi, the bartender has now helped us update this motto to, if life hands you a lemon buy and drink margaritas. Finally our suite was ready and as we left Jimi , he was reading the copy of my book I gave him. Later that evening as he brought up our sumptuous dinner, he told me he was loving my book and gave me a great big hug. We promised to stay in touch. Oh the friends you meet on the book tour trail.
Now I will tell you Oklahoma is OK with all of us! We will be back!
Tiara wearing and Book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
on her BIG, BLONDE, AND BEAUTIFUL TOUR, PLEASE COMMENT!
kathy@beautyandthebook.com
www.beautyandthebook.com
P.S. Also the Executive Producer of KTUL TV, the ABC affiliate, Jody McIntyre, surprised us by showing up at the book signing (we did their morning news show hosted by D.C. Roberts the morning before). Great NEWS! Jody informed us that D.C. would be calling. They want to start a Pulpwood Queens of Tulsa, Texas chapter on the show with D.C. as the Head Queen. Looks like the Pulpwood Queen Posse' and I will be coming back sooner than we thought to help kick off that new literacy venture on the show! Yes, the Pulpwood Queens are on a mission to promote literacy and getting a television show to help us is going to spread the word that reading is important in a very big way. Thank you KTUL TV, TULSA, and OKLAHOMA! You are a great state indeed, one that promotes literacy!

Please contact me at kathy@beautyandthebook.com if anybody wants to join this Tulsa chapter. In the meantime go to www.beautyandthebook.com and click on Pulpwood Queens to read all about joining our book club!