Some “beauty school dropouts” whose costumes I loved with Kathy Murphy, the Pulpwood Queen!
Hi friends! Are you looking out your window for snow like we are right now? For awhile there, we thought the 70s would never end, and now it’s looking like snow! For some of us, a LOT of snow.
Me (dressed as Glinda the Good Witch…) with Susan Crandall and Dick Wall.
I’m glad it waited a bit because I spent last weekend with the fabulous, wonderful, super-cool Pulpwood Queens. Kathy Murphy, THE Pulpwood Queen, is in charge of more than 600 book club chapters all across the WORLD! She is all-around amazing anyway, but, to top it off, she chose Dear Carolina as one of her book club selections last August.
Authors in our costumed glory! I was Tinkerbell…
So, not only do the chosen books get read by lots of amazing readers who truly love and cherish books, but a selection also equals an invitation to Kathy’s fabulous Pulpwood Queens Girlfriends Weekend! (There are a few Timber Guys there too.) There are lots of costumes, lots of great authors, many, many more incredible readers and oh so very much fun! One of the coolest things about Kathy is that she doesn’t have a “type.” When you’re in her book club you read an amazing variety throughout the year. So I was so honored to be selected.
Mary Alice Monroe and Patti Callahan Henry, two of my favorite authors!
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but not only did I get to hang out with some of the most fun, most supportive readers I’ve met yet, but I also got to visit with the most amazing authors. Spending time with Paula Mclain, Richard Fifield, Patti Callahan Henry, Laura Lane McNeal, Mary Alice Monroe, Peter Golden, Dick Wall (Carol Wall’s husband), Kathy and Becky Hepinstall, Susan Crandall, Lisa Wingate, Melissa DeCarlo, Terri Hale, Julie Cantrell, Raymond DePew, Suzy Spencer… I’m forgetting people. But, anyway, since I’m still pretty new at this, hanging out with authors is a BLAST.
Writing is a pretty solitary gig, obviously, so getting to talk about it for days on end (with your IDOLS) is pretty awesome! Long story short, it was fabulous, and I hope I get to go back many, many times more!
In other fun news, I came home to a few copies of the large print version of Dear Carolina. It’s a beautiful hardback book with a brand new cover, which I adore. It’s very clever as well. If you haven’t read Dear Carolina, the first lines of the book are: “I designed a special scrapbook for each of my children. A custom-made blue or pink polka-dot album with a fat ribbon tied down the side, the front center proudly displaying a monogram that was given to each of you.”
(Side note: I am really proud of myself. I just pulled that out of my memory. I wrote that book four years ago!)
So I thought it was particularly clever that they chose this cover redesign. Anyway, if you’re a large-print reader, check it out!
This weekend, I’m happy to say that I get to attend Bookmarks NC’s Moveable Feast of authors with a few of my favorites from last weekend, including Patti Callahan Henry, Peter Golden and Dick Wall. Assuming we don’t get snowed out… I made little bags of Hershey’s Kisses with Lies and Other Acts of Love bookmarks (Kisses are significant in the story!) for the 80 attendees I’ll be chatting with. If the event gets snowed out then I’m in big trouble, mainly because I will be at home with more than 1,000 Hershey’s Kisses… My candy-eating abilities are somewhat legendary, so this is a problem.
What are your plans this weekend? Wherever you are, I’m hoping that you stay warm and safe!
Sounds like you had a blast with the Pulpwood Queens! And I enjoyed your post. Hope you won’t be too snowed-in this weekend! I am near Dallas and still want my snow, but…not yet. Have a good weekend!