Kathy L. Patrick - The Pulpwood Queens Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life

Copyright 2008 by Kathy L. Patrick

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Prologue, I Want My Hair Considered, written by Marshall Chapman and Kathi Kamen Goldmark is copyright 2005 Tall Girl Music (BMI), Administered by Bug/Dont Quit Your Day Job Music (BMI). Testimonial on page 132 copyright 2007 Robert Dalby; and on page 159 2005 Marshall Chapman

Grand Central Publishing

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroup.com.

First eBook Edition: January 2008

Grand Central Publishing is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The Grand Central Publishing name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

ISBN-13: 978-0-446-51118-6

The Pulpwood Queens Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life

AND THEN JOIN THE FUN!

Kathy L. Patrick is a force of nature. She didnt merely take a lemon and make lemonade. With her drive, courage, imagination, and, most powerfully, her abundant love, she made a big lemon pie with whipped cream and cherries on top. She is proof that dreams are out there to be realized. Read her book and go forth!

Rue McClanahan, author of My First Five Husbands... And the Ones Who Got Away

Whats not to like about a woman who loves books, likes to do hair, and opens a salon/bookstore called Beauty and the Book? THE PULPWOOD QUEENS TIARA-WEARING, BOOK-SHARING GUIDE TO LIFE is really funny, and its really wise.

James Patterson, author of The 6th Target

Kathy Patrick is the patron saint of writers and readers. If she didnt exist, we writers would have to invent her.

Doug Marlette, author of Magic Time

The only thing better than being an author who has signed books from Kathy Patricks hair-dryer throne chair at Beauty and the Book in Jefferson, Texas, a beauty shop and bookstore, is getting the opportunity to revisit Kathys infectious, optimistic, and unique way of seeing the world.

Lalita Tademy, author of Cane River and Red River

Kathy Patrick is the real thing, and she will get America reading if she has to go door-to-door to do it. After you read this youll want to be a Pulpwood Queen too!

Iris Rainer Dart, author of Beaches and Some Kind of Miracle

Okay, Im a guy. I dont wear a tiara or leopard-print clothes. So what? I still dig this book. Kathy and the Pulpwood Queens prove reading is not only fun, fun, FUN...but vital to living. They rock!

Christopher Cook, author of Robbers and Screen Door Jesus & Other Stories

This is a rollicking, heartwarming, and ultimately inspiring book by a Pulpwood Queen who proudly proclaims a passion for literature, tiaras, peanut butter-fudge cake, and Elvis.

Daniel A. Olivas, author of Devil Talk

Kathy Patrick may have just saved the world of readers and authors by injecting it with the one, crucial ingredient without which it cannot survive: FUN! Great, heaping whipped cream-, sugar-, and butter-enhanced dollops of fun.

Sarah Bird, author of The Flamenco Academy

I loved reading this book as much as Ive loved getting to know Kathy. She is a genuine force of nature, and your life will be richer once youve read her words.

Adrienne Barbeau, actress and author of There Are Worse Things I Could Do

Theres bound to be a tiara shortage after book lovers meet Kathy. With THE PULPWOOD QUEENS TIARA-WEARING, BOOK-SHARING GUIDE TO LIFE, she has given readers the perfect guide to good books.

Deborah Smith, author of The Crossroads Caf

Kathy Patrick is a force to be reckoned with! If you need a kick in the pants to change your life and a how-to on learning to live with passion, read [this book].

Carolyn Haines, author of the Mississippi Delta Mystery series and Fever Moon

This book is as enriching and life-affirming as Kathyand as considerable as her big Texas hair.

C. J. Golden, author of The Tao of the Defiant Woman

Kathy Patricks exuberant, can-do spirit shines through on every page of this inspirational, heartfelt memoir. Its got books, food, tiaras, homespun advice, and leopard skin. What more could a gal want?

Denise Hamilton, author of Prisoner of Memory

This wonderful book will have a long life. It will have many lives. It will have offspring and you may be one of them. Because according to Patrick, we are all kings and queens. In her joyful worldview, there is hope for readers, writers, and imaginations everywhere.

Margaret Sartor, author of Miss American Pie

Kathy L. Patricks tiara-wearing, book-sharing guide to life is like a delightfully big slice of angel food cake: sweet but not too sweet, airy but certainly not light, and, best of all, guilt-free. Snuggle up and take a tender bite.

Rebecca Bloom, author of Girl Anatomy and Tangled Up in Daydreams

A fun-loving, big-hearted book by a woman whos dedicated herself to my two favorite thingsreading and pleasure. Thank you, Kathy.

Alison Clement, author of Pretty Is As Pretty Does and Twenty Questions

Kathy Patrick writes like your best girlfriend sharing her secrets to good hair and good reads. This warm, wise book will make you laugh and cry and long to be talking books with Kathy and the hundreds of amazing women who proudly call themselves Pulpwood Queens.

Lisa Tucker, author of Once Upon a Day

Kathy Patrick is an American originala renegade housewife, mother, beautician, and bibliophile, who has made books as much a part of her life as hair curlers and car pools. She has a voice as unique and memorable as many of those she has championed.

Linda Bloodworth Thomason, author of Liberating Paris

In memory of
Jonathan Douglas-Sanders

I f someone had told me, a small-town girl from Kansas, that someday I would write and publish a book on my life, I would have told them, Get out of here! One true thing I do know is that if it had not been for the following people who have encouraged me and helped me along my lifes journey, none of my accomplishments would have been possible.

First, I must thank my dear, dear friend and agent Marly Rusoff. I will never forget our first meeting by phone. She asked, What is your favorite book, Kathy? I told her it is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Me too! was her reply, and that began our lifelong relationship of sharing our love of author Harper Lee, Southern fiction, and good books. To have someone believe in you as much as Marly has believed in me is something that I will treasure forever. She has invested in me monetarily and in mind, body, and spirit! She has held my hand on many occasions and given me a shoulder to cry on. Some people you can never repay, but I will, to my dying day, be thankful for knowing such a caring, loving, savvy book lover as Marly. And, Marly, I must substitute agent for angel. You have to know that you are solely responsible for bringing this book to life! Xs and Os!

Next, I have to thank Bob Summers. He is the one who suggestedno, insistedI write my story and continues to lift me up to places I never dreamed. My life has been blessed for having such a fellow book enthusiast and mentor lift me up. What a friend you are indeed.