We’re back with Kathy Patrick, owner of Beauty and the Book, a beauty salon and a book store, and founder of the Pulpwood Queens.  If you missed the first part of this interview, scroll down and pick up Part 1 below.  You won’t regret it.  But let’s get started on today’s talk.

 JRC:   Tell us a little about your book, Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life.

KATHY:  This book came about in a strange way. I was asked by a publisher to write the story of my Beauty and the Book and the Pulpwood Queens. In my book, I tell how I got my agent, who is the same as Pat Conroy’s, the wonderful Marly Rusoff, and how I eventually became published by Warner Books which got bought out and has become Grand Central Publishing.

Basically the story is how books saved me and why I am now on a mission to promote through my book club, authors, books, literacy, and reading all while helping undiscovered authors, getting them discovered in a big way! The book has been endorsed by 16 library associations and has recommended reading lists, recipes, book club advise, along with all the marvelous stories. A one stop shop for any reader!

JRC:   The Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guy Book Club have monthly selections. Do you personally pick all of those out? And how many books do you read in a year?

KATHY:  Yes, and yes I do. I am the Queen and read perhaps five to six books a week to find the wonderful books that will be our reading selections. I don’t think it’s any secret that we help discover authors such as, Ann Packer of The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, Jeannette Walls of The Glass Castle, Ron Hall and Denver Moore of Same Kind of Different as Me, Jamie Ford of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and most recently, My Orange Duffel Bag by Sam Bracken and Echo Garrett.

All of our books are treasures and ones that are NOT dated reading. A Good Book is a Good Book is a program I started on books that I felt did not get the attention they deserved when they were published, for example: A Place Called Wiregrass by Michael Morris. All my book selections can be found in my book and at www.beuatyandthebook.com! I am sure I read more than a book a day in the long haul as I go on reading binges.

JRC:   How is your next book, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Rusted coming along and when will we see it on Amazon?

KATHY:  I am back writing and reading as just in from our Pulpwood Queen Literary Tour of NYC, including us as Power Readers at Book Expo. I will get a little quieter this summer and that means I am hard at work on my next book projects which also includes an anthology, The Pulpwood Queen Presents: Stories Fit for a Queen!

And last let me mention two things. First, My Girlfriend Weekend, which is our annual Pulpwood Queen hosted book club convention. This event is always held Martin Luther King weekend, this coming year, January 17 – 20, 2013 with the theme The Gilded Age. Thursday night we begin with an Author Dinner where authors wait the table and this year all the authors are to come dressed as Charlie Chaplins or Silent Movie Stars! Friday and Saturday are our author panels which my co-hosts, Robert Leleux and Michael Morris and I run like a talk show. Friday night is our Theatre Night with the debut of my one-act play that I submitted to the Tennessee Williams One-Act Play contest. Though I did not place I had enough readers of my play to convince me to debut, “Oh, the Drama and the Glamour” at our event.

Saturday night is our Great Big Ball of Hair Ball and this weekend is something you have to see to believe. It’s the party I plan that I would want to go to with over 50 authors, musicians, and actors involved in the production not including all our Pulpwood Queen volunteers who make this event book spectacular! You can read all about it on our teaser on the website, www.beautyandthebook.com.

Second, don’t miss checking out our NEW Beauty and the Book Show which I host at www.beautyandthebookshow.com, on Facebook and youtube.com with the likes of me interviewing authors, Karen Abbott, Susan Vreeland, Paula McClain, Helen Simonson, Fannie Flagg, Lisa See, Janelle Brown, Anna Quindlen, Yann Martel, Frank Delaney, Debbie Rodriquez, and PAT CONROY! You’ll never see another show quite like this as I showcase each specific to their book!

JRC:  Thanks, Kathy.  With your busy schedule (and reading a book a day), I know you don’t have a lot of time for interviews. So, I’m particularly glad you took time for me and my readers.

And for you readers, you have to admit this is an amazing woman.  The Pulpwood Queens started in the year 2000.  Now, there are 540 chapters.  If my math doesn’t fail me, that’s about 1 new chapter every EIGHT DAYS since she started.  Now, tell me we can’t get people to read books.  We just have to work at it.  Imagine if we all worked  at it like Kathy Patrick – we’d have more readers than … than authors.

You can find Kathy’s book at:  http://amzn.to/RHw8Vx

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