Attention Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Club member, Author, and all my book-loving friends!
When I was a kid I loved Haley Mills, you remember the actress in “Pollyanna”, and the original “The Parent Trap”? I grew up on Hayley Mills movies, shoot I wanted to be her. She was brave, spoke her mind, and fearless. But my all time favorite movie was “The Trouble with Angels”.
You see Hayley was a handful so her parents sent her off to a convent to train to become a nun. Starring another favorite actor, Rosalind Russell as the Mother Superior, I became enamored by taking the solemn vows to become a nun. It just seemed like so much darn good fun. Shoot my next door neighbors, The Mariani’s were Catholic and with five daughters and one boy they were always having a blast. Sheesh, and look at all the good nuns could do in the world too!
I ran after watching the movie to my mother and screamed out, “I want to become a nun.” She quietly informed me that there was a problem. We were not Catholic therefore, I could not be one. I was devastated. “Well, what do people of our religion do like that?”, I cried. We belonged to the First Christian Church. She told me, “You become a missionary.” I had no idea what that word meant but I was going to find out. All was proceeding smoothly until as an adult I read this book.
I was definitely NOT going to become a missionary in the traditional sense but I knew that I wanted to help people. So I kept reading and Wa La, I did become a missionary, one whose mission it was to get people READING as reading changes peoples lives for the better. On to my always scathingly brilliant plans. I started a little ole book club, The Pulpwood Queens of East Texas which grew to become the largest “meeting and discussing” book club in the world. This all began in the original hair salon/book store that I opened called “Beauty and the Book.” I was asked to write a book about it which I did, it took me six years as raising a family, working full time but I did it. “The Pulpwood Queens Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life” was launched out into the reading world on how my life was saved by reading books. Perhaps yours could be saved too by reading mine?
We started getting a lot of publicity, appearances on Oprah Winfrey’s OXYGEN Network, then we kicked off Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gipson’s READ THIS Book Club on Good Morning America. We made the front page of The Los Angeles Times Sunday Calendar Section titled “The Tastemaker” with a full color page centerfold of my book club meeting and more. I was on a mission to get everybody reading and have some big time fun while we were at it.
I, in fact, am on a mission to promote authors, books, literacy, and reading and now promoting the arts. So like Haley Mills in the film to borrow her words, “I have a scathingly brilliant idea!” I have said that for years complete with a British accent. I love to quote movie and book lines. Here is my plan!
In the next couple of weeks I am hopping in my FJ Cruiser with my books, art, Vida Fashion designs, and hopefully sidekick, Tiajuana Anderson Neel, and heading across America. That’s right, we are pulling a Thelma and Louise and traveling all the way to Rumson, New Jersey to deliver a pretty large painting that I sold to author, Laurel Davis Huber, of “The Velveteen Daughter”. You have to read it as it has an artist connection, do that today!
The painting I will be delivering is the following:
Hopefully you will get to see me install my painting above in her home but there is so much more for this trip. You see I am going to be making stops to have a Pop-Up Art Show/ Book Talk and Fashion Show along the way. So far I have my chapters in Bristol, Virginia run by Lisa T. Hodgson then up to Fairfax, to visit Kimberley Cetron’s chapter, on to Runson, to deliver painting to Laurel then on up to Westport, Conneticutt to stay with my dear friend and Pulpwood Queen Author Prill Boyle of “Defying Gravity” and her book club.
Here is my route headed to Rumson, New Jersey:
So for all of you reading this, I need more stops along the way, working on Memphis, perhaps Nashville and then coming back I can take a different route to accommodate your book club. I will be even willing to visit a bookstore or library as your club as host. Planning to leave in the next couple of weeks so this is timely. I have to be back by June 28th as I am participating with my NEW art based VIDA Home and Fashion Designs in a fashion show called Runway at the Gardens in Gladewater, Texas. They have a Facebook page and are booking tables now plus having a Designer Handbag Bingo!
So this is going to be quite a summer! This is something I have always wanted to do and selling that painting just made that plan turn to action. I’ll be bringing paintings, my Vida fashions, and hopefully the fresh off the press reprint of my book with all brand new cover. It’s a BOOK AND ART TRIP and hopefully we will not crash and burn, ahhahahaa!
Now if I get people say asking me to come to Savannah, Charleston, Beaufort, I may postpone the trip until July but I am coming your way. Who wants a visit from The Pulpwood Queen? I will tell you this will be the last chapter in the book that I am working on and I would love to get you all in that story! Who is with me? As sponsoring myself on this trip we will need a place to stay, packing my cot and sleeping bag and perhaps some of your local fair. I am big on eating local. But will put on my full dog and pony show just for you! Ending with this poem that my dear friend and author, Missy Buchanan shared spurned me to go for it!
Singing the song from Mama Mia, “I have a dream!
Truly, Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing, and Road Warrior Tearing,
Kathy L. Murphy
Email: thepulpwoodqueen@gmail.com
Founder of the Pulpwood Queen Book Club Reading Nation
www.thepulpwoodqueens.com
https://shopvida.com/collections/thepulpwoodqueen
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