Want a Free Copy of Painted Dresses? Here's How!

Would you like to earn a free copy of Painted Dresses for your very own?
This is a simple contest and campaign in support of Patty’s “Painted Dresses Road Tour” beginning early fall.

Patty will be traveling and not only promoting her critically acclaimed novel Painted Dresses, but will also be sharing the story behind her story, “Stranger Than Fiction.”
After a dark season in her life, and while in the middle of writing Painted Dresses, she embarked on her own inward journey, finding out about the pain of her childhood. This is a healing message of redemption and joy and even some laughter. Patty has been a speaker for as long as she has written books. She has been mentored by great talents such as Patsy Clairmont (Women of Faith) and Steve Arterburn (Every Man’s Battle author and Women of Faith founder)

So here’s your chance to get your own free copy of Painted Dresses. Just let your favorite conference leader or women’s ministry director know about the “Painted Dresses Road Tour” for their next event.

If Patty is scheduled for an event because of your referral, simply ask that leader to mention your name as they schedule the event with the Ambassador Agency. Patty will send you an autographed copy of Painted Dresses immediately.

If you would like for us to send you a beautiful e-announcement to email to all of your friends announcing this event. just post your request here on this blog and you'll be sent the info through email. Or we can mail you some jumbo postcards to pass out or mail.

For scheduling info, event leaders may contact Naomi Duncan at 615-370-4700 or email Naomi at naomi@ambassadoragency.com.

To confirm your free copy of Painted Dresses, call Beth Lehman at 615-370-4700 x 236 or email Beth at beth@ambassadoragency.com .

Jeane Wynn of Wynn-Wynn Media is the contact person for publicity for Patty’s events and may be reached at 918-283-1834 or email, Jeane@Wynnwynnmedia.com.

Spread the word and get your free copy of Painted Dresses! (Free copies limited to the first 250 events, but that's a lot!!)

Faithful Reader Reviews Painted Dresses

Painted Dresses hit the bookshelves Tuesday, so be sure to run in for your copy today!

Here's a review just in this morning from Cindy Crosby at Faithful Reader:

PAINTED DRESSES

Patricia Hickman

WaterBrook PressFiction

ISBN: 9781400071999
• About the Book
Patricia Hickman shines in her novel PAINTED DRESSES, a poignant story of sisters who are drawn back together after a death in the family, only to discover a shattering secret that has changed the course of their lives.It’s a slow-paced story, but nonetheless enjoyable for this, and Hickman’s best writing since KATRINA’S WINGS. Gaylen Syler-Boatwright is a 20-something woman separated from her husband, plagued by nightmares and trying to make sense of her life. When her father dies, she returns to her home in Boiling Waters, North Carolina (population 2,972) and must deal with her scattered, one-french-fry-short-of-a-happy-meal sister, Delia Cheatham. When her sister gets a little trigger happy, events begin to unravel, and in a Thelma and Louise-like scene, they leave the scene of the crime, hole up for a bit in a relative’s cabin and then take off on a cross-country drive.As they travel, they deliver unusual works of art --- dresses dipped in paint and mounted on canvas and framed, crafted by their deceased Aunt Amity Syler --- to the family members and friends named on the back of each canvas. Each dress stands for an event in the recipient’s life. Gaylen finds that her dress helps her unlock some traumatic secrets from her past.As the symbolic journey unfolds, Gaylen’s life also unfolds to the reader in bits and pieces. Gentle faith themes are interwoven throughout as Gaylen wonders about God, and she describes in first person the odd piecemeal church experiences she and her little sister were raised on. “Mother thought of religion as something you lay in front of children like a doormat,” Gaylen recalls, and “Delia threw off my mother’s religious accouterments as fast as our little toy dog threw off the jingle-bell harness we fastened to him one Christmas.” Hickman uses conversations between Delia and Gaylen to more deeply explore their relationship with God and also with each other. In one early and telling exchange in which Delia bemoans her inability to be good, as she believes Gaylen is good, Gaylen says, “Delia, life isn’t always about being bad or good. Sometimes people get stuck in situations and no matter which way we choose, it turns out wrong.”Hickman shows that Delia may be smarter than she seems: “Maybe I’m not as dumb as you all think, but just so smart I’m just on to all of you. I know what you all say about me, that Delia’s trash. What if I’m just happy to be me? What’s the harm in that?”The author challenges the reader to grapple with the complexities of family and especially the cost of family secrets. She also explores why evil things happen to innocent children and the complex way marriages are constructed, maintained and sometimes fall apart.Occasionally, Hickman overwrites (“A band of pink dimmed on the horizon like fading influenza fever”), but more often she describes her scenes well. She shines in illuminating her characters’ motivations and internal struggles, and how the influences of upbringing, trauma and family keep us from sometimes seeing things as they really are. Fans of southern fiction and those who like a literary story with well-crafted characters should find this latest Hickman offering a thoughtful look at families and faith. --- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. Contact Cindy at phrelanzer@aol.com.
• Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.

The Most Important Thing

There’s a lot of activity that goes into moving a group of people from scattered to unified, from loose cannons to the Body of Christ. That activity is translated differently by many Bodies that become the Local Church. One particular pastor has placed on his website a list of these activities. They are typical of what we see—children’s ministry, youth meetings, discipleship and membership classes. But then there was this one strange activity that drew my eye. It was labeled only “The Most Important Ministry.” When I clicked on that, the page opened to a gathering to pray. It had replaced the midweek service normally reserved for group studies and children’s meetings. Imagine that: the most important meeting was not ministry to the poor or to children or to one another, but ministry to God.

Oswald Chambers said:
“When a man is born from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible’s idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.”

When ministry becomes about anything else, I get sidetracked. When ministry is focused on ministering to God, then out of it springs life and fruitfulness.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
--Jer. 33:3

RT Gives Painted Dresses 4 Stars!

RT Rating: 4 stars

Painted Dresses

Award-winning author Hickman weaves a wonderful tale of women who have triumphed over adversity in this sensitive, caring, heartfelt story. It's a story readers will remember long after they have finished the book.

Summary: Gaylen Syler-Boatwright heads to her late Aunt Amity's house to get her life back on track. She discovers a gallery of dresses in frames with the names of her relatives on them and hits the road with her sister to find some of them. Gaylen discovers long-buried family secrets and, through the grace of God, learns the hardest lesson of all -- to forgive and move into the future with a clean slate. (Waterbrook, Jul., 352 pp., $13.99)
—Patsy Glans, Romantic Times

Painted Dresses and Publishers Weekly!

Publishers Weekly is the top general market trade pub for book reviews. PW has now reviewed Painted Dresses for its July issue and it’s a stellar review! Woo-hoo!

Painted Dresses Patricia Hickman. WaterBrook, $13.99 paper (352p) ISBN 978-1-4000-7199-9

Hickman's slow-paced but best novel since Katrina's Wings begins with protagonist Gaylen Boatwright, whose life is a mess. In her late 20s, she's called home to Boiling Waters, N.C., because of her father's death. When her unbalanced sister, Delia, shoots a woman, Gaylen decides to flee the law with her. Along the way, Gaylen and Delia deliver some unusual painted dresses their deceased aunt bequeathed to family friends and relatives, each dress symbolic of an incident in the past. These visits provide clues to the puzzle of Gaylen's life. With divorce papers in her pocket, she wonders about love, God, her sanity and the role of an incarcerated older brother in her nightmares. When the law catches up with Delia, Gaylen must determine whether her past will define her and what her future will hold. Hickman gamely unpacks the lies families tell each other, the cost of family secrets to ourselves and others, the bonds between sisters and the walls between husbands and wives. Her sparkling talent is evident in this engrossing story. (Publishers Weekly, July)

CCWC. . . As Promised

As I promised the writers in the Rocky Mountains this past weekend, I’ll blog thoughts on writing. The Emotional Architecture class brought the greatest response, so I’ll add some thoughts to it.

It’s really difficult to know how to write out of an emotional architecture without trying it out, failing, and then finally hitting that sweet moment when you realize something is happening to your writing.

While it’s good to read another novel and then write, what I see happening in the manuscripts is a copycat writing. It flattens any hope for personal style or finding a personal writing aesthetic. So if you heard from me that your writing was suffering from either clichéd writing or formula, remember to pull out your hand-outs and try them out. And don’t be in a hurry. Writing is revising.

If you would like to post more questions here this week, please feel free. I’m looking forward to seeing how each of you return home and start making application. Remember that George Barna says if you don’t apply what you learned from a class or workshop within 24 hours after hearing it, you won’t. So start writing today.

Painted Dresses--The Book is Coming Soon!

This is the first couple of reviews to hit the web for Painted Dresses. Couldn't wait to crow!

This first is from best-selling author Liz Higgs:

"Painted Dresses is both wise and witty, full of living, breathing people, rather than cardboard characters. I'm sure I went to high school with Gaylen, dated Braden, partied with Delia, and ran away from Freddy--that's how convincingly they leaped off the page. Amusing at one turn, sobering the next, Painted Dresses captures life in all its messy glory. A wonderful novel from a uniquely gifted storyteller."
--Liz Curtis Higgs, best-selling author of Grace in Thine Eyes

The next one is from a book review blogger on eOpinions:
Painted Dresses

May 01 '08

Pros: "excellent writing, great characters, compelling storyline

Cons: "a bit dark and heavy"

The Bottom Line"Painted Dresses" will stay with you long after you've finished it.

One of my more recent advanced reader copies to show up in my mailbox was a copy of “Painted Dresses” by Patricia Hickman. Hers isn’t a name I was familiar with, so I was able to start into this novel with an open mind and no preconceived ideas. I must admit that I was incredibly surprised with what I found.

Sometimes it feels like life is falling apart for Gaylen Syler-Boatwright. Her marriage is on the ropes, reeling from the impact of her infidelity. Then to make matters worse, her father passes away and Gaylen is left to look after her younger sister Delia. The Syler family has it’s own set of quirks, and the death of her father brings Gaylen back into the middle of it all. When Delia gets into some serious trouble (non-fatally shooting the sister of a local drug dealer) Gaylen takes her off to their late aunt’s cabin to lay low. Gaylen and Delia can’t stay at their Aunt Amity’s house long due to the drug dealer on their trail, but what they find at the cabin—a collection of painted dresses hanging on their aunt’s walls—sets them out on a mission to deliver the dresses to the people their aunt had intended them for. Each dress that Gaylen and Delia deliver unravels a clue to a mystery that has haunted Gaylen for as long as she can remember. A mystery that involves dark nightmares and paralyzing fear. Will Gaylen ever come to terms with whatever it is that she can’t remember to find the symbolism behind the dress from her childhood she can’t remember? The dress her aunt intended for her?

The first thing I noticed about “Painted Dresses” was how much I liked Patricia Hickman’s writing style. There was a graceful literary flow to them, unlike many other authors I’ve read. She painted a picture easily and clearly, making it seem as if the reader is a fly on the wall—witness to everything that is going on, seeing and hearing all the activity of the storyline with crystal clarity. I enjoyed the storyline of “Painted Dresses.” It’s unlike what most people think of when they think of faith-based fiction, but it’s compelling and hard for a reader to put down. . .

The characters of “Painted Dresses” were very vivid and real feeling, an eclectic group of people. The family dynamic of the Sylers was compelling, seemingly like so many families you see every day. Some that wallow in their conditions, others who want so badly to break the mold that they are willing to work hard for what they want. Conclusion and Recommendation I really, really enjoyed “Painted Dresses” and would have to say it’s one of the better novels I’ve read in a long time. . . I think that the conclusion of this novel could have a healing effect.

Release Date “Painted Dresses” is set for release in July of 2008. Recommended:Yes