Charlotte Observer Readers Response and Book Winners

This is the list of readers who posted Sunday, April 19 in response to the article you read in the Charlotte Observer. At my request, the Observer posted an invitation to visit my blog Words to Go and ask their readers to leave feedback. The first 25 posting (and leaving your name) were selected to receive a free autographed copy of Painted Dresses.

Thank you for your warm response. If you posted anonymously and left no name, it was assumed that you were not entering the contest. Here is the list:

Greg Faggart

Kathy B.

Nancy P.

Lynn Dulcie

Sandra M.

CAN

Al Huntz

Jacquelyn Mate

Cheryl Regan

Elizabeth

HR Lynch

Jenny N.

Tiffany Johnson

MJ Lewis

Samjcil (dearlittlefoundation)

Silky

Nicole B.

Joanne

Brenda

Fetsje Goettsch

Amy Bennett

Wendy Newton

Faye Apple

Becky Caudle

Judy Murphy

This contest is reliant on the reciprocal response of winners, especially if you left no full name or email addy. If you left an email addy, you’ll be contacted through email. Otherwise, please respond directly to me at pattyhickman at bellsouth dot net. (spelled rather than linked to avoid web crawlers.)

Thanks for visiting me at Words to Go!

Observer Readers--Stranger Than Fiction

If you are responding to the Observer article, you've come to the right place. Please feel free to leave your comments here about the article or you may ask questions, but do leave feedback.

Once you've read Painted Dresses, please visit booksellers websites such as Amazon or CBD and please leave feedback for me. Thanks!

--------------------------
Wow! I came home from church to a full blogger box. I will post the contest winners Monday morning along with instructions on how the winners will receive their books. I need your first and last name--but don't leave other info for the sake of your privacy. . .
This is amazing. I'm thrilled that such an energy draining journey has resulted in a life-giving story. Thank you!

Calling All Big-Haired Girlfriends--It's the Pulpwood Queens Author Extravaganza

It’s official, readers. I’ve been invited as an author to be presented JAN. 15-17 at the Pulpwood Queen’s Author Extravaganza, a huge annual event for women who are avid fans of southern literature. I'll be promoting my latest novel Painted Dresses.

Whether or not I'll have to wear a tiara remains to be seen.

If you live anywhere in the vicinity of the Ark-LA-Texas corridor, get some spray in that wig and get thyself to this huge weekend book party and event. It’s sponsored by Beauty and the Book—the world’s only beauty shop and book store. I am not kidding! The Pulpwood Queens have been promoted across the country (including Oprah) as the world's wildest book club. The charters have now crossed international

borders.

This is a fun, fun event and I can’t wait to meet all the readers from my old childhood stomping grounds as I grew up in this corridor, down on the Arkansas side of Barbecue and Big Hair Boulevard.

Here’s a note from the event’s director and founder, (and now author) Kathy Patrick:
Pulpwood Queen Girlfriend Weekend Author Extravaganza 2009

Dec 1st, the price is $350 for members and remember for non-members the price is always $100 higher. We accept all major credit cards but checks must be payable to Beauty and the Book and sent to address below to Attention: Girlfriend Weekend.
Individual tickets for events during Girlfriend Weekend will be available at the door but may be limited to space of event venues. Some events will be SOLD OUT so contact me at either 903-665-7520 for tickets or email me at kathy@beautyandthebook.com
The full schedule for Girlfriend Weekend 2009 is on the website, with list of authors to be featured coming soon.

This is your party and the more we put into it the better the event! I think you will be very pleased with the fantastic line up of authors, speakers, actors, celebrities, and musicians. I work on this event all year and I do my very best to make this event that will be memorable! Now let's get busy reading!

Kathy Patrick, Tiara Wearing Founder of Pulpwood Queens

Girlfriend Weekend Author Extravaganza's mission is to promote literacy, to serve the Ark.La.Tex community through educational, theatrical, literary, and musical programs; to nurture, support, and showcase regional, national and international writers, actors, musicians, and other artists; to help undiscovered authors get discovered in a big way!

Patty Discusses Painted Dresses in Your Area

This week Patty will discuss Painted Dresses on these radio stations:

KNEO 91.7 The Word
Host Adam Winkler
Neosho, MO

WWJC
Host Ron Hanson
Duluth, MN

WCVO-Spirit-FM
Host Fred Young
Camdenton, MO

KFUO
Host Diane Summers
St. Louis, MO

Christian Work-At-Home Mom
Internet Radio
Jill Hart
Fri. 10:30 a.m. EST

Some will be taped and played later while some are aired live. Check your local station’s listings for times and dates.

Painted Dresses Generating Reader Buzz

I’m hearing great news through a reader who told me the Barnes & Noble associate told her that they’ve ordered yet a third large shipment of Painted Dresses. Then another reader reported that she asked to have her name placed on the waiting list at a large municipal library and was told that she would have to wait—she was number 46!

With all of this buzz, though, I still haven’t heard about sales in many other places. If you have a story to tell about trying to find Painted Dresses, just email me at pattyhickman@bellsouth.net. Be sure to tell your local store managers—Stock up!!

Thank you, dear readers, for continuing to spread the word about Painted Dresses!

Stranger Than Fiction: Patty's Story Behind Her Story

Painted Dresses the Most Talked About Book on the Internet

I’m back from the Windy City. If you can possibly get away mid-summer, I encourage you to wade into the Karitos Festival of the Arts experience in Bolingbrook. I enjoyed our fiction “tribe” immensely. And we liked each other so much, I organized a Fiction 201 workshop for the returning group next year.

On the home front, last week Technorati, a blogger tracking site listed Painted Dresses as the Number One Talked About Book on the Internet. But to my great surprise, Earthly Vows was listed in the number 2 slot while right behind in number 3 slot was Whisper Town.

If you’ve already devoured Painted Dresses in a week, then the townfolk of Millwood Hollow would like to invite you to drop in and pay them all a visit, especially if you like to follow series. I recommend starting with book one, Fallen Angels. This series has gotten top reviews from critics and readers across the board.

Win Your Own Free Copy of Painted Dresses!!

Artistic Blogger is offering a chance to win a free copy of Painted Dresses! Just log on and read the blog about Painted Dresses, and then post your comment with your email addy. Good luck!

“When Patricia Hickman's new release arrived at my house, I opened up the package and kissed the cover. I love her books. She does relationship sagas with just the right touch of tension and fulfillment. . .” Read on at Artistic Blogger.

Hear Patty Talk Live About Painted Dresses

You may listen to Patty talk with radio show hosts this week, possibly in your area:

Tuesday, July 22
7:15-7:30 a.m.
Coastal Daybreak Show
Ben Ball
WTKF-107 FM
Newport, NC

KREJ/KSNS
Medicine Lodge, KS
Kelly Long
9:20-9:30 a.m.

Online Radio Show
The Steve Bonenberger Program
12:30-1:00 p.m.

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.

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)

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

Back to Pender County

I first found the region that has become the rich landscape for Painted Dresses on a road trip up to Topsail Island. I met several authors there in an annual round table party where local readers gather to pick the brains of novelists. It was a resourceful trip as I made a lot of headway into several towns. After driving up and down roads and stopping to chat along roadside stores and gas stations, I finally nailed down heroine Gaylen's home town in Boiling Spring Lakes. There's a long strip of road that runs right through town like a zipper called Fify Lakes Drive. From there sprang the story of Gaylen and Delia, two twenty-something and thirty-something sisters whose road trip is an inward journey for Gaylen.

Today I realized that after I finish Painted Dresses that I need to return to that area, specifically the towns that make up Pender County like Rocky Point and Burgaw. Several spring fests are coming up. I found a place online called Paul's Place. When I get there, I'll take pictures for you all to see (if he's around) of Paul and his famous hot dogs.

Today I'm wandering around inside the imaginations and the histories of these towns and wondering what trouble Gaylen might get into next.

PH