CAFE: A gathering place. A place of refreshment.

Thirsty for the latest releases in Christian fiction? Ready for a peek into the world of publishing and writing conferences? Hungry for spiritual and real-life nourishment? Pull up a seat; you're in the right place, and I'm so glad you've stopped by.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A Time to Play

I'm always a little flummoxed when it comes time to share about the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend. So many emotions intertwine over the course of three days that it's difficult to sum it up in a few words. With this year's circus theme, though, every time my mind drifts back to that little town in East Texas, I can't help but smile. We did have fun, didn't we? So rather than tell you about it, I'll let you judge for yourself.
Authors Eleanor Brown and Stephanie McAfee

Authors Carolyn Leavitt, Margaret Dilloway, & Karen Harrington

Lovely Book Club members from Mr. Pleasant, TX

Jenny Wingfield of MAN IN THE MOON fame!

Courtney Walsh painted this picture for me to put in the Silent Auction which benefitted the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. THANKS, Courtney!!!!

Housemates from the DELTA STREET INN ready to head to the circus.

Book Signing with fellow panelists. Stephanie McAfee, Eleanor Brown, Me, Rebecca Rasmussen

PROM night! Karen Harrington is an amazing lady and author!

Fabulous Authors Nicole Seitz, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Lisa Wingate, and Marybeth Whalen

Comparing footware with Marcia Fine - the coolest gal from Arizona you'll ever meet!
HEAD Pulpwood Queen Kathy Patrick - lovely as always.

Fun Times at the Circus!

Aren't these the cutest clowns you've ever seen?

The Purple Leopard Clowns - so fun!

The group from Eureka, Kansas

Author group that won FIRST Place for their portrayal of THE NIGHT CIRCUS

New friends from Dallas area. 

Can you see my dilemma? Too many things to describe and this is only a tiny portion of the weekend! There were 50 authors, 300 bookclub members, a bookstore, a former soap opera star, Hollywood peeps, more than a few NYT Best Selling authors, and more.

One of the more poignant parts of the weekend was the emphasis on literacy and the fantastic job Kathy Patrick does in generating enthusiasm among the 525 Pulpwood Queen Book Clubs to promote literacy and books. But that's a post for another time.

We had joy. We had fun. We acted silly. We went to the circus.

When was the last time you did something silly? Or laughed until you cried? If it's been awhile, then maybe you need to think about going to Girlfriend Weekend in Jefferson, Texas next year! See you there!

6 comments:

Anne Mateer said...

Ok, next year is my last basketball season to interfere but after that I want to go! Looks like so much fun!

carla stewart said...

You'd love it Anne! The inspiration to be a better writer is amazing - so much creativity. It's fun meeting with readers too which is a unique part of PW Queens. Hope you can go when you no longer had a kiddo playing basketball.

Karen Harrington said...

Love your pictures, Carla. I'm still in the afterglow of the event, too. I also loved your article about Kathy and spreading the good news about books - "Books Saved My Life." Hope you're having a blessed week. xo

carla stewart said...

Hey Karen! Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for checking out the article about Kathy on Inspire a Fire.

The fun is over. Now it's time to dig in my heels and get back to writing in earnest.

Blessings to you, too!

Joanne Bischof said...

Looks like a blast! I'm glad you had a great time!

Bonnie Way aka the Koala Mom said...

That looks like so much fun!!! A writer/blogger friend and I went to a Women of Faith conference together last year and had a blast... we've been talking about doing something like that again, so maybe we should drop by your bookclub weekend. :)