Me: Tell us about the Pulpwood Queens Book Club.
Kathy: My Pulpwood Queens Book Club started in my just opened hair salon/book store, Beauty and the Book, in the beginning of 2000. Six complete strangers showed up and at first they thought it was a joke. I mean a southern hairdresser running a book club? What they did not know is I became a cosmetologist after two years of college to help me have a job to help pay my way through college. Seven colleges, universities, raising my daughters, and getting them through college, 43 years later I graduated from The University of Texas in Tyler. I have since inception been trying to change stereotypes, as well as demonstrating that being a reader, a life long learner can be a wonderful opportunity. We take our reading seriously but not ourselves at all. We make reading fun. That is why now I have nearly 800 chapters nationwide and in 15 foreign countries and keep on growing.
Me: How do you choose the books you read?
Kathy: My criteria is on my website www.thepulpwoodqueens.com on my Book Club Selection page. Also there you’ll find how to submit a book for Pulpwood Queen Book Club consideration. Basically, it has to be well written and tell a story I have not read before. I specialize in helping undiscovered authors get discovered in a big way. I have to read the book and believe you me I know after a lifetime of reading books who has a great story to share. It’s all about the story so it better be a good one. I select all genres and both male or female authors. I do not care who publishes a book but go by the story. Does it enlighten our lives, does it entertain and engage the audience, and do we learn something from the experience? These are the questions that I ask. I am always on the hunt for the next big book.
Me: What three books have been the most successful for your book club?
Kathy: I have had so many through the twenty years of reading. The three to come to mind are “My Orange Duffel Bag” by Sam Bracken with Echo Garrett, “Same Kind of Different as Me” by Ron Hall with Denver Moore, and “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls. The last two have gone to film as do most of our books. They are optioned for film, including mine, “The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life” by Kathy L. Murphy, back to my maiden name on 3rd edition which went to DreamWorks. As I am the New Director of Acquisitions for a new writer centric hybrid publisher, Lucid House Publishing, all the books that I select to be published will be official Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selections. Even more ways to help more authors as you see books saved me. I owe everything to all the authors of the books that have inspired me. and that’s why I am such a voracious reader.
Me: How do you keep members engaged in the book club?
Kathy: You have to have great leaders for each chapter, and I have women and a few men who are as passionate about reading as I am for a start. I always try to keep adding a new way to connect to authors. We have from the get-go always arranged for my authors to call in to book club meetings or go in person if in the area. Some authors plan entire book tours around my Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs. Then for our 20th Year, we just initiated some new programs with Pulpwood Academy run by my protege’ Brooklyn Bradley LaFleur who will be the new host of our annual Pulpwood Queen Book Club Convention called Girlfriend Weekend along with co-host New York Times Bestselling Author, Reavis. Z. Wortham. Along with my webmaster, Paul Roberson these two, under the Pulpwood Academy umbrella, have started a new online book club, the beginning of a writer’s mentorship program for new writers who want to write a book, with Live Facetime and Zoom interviews. I also partnered with a sister run winery in California, Breathless Wines to partner their award-winning wine and my books in gift packaging. We then created Breathless Bubbles & Books Facebook group page that is free to join. I’m the main host, and I have our Author Weekly Guests hosts to do posts and chats with our members and beyond. We like to think we are the most entertaining book club in the world as all our events we make memorable by having fun.
Me: What’s your top tip for running a successful book club?
Kathy: A lot of people have tried to copy me and my book club convention, my reading program, but the truth of the matter is they broke the mold when God made me. You have to be all in or out you go. Passion is the #1 criteria for running a stellar book club. Nobody works harder than me to run my book club, and I have gratefully found others as passionate as me to now help me run the largest “meeting and discussing” book club in the world. We have big plans, big, big plans and that is to make reading as fun as possible and the best entertainment in the world. Won’t you join us?
