Painted Dresses by Patricia Hickman

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Painted Dresses
(WaterBrook Press - July 15, 2008)
by
Patricia Hickman


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Patricia Hickman is an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction, whose work has been praised by critics and readers alike.

Patricia Hickman began writing many years ago after an invitation to join a writer's critique group. It was headed up by best-selling author Dr. Gilbert Morris, a pioneer in Christian fiction who has written many best selling titles. The group eventually came to be called the "Nubbing Chits". All four members of the original "Chits" have gone on to become award-winning and best selling novelists (good fruit, Gil!).

Patty signed her first multi-book contract with Bethany House Publishers. After she wrote several novels "for the market", she assessed her writer's life and decided she would follow the leanings of her heart. She says, "It had to be God leading me into the next work which wound up being my first break-out book, Katrina's Wings. I had never read a southern mainstream novel, yet I knew that one lived in my head, begging to be brought out and developed." She wanted to create deeper stories that broke away from convention and formula. From her own journey in life, she created a world based upon her hometown in the 70's, including Earthly Vows and Whisper Town from the Millwood Hollow Series.

Patty and her husband, Randy, have planted two churches in North Carolina. Her husband pastors Family Christian Center, located in Huntersville. The Hickmans have three children, two on earth and one in heaven. Their daughter, Jessi, was involved in a fatal automobile accident in 2001. Through her writing and speaking, Patty seeks to offer help, hope and encouragement to those who walk the daily road of loss and grief.


ABOUT THE BOOK

In this story of sisterhood and unexpected paths, Gaylen Syler-Boatwright flees her unraveling marriage to take refuge in a mountain cottage owned by her deceased aunt. Burdened with looking after her adult sister, Delia, she is shocked to find a trail of family secrets hidden within her aunt’s odd collection of framed, painted dresses. With Delia, who attracts trouble as a daily occupation, Gaylen embarks on a road trip that throws the unlikely pair together on a journey to painful understanding and delightful revelations.

Steeped in Hickman’s trademark humor, her spare writing voice, and the bittersweet pathos of the South, Painted Dresses powerfully captures a woman’s desperate longing to uncover a hidden, broken life and discover the liberty of living authentically, even when the things exposed are shrouded in shame.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE


Cut Here
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Posting Information

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400071992

Author's picture is:
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQAww-4HCylDlqeyu1wGi0DFu-XKYpnpr_E_kn19Di1t4rN6Ivvv20di4KMPIuLzkoKyfGKN1XBF2pwjNBQJl03cPcMIHlNZqm8ZBfy1Ue5W3aJzDoDWZbsTTJv3DmwTYy3JL/s1600-h/waving.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQAww-4HCylDlqeyu1wGi0DFu-XKYpnpr_E_kn19Di1t4rN6Ivvv20di4KMPIuLzkoKyfGKN1XBF2pwjNBQJl03cPcMIHlNZqm8ZBfy1Ue5W3aJzDoDWZbsTTJv3DmwTYy3JL/s320/waving.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226036456602281922" /></a><br />


The book cover photo is:
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItWQ5W15RSdSol8ptg4jfWl494FGTSl2LrlMspRerCiBGd3MLsACH0LcS69N_-yKcniiCz9QBxENiZK1FWcsA_11C2LlD9MYJMy99ZDwhIuUNoes8YGSbVdel9QnytSY4BteY/s1600-h/Painted.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItWQ5W15RSdSol8ptg4jfWl494FGTSl2LrlMspRerCiBGd3MLsACH0LcS69N_-yKcniiCz9QBxENiZK1FWcsA_11C2LlD9MYJMy99ZDwhIuUNoes8YGSbVdel9QnytSY4BteY/s320/Painted.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226034824883780610" /></a>

The code for this post is: <div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/1600/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5500/1432/320/CFBAreviewer_gif.0.gif" border="0" /></a></div><br /><center><span style="font-size:130%;">This week, the</span></center><br /><center><a href="http://www.christianfictionblogalliance.com/"><span style="font-size:100%;">Christian Fiction Blog Alliance</span></a></center><br /><center><span style="font-size:100%;">is introducing</span></center><br /><center><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993300;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400071992">Painted Dresses</a></span></center><br /><center>(WaterBrook Press - July 15, 2008)</center><br /><center>by</center><br /><center><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"><a href="http://www.patriciahickman.com/">Patricia Hickman</a></span></center><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ff6600;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQAww-4HCylDlqeyu1wGi0DFu-XKYpnpr_E_kn19Di1t4rN6Ivvv20di4KMPIuLzkoKyfGKN1XBF2pwjNBQJl03cPcMIHlNZqm8ZBfy1Ue5W3aJzDoDWZbsTTJv3DmwTYy3JL/s1600-h/waving.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQAww-4HCylDlqeyu1wGi0DFu-XKYpnpr_E_kn19Di1t4rN6Ivvv20di4KMPIuLzkoKyfGKN1XBF2pwjNBQJl03cPcMIHlNZqm8ZBfy1Ue5W3aJzDoDWZbsTTJv3DmwTYy3JL/s320/waving.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226036456602281922" /></a>Patricia Hickman is an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction, whose work has been praised by critics and readers alike. <br /><br />Patricia Hickman began writing many years ago after an invitation to join a writer's critique group. It was headed up by best-selling author Dr. Gilbert Morris, a pioneer in Christian fiction who has written many best selling titles. The group eventually came to be called the "Nubbing Chits". All four members of the original "Chits" have gone on to become award-winning and best selling novelists (good fruit, Gil!). <br /><br />Patty signed her first multi-book contract with Bethany House Publishers. After she wrote several novels "for the market", she assessed her writer's life and decided she would follow the leanings of her heart. She says, "It had to be God leading me into the next work which wound up being my first break-out book, Katrina's Wings. I had never read a southern mainstream novel, yet I knew that one lived in my head, begging to be brought out and developed." She wanted to create deeper stories that broke away from convention and formula. From her own journey in life, she created a world based upon her hometown in the 70's, including <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446692352">Earthly Vows</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446692344">Whisper Town</a> from the Millwood Hollow Series.<br /><br />Patty and her husband, Randy, have planted two churches in North Carolina. Her husband pastors Family Christian Center, located in Huntersville. The Hickmans have three children, two on earth and one in heaven. Their daughter, Jessi, was involved in a fatal automobile accident in 2001. Through her writing and speaking, Patty seeks to offer help, hope and encouragement to those who walk the daily road of loss and grief. <br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffcc00;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItWQ5W15RSdSol8ptg4jfWl494FGTSl2LrlMspRerCiBGd3MLsACH0LcS69N_-yKcniiCz9QBxENiZK1FWcsA_11C2LlD9MYJMy99ZDwhIuUNoes8YGSbVdel9QnytSY4BteY/s1600-h/Painted.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItWQ5W15RSdSol8ptg4jfWl494FGTSl2LrlMspRerCiBGd3MLsACH0LcS69N_-yKcniiCz9QBxENiZK1FWcsA_11C2LlD9MYJMy99ZDwhIuUNoes8YGSbVdel9QnytSY4BteY/s320/Painted.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226034824883780610" /></a>In this story of sisterhood and unexpected paths, Gaylen Syler-Boatwright flees her unraveling marriage to take refuge in a mountain cottage owned by her deceased aunt. Burdened with looking after her adult sister, Delia, she is shocked to find a trail of family secrets hidden within her aunt’s odd collection of framed, painted dresses. With Delia, who attracts trouble as a daily occupation, Gaylen embarks on a road trip that throws the unlikely pair together on a journey to painful understanding and delightful revelations.<br /><br />Steeped in Hickman’s trademark humor, her spare writing voice, and the bittersweet pathos of the South, Painted Dresses powerfully captures a woman’s desperate longing to uncover a hidden, broken life and discover the liberty of living authentically, even when the things exposed are shrouded in shame. <br /><br />If you would like to read the first chapter, go <a href="http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2008/07/painted-dresses-chapter-1.html">HERE</a>

Patricia can be reached through the Contact link on our weekly newsletter.

Come and visit some of those posting for this tour:

Abi at lighter side
Adam at Northwoods Blumer
Alexis at Ramblings From Life
Amber at A Fiction-Filled Life
Amy at Simple Folk Schoolhouse
Amy at My Life
Andie at frommipov
Angela at One Baby, Seven Dogs, and a Mommy
April at Projecting A
April at Living In A State Of Constant Kansas
Barbara at Victoria Hill Farm
Becky at Savvy Mom
Bonnie at Bonnie Writes
Brandilyn at Forensics and Faith
Brittanie at A Book Lover
Camy at Camy Tang
Carla at Carla's Writing Café
Carol at Blogging With Carol
Carolyn at Serenity
CeeCee at Book Splurge
Cheri at Kudzu and Koolaid
Christy at Christy's Book Blog
Dave at Novel Spotlight
Deborah at books, movies and chinese food
Debra at Soul Reflections
Deena at A Peek At My Bookshelf
Delia at Gatorskunkz And Mudcats
Edyth at Great Reads by Jasmine
Heidi at Reviews by Heidi
Janis at The Nearsighted Bookworm
Janna at Cornhusker Academy
Jenn at Adventures At Walden's Pond
Jennifer at So Many Books…So Little Time
Jenny at Come Meet AusJenny
Jill at Christian Work At Home Moms
Jill at Artistic Blogger
Joleen at timetotalk
Karen at Mommy of Three
Karla at Ramblin' Roads To Everywhere
Kelly at Scrambled Dregs
Kim at Window To My World
Kristi at Stamped With Grace
LaShaunda at See Ya On The Net
Laura at Laura William's Musings
Leslie at A Little Bit Of Sunlight
Linda at Mocha With Linda
Lundie at Lundie's Life
Lynetta at Open Book
Lynnae at Lynnae's Bookshelf
Margaret at Creative Madness
Marjorie at The Writer's Tool
Michelle at Edgy Inspirational Author
Michelle at Just A Minute
Nora at Finding Hope Through Christian Fiction
Pam at A Writer's Journey
Pam at Mom's Mutterings
Pam at Daysong Reflections
Peg at Sips 'n Cups Cafeteria
Rachelle at Stifled Squeal
Rel at Relz Reviewz
Rhonda at Whatever…
Sally at Welcome To Sally Bradley.com
Shauna at Shaunarumbling
Stacy at Vader's Mom
Stephanie at Punkin' Press
Susan at His Reading List
Tabitha at 123pizza's Weblog
Takiela at Beauty 4 Ashes
Tara at Tara's View Of The World