February 2007
News, updates, & pronouncements from Pat Ballard,
the Queen of Rubenesque Romances

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. 
Eleanor Roosevelt

Something to think about....

 A Word From Pat

January came and went very quietly here, other than a minor head cold for me.

Like a lot of the rest of the country, Nashville had a warm first part of the month. Some of us have had flowers trying to bloom. Then Old Man Winter came back with a vengeance.

Nine days after Valentine's Day is Joe's and my anniversary. We'll be married thirty-three years this year. That's a long time to live with one person. You'd think that after that length of time there would be no surprises, but surprises still come.

Because we continue to change, it's impossible to ever actually "know" the other person. About the time we think we have each other figured out, one of us changes and suddenly, we're looking across the room at a stranger.

At least, that's the way it's always been with Joe and me. But Joe and I have never been "typical." So maybe we're the only ones who experience this continuing drama.

Or maybe it's Alzheimer's and we really haven't changed, we've just forgotten how we once were.

Hmm. Now, that's something to ponder.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! And Happy February!

                                               Love,

                                                                    Pat

Visit Pat's Place at www.patballard.com | Write me at patballard@bellsouth.net
 

Links About The Queen & Her Books

Pat's Place website
The Queen's Blog
About Pat Ballard
Dangerous Curves Ahead
The Best Man
Abigail's Revenge
Wanted: One Groom
Nobody's Perfect
His Brother's Child
A Worthy Heir
Pearlsong Press blog posts about Pat

Weighty Matters

I had planned to feature a series of articles by Sandy Szwarc in this section for the next few issues. Sandy is one of the most wonderful, commonsensical writers on the subject of weight that I know of.

But when I told her what I was doing, Sandy mentioned that the website her articles are on has gone through some editing and there are now some inaccuracies in the articles. So for that reason, I'm not going to use the articles in this section. But I still highly recommend that you read them.

http://www.techcentralstation.com/bioszwarcsandy.html

I'm happy to announce that Sandy has a new blog. Here is a link to the blog: http://www.junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/

Program cited by the FTC for fraud is now government funded
by Sandy Szwarc

Throughout the years, five of the country’s largest commercial diet companies have been charged with deceptive advertising for making unsubstantiated weight-loss and weight-loss maintenance claims; for using consumer testimonials without substantiation that the testimonials represented the typical experience of dieters on the programs; and some also for deceptive pricing, weight-loss rate or safety-related claims. Those companies included Weight Watchers International, Inc.; Jenny Craig, Inc.; Diet Center, Inc.; Physicians Weight Loss Center of America; and Nutri/System Inc.

Read the rest of the article:
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/01/program-cited-by-ftc-for-fraud-is-now.html
 

Reader Review of the Month

Editor's Note: We're now featuring reader reviews of Pat's books in The Queen's Proclamation. Post a review at an online bookstore, magazine, or public website and email us at proclamation @ pearlsong.com to let us know, and we'll consider yours for inclusion in The QP. 

This month's Reader Review of Wanted: One Groom was posted by Suzanne Coleburn, The Belles and Beaux of Romance

I had such a great time reading WANTED: ONE GROOM that I never wanted the story to end. This is one for all of us Plus Size gals to drool over. I loved it! Pat Ballard writes from her heart and it shows!

Hanna Rockwell is an heiress who will lose it all if she doesn’t marry by her 30th birthday. Her mother and brother are selfish and care nothing for Hanna except what she can give them. They all live with her at Rockwell Place, a gorgeous mansion in Tennessee. They are constantly harping on Hanna about her weight and making her feel self conscious about herself and her ability to be a confident woman. Now the big item is either Hanna gets married or they lose their monthly allowances and their home.

It isn’t until Hanna gets mad and tells her brother to find her a husband, and her mother to plan the wedding. Hanna feels it will fail, but what the heck, nothing has been too good lately. Her wonderful grandfather has set up his will that she will inherit everything if she married by her 30th birthday. He wanted to be sure she was protected from her wily mother and brother. You go, Gramps!

Hanna can’t believe it, but [her brother] Will rushes home one evening with the news that has-been rock star Matt Corbett will marry her sight unseen. His manager had run out with his funds and left him in trouble with the IRS. He decides to marry her for a place to live and a chance to get his career started in country music.

What starts out as a marriage of convenience may just turn out to be love. Matt Corbett is the one and only man Hanna ever cared about. She’s followed his career for 15 years and has a closet full of tapes and memorabilia about this handsome star. She can’t believe she is going to be marrying the man of her dreams. After Matt sees a picture of Hanna in the local paper he is thrilled to be marrying this voluptuous beauty. He loves a curvy woman. Matt and Hanna are in for some surprises. This is a fun read!

WANTED is a sweet enchanting love story of how partners can support one another and make things come out right if each is willing to work together. Matt and Hanna have their rough times, but the power of love is oh-so-beautiful.

Ms. Ballard does a fabulous job of showing how a woman learns to love herself and be the big beautiful woman she is meant to be.

Suzanne "Love Comes in Many Shapes and Sizes, and Big is Beautiful!" Coleburn

"Pat Ballard is one heck of a writer whose WANTED: ONE GROOM will make your heart feel so good when you read how a plus size woman finds the man of her dreams as she finds herself and loves the woman she becomes. I can’t wait to hear more from this special writer!"

Suzanne Coleburn, The Belles and Beaux of Romance
 

Communicate with Pat via her "Amazon Connect" blog on Amazon.com!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/id/AC8LT66HFJQ1Y/ref=cm_blog_blog/102-0429066-5275365

Pat's newest book, Abigail's Revenge, is featured on the Beautiful Portal website: http://www.beautifulportal.com/news.php?item.900034.8
and has been reviewed by AmaZe eMag: http://www.venusimaging.com/Magazine/2005/decjanrealistic/jennifer.htm

 An article on Pat has been posted at:
http://eastmanpublishing.com/epextra/articles/eparticle1007.htm.
And an EP Extra review of Abigail's Revenge is posted at
http://eastmanpublishing.com/epextra/articles/eparticle1011.htm 

Look for an interview with Pat on Lonnie Cruse's blog at
http://www.lonniecruse.blogspot.com.

Calendar of Events

Pat regularly guests on the Health At Every Size show with Dr. Peggy Elam on WRFN Radio Free Nashville. Check the show blog at http://www.healthateverysize.info for mentions of Pat's next guest appearance. The show is streamed live over the Internet 10-11 a.m. CST Mondays and now can also be listened to live over your phone via UPSNAP.COM.

Listen to or download the mp3 recording of Pat's Jan. 22, 2007 guest spot on the show at http://www.pearlsong.com/audio/HAES01222007.mp3. (Right click on the link & "save as" to download.)

Listen to the live broadcasts over the Internet at http://www.radiofreenashville.org/.

To listen through your cell phone or any other phone (home, office, etc.), simply call 646-213-0005. After the prompt, enter the Radio Free Nashville code―9989―with your keypad. Listen and enjoy!

There is no charge for listening through your phone, and you don't have to register your phone with the service (as was necessary for the previous phone-streaming provider, Mobile Broadcast Network). Your usual long distance and/or cell phone charges will apply, however.

For more on the show, check out the show blog at http://www.healthateverysize.info. You can also listen to or download recordings of some of the shows at www.pearlsong.com/audio.htm.

Pat will spend the next few months promoting Abigail's Revenge. She's in the process of setting up booksignings with local Borders bookstores, and others.

You can still hear the taped radio shows from Size Matters with Veronica, WCRS Radio, on Pat's website.

Show #1 discusses Pat's romance novels
http://www.wcrsradio.org/RadioStage/size/SIZE051.mp3

Show #2 discusses women of size and their sexuality
http://www.wcrsradio.org/RadioStage/size/SIZE052.mp3

And check out the photos from the Nov. 6, 2004 Mississippi Authors Festival that are online at The Queen's Proclamation blog and The Pearlsong Letter blog. (Click on the Mississippi Authors Festival link under the "Photo Albums" heading in the lefthand column of either blog to view the photos.) While you're visiting, post a comment on the blog!
 

Give someone a good read as well as support in loving themselves.
Pat's books make great gifts!
 

Book Contest

Register to win a free copy of the Pat Ballard book of your choice at Top 100 Women Sites: http://www.top100womensites.com/contest.htm.
 

Read previous issues of The Queen's Proclamation at http://www.pearlsong.com/newsletterarchives.htm.
 

The Queen's Proclamation is published by Pearlsong Press.
P.O. Box 58065 │ Nashville, TN  37205  │ www.pearlsong.com
©2007 Pearlsong Press