Conversations; 232; Authors Ame Beanland and Jill Browne

Oh well. I get everybody I'm Jean Edwards women bonding in ways that man dare not try to understand. They form unique relationships that can weather the toughest storms and embrace the most joyful experiences. We're talking about the sisterhood. And tonight we are going to celebrate the friendship between women. Joining me Amy Mahler being Lynn the author of It's a chick thing and our friend Jo Conner Browne is the author of the sweet potato Queens book of love. Welcome thank you. Welcome back and the new sweet potatoes Queen book which will be out when God save the sweet potato claims. Yeah Jan. But I think I have I have this feeling that I am in the most desperate trouble I've ever had. No you just relax and just oh yeah I'm going to have to have your dinner wagon when we bring you a boa. I know we did were you know if you want to feel more like more part of the that's a club you just. Just slide it around just give me a moment to thank you.

Not quite ready for that I've got a build up haven't you. You wrote the introduction to the book. How did you find the truth I need. Yeah I. Am a lame my co-author actually saw the book The sweet potato Queens Book of Love sent me a copy and I and you were in Northern California I'm in Northern California in Pleasanton and I mean really said these women we have to have a story from them in the book. And so I emailed Jill in really thinking sure thousands of people e-mailing her I was forward she emailed me back. She invited me to pray and I go how do you turn down an invitation from the queen. So I went I packed up my car it was last year earlier last year. Yeah right so what happened. I was so overwhelmed by the power of this event it was tremendous It was like nothing I could have ever expected or been prepared for and it was so for like two or three days your women ruled the planet you know we laughed we danced we giggled and it was just awesome and I saw

firsthand what jill talks about in the forward as the power of play right. And it was just wonderful. And this may show you that women come to this parade from all over the country and it's not just you know it's a lot of other people. What I expected. Right you know it is amazing that that just like I me from from California there were people from North Dakota they were you know from 22 states this year. OK. We decided to come and be sweet potato queen here and meet the coming up in this coming spring. We just can't even imagine how many there will be a zillion clean my visit. You had seven million going March it will but it's still you going so far it just goes to show how powerfully women respond and connect to those those times together that shared experience. And that's sort of what we were getting at in the book at that you know sort of the thrill seeking adventure the fun the silly things that we do. They really belie a much higher purpose and that is cementing our bond and

you know we create a shared history and it's really a powerful profound. The meaning behind all that is it's never OK for guys to have those experiences than it is for women to have those experiences because guys do the football games together and golf together and all those we honor I think of each other more. We interact women interact with each other more than the mundane. Well you know you always hear of male bonding. You know that's always an expression that's very common. And what I found in coming to pray is like you know these are women I've never met before I've never seen in my life and it was just so open and it was so friendly and it was really overwhelming sort of this willingness to very publicly show their connection show their friendship I mean literally the women wear their friendship on their sleeve. They dress out saying hey we're all part of a great we're together here and they give and they empower themselves to be silly. Yes right they did it right Stephanie outside yourself right. Don't take yourself so seriously. So you got this e-mail when you said come on down. Come on out. And then what him.

She can't I can't. I brought my mom and my aunt dangerous and a girl friend of mine in the road trip from my hometown which is Cullman Alabama. I had no clue what to expect so we just came down and I had asked Jill if she would consider writing a forward for it's a chick thing. Email and I. Well my original intent was I want to go and join in the fun see what this is all about and I wanted to meet her in person to see that you know I wasn't too crazy and there really was a sweet Siddiqui you know I really had no doubt about it. And so I came. We met along with thousands of other women that I think you met. And it was just great. She was so generous and gracious and said Sure Oh all right the fourth one I sent her the manuscript. The the putting together of the word of the idea for comfort. Well the idea really kind of sprang from and when I wanted to do a book about friendship. But we wanted to do something different something that was a little more irreverent and fun and not so

sentiment based and that we came across a story our aha moment about the book was when we came across a story about two English women who quit their jobs for a year and go on and around the world adventure. And before they left they decided to paint their toenails blue. Just the spontaneous silly whimsical act. And so they're on their trip and they're on a flight from Ethiopia to Kenya and their plane is hijacked and crashed. And it's just a horrific situation as you can imagine. And in the ensuing of the melee and the chaos they're separated because one is more seriously injured than the other and they don't even know if the other is alive and they can't communicate they don't speak the language. And a doctor happens to mention to another doctor that he has a British woman with blue toenails and the other doctors this friend started oh the blue toenails He says they must get that over you know. You know they do something. And they put them together. They actually arranged to have these two women reunited because they both have blue toenails.

And that we were like a chick that they met so powerful and we were just where we were like that is if that's what this book is going to be about it's going to be these seemingly silly whimsical things that we do that really how important they are and what else do you do what else you know you name it I mean there are stories in the book Women encourage each other. I love the story but sure and still Sharon Stone I mean we crave and that's great. Yeah they decided to go to lunch one day and mean he's not feeling well and when Sharon comes to pick her up you know Sharon says it's what you're wearing. And so she proceeds to take her shirt off and give it to her. She literally gives you the shirt off her back. Mimi puts it on a chair and puts on one of her shirts and they go to lunch. I mean he says she was right I felt much better in her shirt. So you know get info that that right there is literally you know such a generous show of support.

And lists are very important to your book. Yes we have. Well when we polled lots of women about you know what are your favorite chick tunes your favorite chick books favorite movies and you know I was just overwhelmed with responding about the movies the favorite movies are I think the top was Thelma and Louise and close behind that still Magnolias. Practical Magic is a favorite of the Witches of Eastwick. My pal what this fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop cafe are that's the book rather Right. So a lot there's lots of movies I think that's probably about 15 or 20 and there are also lots of songs out there. Yeah there are 10 songs and the number one is Respect by Aretha world class chorus of course the mother of the sweet potato Queens. Yeah. Yes you're right is the mother of all chick tunes we say. Let's see Girls Just Want To Have Fun Of course. Yeah we are family which is fun that's Sister Sledge right. You know stifle singers I think

it's just I'm not sure. Well I think it's one of the other one of the other and there was a little controversial song The Dixie Chicks song called What About Everybody early. Yes and we really do pay you know. It's in there. It has it has its place. Earl is the guy who was the really bad character that I get asked a lot of because one of the chapters in my book is call me in your mind. You may need to know him quite frankly and and interviewers will cite what you know tell us about these men whom I knew kill and if it's a male interview or else I will. Do you have daughters and if you see if they're not so well then you know then you know what we refer to here. So you know yes they're in we say in the book and it's a really bad guy who comes up against some really bad chicks you know. So yeah so the science a lot of fun. What surprised you about doing this. I guess it should have surprised me because I know this I think was the generosity of women

how to share their stories and sort of that just this openness and again it's just another testament of what chicks do we love to talk we love to share our relationship with other people. But there are a lot of maturing written material things the things that came there so names from their hearts and as they might hope to make money off of someone right. Right. I mean to. Get your courage up and ask him about well the way we we put the invitation out there was you know all the people who have written stories there their stories they retain a copyright they are that it's theirs. They're just letting us tell their story in the book. And. A lot of women saw it for what it was was here's an opportunity an invitation for you to be part of a published book and to share stories and we are really honest you know we you know we can't pay for your stories right now we're we're very poor Chane just don't like us sooner.

And and like I said it really came from the heart in it. It wasn't sort of an expression of oh what are we going to get out of it it was like This is so fun and we believe in this and we want to be part of it. So besides fuel who said yes. Oh lots of people said yes. There's a story from Diana about Diana and Fergie in the book it's a great story. It's true I wanted I wasn't going to tell you but it's like oh gosh it's so great it's it was the night of Prince Andrew's bachelor party and Diana and Fergie dressed up like police women like full on like down to the socks and shoes and pretended to arrest one of their friends who dressed up like a lady of the evening. And they got arrested for it and the policeman did not know that they had SARAH FERGUSON And Princess Diana until halfway to the jail and then they dropped him off at a bar and they just had this great night of adventure this bonding this but yes chick night which wouldn't have happened if they hadn't been willing to get a little crazy outside the box.

Absolutely. If they hadn't had the fearlessness I think of their friendship. Who said no. You know what no one said No really. That we ask. Oh no they didn't. Which was really amazing. That's hard to say. That's why we rarely encounter that. So you looked over the manuscript before you before you wrote the introduction and you thought to yourself what. Oh it was it was fabulous I mean it's it's everything that sweeping out of Queens are about and that's what we found with all the people that came to the right is that it's not just us. It really is pretty universal. And so it's just more testimony to that. I had no problems writing the forward to it at all. It's a wonderful book. But but it's becoming It seems to me that maybe it's because of sweet potatoes Maybe it's because of Fanny Flagg who knows there's beginning to be a celebration out there that wasn't here 20 years ago.

Well I think it's there. I mean I talked about it that it's kind of the women's movement come full circle that we had to fight our women had to fight so long and so hard for just for parity and that at times what possibly took ourselves too seriously that you couldn't afford to step outside the box. Too much was at stake. But and there's still a lot of work to be done but that we've come far enough along now that you can risk acting silly now and you can risk having fun and play and having fun with yourself and having fun right each other and knowing that it's going to be OK. Oh I know when we first started this way pathetic lanes in 1992 there were some women that we had asked to participate who were you know in various you know you know stockbrokers and that kind of jobs that said oh you know they couldn't possibly do that you know their clients might see them you know carrying on or whatever now we

have to get more business before we have a district attorney. Business owners and everybody wants to they want it because it's a safer environment for women. It occurs to me that there are people who are watching this broadcast who might be saying what is a sweet potato queen. Well you know they might not know. Jane there is no short answer to that. Thank you. Nor there is a very long answer they give me give me that even you had to give me the BDM answer. Patrick's Day every year in Jackson since 1992. Their group of eight of us who dress up in very wild green sake went out it said we have a flood in way. You're quite. Yes we're well and dad in all directions. Yeah but yes dance and carry on and take ourselves very seriously and this all happened because of Hallam else my office where Patrick started right back to whatever it was. Now any good queen though has to have some object to toss to the crowd.

Well we used to throw sweet but oh well we started right. Well the playwright was very small and it was you know now I mean that would our budget would not be a swipe status or not that's true. Nor should I be and how did you get the idea through sweep to get to because that's where this is a pathetic way. Well how did that happen that it just. I was looking for something to be the coin of and a friend of mine Sherry I'm going to tell me that her father had some land in Vardaman Mississippi rushes the self-proclaimed sweet potato capital of the world and they have a festival and I said do they have a coin and she said she didn't witness it well tell them I would be glad to do it. Yeah but about the same time before I heard from Darwin which I'm still waiting for by the way that Kahless not come all these years and all right never heard an environment but about the same time now come the start of the St. Patrick's Day parade and so I just said well fine I'm sort of tackling. So the two were really made for each ride but did it surprise you how how it just became Topsy you just I just you know I loved it more than anything from the first minute so I

knew that there would be other people who would. And that's so great that you just you trust that feeling is like Hey this is this is a great thing I'm going to go for and I believe other people are too. When I was reading the script a friend's book of love something that struck me because I believe that the these things we do together as women friends are very very healing and restorative. And so when I was reading it you were saying how you'd gone through like a patch of doldrums and when this inspiration hit you to be the queen or something. And and I just thought that was even that was more powerful again another example of how sort of that connection with other when it's important to be able to make your own fun. Exactly exactly. I think that some most powerful thing you can do is have the security and the comfort of being able to laugh at yourself. Right. And having women friends who can join in and it's just this very same environment is why are so many of you there. I would not know because you know what I know. After that if you say I'm a

constant source of entertainment for myself that's always in something so well it's a choice. It's a selection of a different attitude where you know if something bad happens. You can sit down the middle of floor and whine about it which will avail you nothing. Or you can laugh about it. Choose some course of action. That's what we choose. How did you find the book. Emily my co author actually sent me the book had read it had read it and we saw the website. We went to the super Tate acquaintances website have a look at the sea oh I didn't say you're in town did our website they have won all manner of awards for it right. It's what sort of points dot com and. It is it's wonderful. I mean it's crazy. I went first I went and there was a gift pack I remember the first one when there was a gift pack where you get a little canned ham and pocket ham I basically just you cracked me up. And what else is going to be prepared.

Well there were some low sequined pay any right because you know part of being prepared is you know you always wear pretty underwear. Oh I shave your legs because you just never know. Right. Yes and you know with a pocket ham because you might also be hungry and there was just such a chick thing the whole the whole side. And so and actually I was sort of we were inspired by that and go hey we need. It's a chick thing. You know our website so we did it's a chick thing dot net. But we're we're still working on a little bit. But it's fun it's just such a strange dance company hits a day the chicks so I would get you know what I found out last week that we had been up for about two and a half weeks and we've had over 900 really hits yeah. So your first books was first time you've done that you know I collaborate and collaborated on another book last year called mother's nature timeless wisdom for the journey into motherhood. So very different but much more serious much more so. Yes much more serious but still to me the common thread is that they're both about family just different kinds of family.

And you've been on the road for a year or year. You know I don't like to be busy but I like to LOL I do like to loll about. Yes I've been traveling with with the first book. Last night I spoke at the W and that was the last thing because it has rolled over for this year until January but the new book comes out in January. Yes yes and there you go again. Really terrible. Yeah I'm very grateful Don't get me wrong but we're like it's like a 17 city tour or something like that and they send it to me and said you know what do you think about this and I said you know I think spread out over a five year period. It's really good and you just follow the money and each play and so now they have this this is 14 pretty 14 just if they like 300000 300000 cop amazing that if this was you know I think this is like the John Grisham movie it's just for your lips to God's ears. Yes. And the next is how many gods I swear. So we take the first

reading will be a hundred thousand in a whole bunch anyway thousands so January does that mean it'll be out in time for Christmas or to decide you know it'll be out in time for Valentine's Valentine's Day right. Yes how did you have time to write this I have you know you've been on the road I have no I think you know my real dad and what I think you're not the first of what's funny in there and why don't I have a copy and you know the reason you have the reason 14 readings are dismissed because every one of them has been stolen by women or by house a look at this is I copy it's like all beat now and it's carried around. They just disappear. Yeah I mean he didn't take them. I'm such a riot. Tell me about the new book. It's more about us. Artifacts I'm sure. It's more about us. I dedicated it to Joanne Pritchard Martha and when Martha who were my editors Joe wait was my official editor on the first book and Willie was my unofficial editor and always want to tell you to make sure it ended sweet ended sweetly and that's the end sweetly you get a chance with willing good

with. Yeah it ends very sweetly. I think you would be you would be happy with it. Your favorite experience in your book. Favorite I told you that I like the Sherwood Stone story and I like writing for its markets and I like your lists which are fair. It's very hard to pick. There's a story in there that I think has particular made for me because this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and. We've had the misfortune of losing some people we know to breast cancer and there's a wonderful story in the book about three women and how one of them is recovering from surgery for breast cancer and the other two they're trying to decide how to cheer her up and how to support her and they've done all the typical things they've you know how to the household and coked and things and just doesn't seem like enough so they decide to dress up like angels. This they get this spontaneous idea. Because the woman who's sick is an angel freak her whole house is filled with them and they these you know just the visual of

these two grown women in these like frilly night gowns in their dime store wings their tinfoil halos in this very urban city going to the hospital and visiting this woman. I love that story and the woman recovered from you know she battled the breast cancer and is fully recovered and she says in the story that she she's so grateful because they proved to her that angels do walk among us and that's what huff about my girlfriend sometimes is you know they get you through some of the hardest times. Yeah. So I like that story a lot because it's about healing and it's and I don't think it's to the profound power of friendship. But there's also some very you know there's a great we have a story called The film Ali about the Royal St. womens the alterna Women's Institute and they're the women who pose who did the Callan who wrote about how in order for you. It's at the root of women who typically are in their 50s. Yes that we're going to wage an average from 45 like late 60s and they every year they would do a calendar to raise money

and was usually you know pastoral scenes aren't flowers and things and this year the full body comes out the movie The full well they I don't think the two are connected really. We just liked that title the film it and but they decided you know hey let's be daring and one of their husbands had died of leukemia and sort of on a lark they had joked about it with him about posing nude for their calendar this year and so they did. But very very strategic props in the right places. Yes it's not it's very tasteful. It's a very tasteful there's always like a teapot or sunflower or something to cover anything you were having with the calendar. They sold over a billion. Million like a little I think they're like out to over a million that someone has bought their movie rights. Yeah really their story. So in they net these women never imagine anything just and they have raise so much money for leukemia research and it's just great I look and there's a quote in the book about

Englishman saying you know what. You know why I went why are people paying to you know look at these you know very full bodied older women and he said you know I get tired of seeing these you know stick in sex with pouty lips. I just am loving this. Thank you. But it was just I love that story I think it's hysterical smile. There are women watching tonight I hope who may have questions about how and how you got to this place where you got your courage up to to put those words on paper and what do you tell them when those women writers I mean your do your signings and do you not mention out of you know out of necessity one thing I needed to support myself and my child I'm a mother. And so I did. But if I'd had any idea how remote the chances were having a successful book you know about my daughter by allays 12 and she was in the third grade when I started in on the book and I had to write the rating The Red Badge of Courage or something like that and I had to write an essay. For the bravest person that I knew

personally. And she wrote that the bravest person she knew was her mama. That's her mama was writing a book and that took a lot of courage because you might ride it but nobody bought like it. Oh wow. OK. So you know I've always believed that you should do what makes your heart saying the money will follow you. You know it took me a while to find I knew that being a queen made my heart sing. And we used to joke on the float they would always laugh at me because I would go. Somebody will pay me to do so and so here we are you know now you know and what about you. I think you just can't it's one of the it's a little bit of ignorance like not no I will why not no one said you can't do it. And I just felt very passionately about the topic and felt very confident the other women felt the same way and just went for it. Well it's great fun. It's like a lot about well it's a chess thing you get that you can touch with that inner chick.

The frat will be just fine. OK. All right. Thank you very much thankfully is and I had good luck with your baby do. Thank you very much I'm on my way to hide or talk. That's right hand shake on my way to being a handsome or backstabbing was paraded. Yes good luck to you. Thank you thank you now but you out Jane you were the first to rip. Thank you Bill. Thank you very much. Thank you. See you next.