Guest Post and Giveaway: Fatty Patty by Kathleen Irene Paterka

Today I am please to bring you a guest post Kathleen Irene Paterka, author of Fatty Patty. As you will read below, Kathleen has a very personal connection to this story and that comes through in every word she wrote. This is definitely a book you'll want to check out.

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WHAT’S EATING YOU?

Have you heard the phrase: “It’s not what you’re eating, it’s what’s eating you” ? Back in high school, I had no clue. I was too busy trying to figure out what to eat next. I indulged myself with rich gooey pastries, wasted hours in the kitchen baking yummy homemade cookies, treated myself to luscious cakes with scrumptious sugary frosting. Naturally, eating all those delicious delights packed on the pounds. Enough so that, by the time I graduated high school, I weighed 300 lbs. I never admitted how much I weighed, but everyone knew. Who did I think I was kidding? Despite the fact that I was tall (5’11”), I was FAT. Thunder Thighs. Baby Huey Hips. The nicknames hurt, and I consoled myself by eating. At my heaviest, I wore size 28+ pants.

That was more than thirty years ago. I lost the weight, kept it off, and now wear a size 10. How did I do it? It was simple (but not easy). I spent plenty of years and tears crying over food before I got to the point where I finally gave up and admitted the truth: I am a sugar-junkie. Once I accepted it, I was done with sugar. I gave up eating junk, and started trying to figure out what kind of junk was eating at me.

FATTY PATTY is my debut novel, first in a series of four James Bay Novels. Patty Perreault is the overweight heroine whose childhood nickname was Fatty Patty. Though she’s now an adult, Patty still remembers the cruel childhood taunts from the very same school playground where she’s now a teacher. The novel deals with Patty’s struggle to figure out not what she’s been eating, but what’s been eating her. She needs to confront her self-esteem issues, put down the fork and give her heart a try.

The inspiration for Patty’s story came from deep within me. When I finally quit eating, I realized I had a story to tell that many people could relate to. Who among us doesn’t deal with self-esteem issues? Although Patty’s journey is her own, and not mine, I believe the story speaks to eternal truths that we face as individuals, men and women alike. Each of us has things we keep buried inside our hearts: secrets we’re afraid to expose, to drag out into the light of day. Some of us will never let those secrets go, preferring to keep one finger swiping at the frosting of a cake (such as I did at my wedding), a hand buried deep in the cookie jar, and our hearts clamped shut. But painful as it might be, there’s also bliss to be found in admitting the truth. It’s a wonderful feeling to live free of the fear that you’ll be eaten alive. I’m no longer willing to sacrifice myself to a sweet sugary bondage. I’m no longer living to eat. Today, I’m eating to live.

I now live behind my computer screen, and no longer in the kitchen. But here’s a recipe from way-back-in-my-baking day. Caution! The frosting listed below is very good and highly addictive.

EMMA’S FROSTING

½ c. margarine

½ c. shortening

1 c. sugar

⅔- ¾ c. hot milk

1 tsp. flavoring

Beat margarine, shortening and sugar on high. Slowly add hot milk, 1 tsp. at a time. Add flavor. Beat till sugar granules are dissolved and frosting is smooth to the taste.

 

About Kathleen

Kathleen Irene Paterka is the author of numerous women’s fiction novels which embrace universal themes of home, family life and love, including ROYAL SECRETS and the James Bay series (FATTY PATTY, HOME FIRES, LOTTO LUCY and FOR I HAVE SINNED). Kathleen is the resident staff writer for Castle Farms, a world renowned castle listed on the National Historic Register, and co-author of the non-fiction book FOR THE LOVE OF A CASTLE, published in 2012. Having lived and studied abroad, Kathleen's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Michigan University. She and her husband live in the beautiful north country of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

Connect with Kathleen

Website:                                  http://www.kathleenirenepaterka.com/

Facebook:                                https://www.facebook.com/KathleenIrenePaterka?ref=hl

ScribBLING Divas Blog:        http://scribblingdivas.com/

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