Thursday 29 August 2013

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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12 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for hosting me today on Paperbacks and Pastries!

    ~ Kathleen

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    1. You're welcome, Kathleen! Thanks for writing such a great guest post!

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  2. So awesome--you're always an inspiration :-)

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    1. Awww, thanks, Anne! You're TOO sweet! (just like Emma's frosting!)

      xxoo ~ Kathleen

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  3. Great post, Kathleen. I have this on my kindle and am looking forward to reading it!

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by to chat, Jackie! AND for tweeting the post... I must confess, Twitter has me stymied. BUT for today, I am not overeating over it, and that is a good thing!

      I hope you enjoy FATTY PATTY!

      ~ Kathleen

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  4. COngrats for having courage to write it. Hard to let the world see inside sometimes.

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    1. Hi Cathy! Thanks very much for dropping by... I think everyone has things inside that they try to hide. I read a piece once that talked about everyone having pictures hidden in their drawer; ones they are afraid to show anyone for fear of ______________ (fill in the blank). It's an author's job to expose his/her own pictures that make the reader think to themselves, "Yes! I have pictures like that! Maybe I'm not so bad after all..."

      If I have accomplished that with FATTY PATTY, and helped some people who live to overeat begin to understand that they don't have to live that way, then I have done my job.

      Happy reading!

      ~ Kathleen

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  5. Sounds like a great read, and if it motivates me to kick my sugar habit, all the better. Wait, would that mean no more chocolate?

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    1. It was a great read! And I think chocolate is still allowed in moderation :)

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    2. Hi Karen,

      Ummmm, I think if you 'google' chocolate, you'll discover it does contain sugar. :) For some people, they can have 'just a little' and be okay, but for others (like me, a compulsive eater), it was best to give up sugar all together. The hero in FATTY PATTY is an overweight accountant that has his eye on Patty. She's attracted to him, but she certainly doesn't want an overweight boyfriend - not when she's desperate to lose weight herself. Patty needs to learn to put down the fork and give her heart a try.

      Thanks so much for stopping by to chat! I hope you enjoy the read!

      ~ Kathleen

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  6. Love the receipes, would love to read the book.

    cenya2 at Hotmail dot com

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