April 16th, 2019
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Carolyn Brown's Real Life Inspiration for Writing THE PERFECT
DRESS
Hello, everyone and thank you for inviting me to your site
today!
My granddaughter is getting married this fall, and she’s not one
of those size six girls who can walk into wedding dress store, try on a dozen
dresses and find the perfect dress—especially when she has her heart set on a
black lace dress for her wedding. When we began to shop for her dress, I wished
for a custom wedding shop that catered only to women who wore a size fourteen
or larger. So I created one called The Perfect Dress and set
it in the little town of Celeste, Texas. This summer I plan to bring my old
Singer sewing machine out of retirement, and make my granddaughter’s black lace
wedding dress—just the way she and I will design it!
The Perfect Dress is not a real place
so don’t go to the local doughnut shop in Celeste and ask about it, but the
town, the characters and the shop were all very real to me while I was writing
about it.
Speaking of characters let me introduce you to Mitzi. She’s and
her two plus sized friends, Paula and Jody, have dreamed of putting in their
own plus-sized wedding dress shop for years. Now it’s a reality. They’ve bought
an old two story house at the edge of Celeste and hung out their shingle.
Jody is a thin vegetarian now, but when the girls were in high
school, she was a big girl just like her friends. She’s living proof that a
woman will do anything for love, but when love goes awry, she’s sure glad that
she’s got Mitzi and Paula to support her.
Paula is carrying a big secret. The three women have shared
everything since they were little children, but she can’t talk about her
secret, not when both her friends are in the middle of drama themselves. She
has to be the strong one to share Jody’s sorrow and Mitzi’s happiness.
Fanny Lou, Mitzi’s grandmother, is an eccentric old gal with
lots of advice that she’s not one bit shy about spreading around. She’s the
mother role for all of them, constantly popping into the shop with a box of
doughnuts, or the local gossip.
Lately Mitzi has been feeling like maybe her ‘perfect family’ is
missing someone... perhaps the perfect man. She hasn’t seen him since high
school, but that doesn’t mean that Mitizi’s heart doesn’t go pitter-patter for
this awesome single dad. Graham towers above Mitzi, who is almost six feet
tall. He has twin girls, who are also plus sized. He feels the sparks, too, but
questions whether Mitzi could ever love some big guy who already has teenage
daughters.
There is definitely a gap between the teenager girls, who help
out in the shop, and Fanny Lou, the granny, and the three best friends. But
true friendship knows nothing about age—it’s love, support, and unflinching
loyalty towards each other, no matter what the age.
Summary
In the small town of Celeste, Texas, Mitzi Taylor has never quite fit inside the lines. Nearly six feet tall, flame-haired, and with a plus-size spirit to match every curve, she’s found her niche: a custom wedding-dress boutique catering to big brides-to-be with big dreams. Taking the plunge alongside her two best friends, she’s proud they’ve turned The Perfect Dress into a perfect success.
Just when Mitzi has it all pulled together, Graham Harrison walks back into her life, looking for bridesmaid dresses for his twin daughters. A still-strapping jock whose every gorgeous, towering inch smells like aftershave, the star of all Mitzi’s high school dreams is causing quite a flush.
For Mitzi, all it takes is a touch to feel sparks flitting around her like fireflies. She can just imagine what a kiss could do. Graham’s feeling it, too. And he’s about to make that imagination of Mitzi’s run wild. Is it just a hot summer fling, or are Mitzi’s next designs for herself and seeing her own dreams come true?
My Thoughts…
Everything about this book is wonderful. The idea that three women come home and start a business making size 14 and large dresses so that every person can be beautiful for any special occasion. They specialize in wedding dresses but have been known to make dresses for other reasons.
Tabby and Dixie are two teenagers who have been bullied due to their size, when they approach the ladies to make them dresses for a wedding they are in these women take them into their hearts and show that how truly beautiful and special they are. I love how open, loving, and protective they are to these two girls even though they are strangers. They don’t question their hearts, they don’t question their reasoning, they just do it.
Each of these women is happy with their lives but their lives are not quite what they wish them to be. It was fun watching each woman open their hearts and lives to others in the community. They see what they have been missing, what they want to achieve, and go for their goals. They fall in love, they make new relationships, and they nurture current friendships.
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Excerpt: The Perfect Dress by Carolyn Brown
Mitzi rushed back to the sewing room, where the hum of two
sewing machines filled the air. “Graham Harrison just came in the shop to set
up an appointment for his two daughters. He said they only live a few houses up
the street from us. He looked like a bull in a china shop sitting on that pink
sofa. And of course he didn’t even recognize me, but I sure knew him the minute
I laid eyes on him.”
At the mention of that name from the past, work jolted to a
halt.
“All the girls in high school swooned over him, including Mitzi,
but she hasn’t told us if he’s still as sexy as he was back then.” Jody took a
bowl of salad from the fridge along with a plate of vegetables that she stuck
into the microwave to heat.
“He’s aged very, very well, and I’m having cookies,” Mitzi said.
“Smart girl,” Fanny Lou said. “Life is short. Eat dessert first.
So you had a little crush on Graham?”
“Everyone did,” Mitzi answered.
“Not me. I was always in love with Lyle,” Jody said.
“Well, according to what I heard at the church bake sale today,
Graham moved his daughters here to Celeste because they were being fat shamed
down in Greenville. One of them knocked a girl on her butt, blacked both eyes,
and bloodied her nose with one punch. It was the last day of school and they
said they were going to suspend her for the first two weeks of next year for
fighting,” Jody said.
“She should get a medal, not suspended,” Mitzi fumed.
Fanny Lou took a gallon jug of sweet tea from the fridge. “Who
all wants a glass?”
Three hands went up.
She filled four glasses with ice and then tea and carried them
to the table. “I remember when he went to work for his dad at the Cadillac
dealership—right after he and Rita got married. His dad gave him a job on the
lowest level, and he had to work his way up. Rita was furious because she
thought they’d get a big house and a new Caddy every year. Stupid woman figured
since his folks had money that he had an open bank account.”
Paula took the ham and cheese containers from the fridge while
Mitzi pulled a loaf of bread from the cabinet. “You eating with us, Granny?”
“I’ll eat with you and Paula, but I don’t want any of that stuff
Jody is having. I don’t eat fake meat. I’ll eat what I want and die when I’m
supposed to. Slice some of them tomatoes I brought in here earlier. And I’d
rather have bologna instead of ham and mustard instead of mayo,” Fanny Lou
answered.
“Me, too,” Paula said. “I want one like hers.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Mitzi set about making three
sandwiches.
So Graham was divorced and raising girls on his own. Bless his
heart for getting them away from a school that bullied them because of their
size. Mitzi could relate to the girls. But then, so could Jody and Paula. She’d
always figured that Jody adopted her own modern-day hippie style to combat
those feelings of insecurity. Paula had retreated into superstition. Mitzi had
just plowed her way through emotions and other kids, spending a lot of time in
the principal’s office for fighting.
She pushed all that to the back of her mind, put the sandwiches
on plates, and carried them to the table. “Y’all know that this job for Ellie
Mae could turn into a big thing. I bet her older sister will be the maid of
honor and her mother will want a fancy dress.”
“That’s what you’re in business for, isn’t it?” Fanny Lou said.
“Man, this brings back memories. Friday night was bologna sandwich night when I
was a kid.”
“Why?” Jody asked.
“Because Mama always cleaned house on Friday, and she didn’t
have time to make a big meal,” Fanny Lou answered.
“Funny how an hour of beading takes forever and our noon hour
goes so fast.” Jody pointed to the clock.
“Good Lord!” Fanny Lou finished off her sandwich and grabbed a
cookie. “I’ve got an appointment with my CPA at one and it’s a fifteen-minute
drive to Greenville. See you girls later. You have my permission to flirt with
Graham, Mitzi.”
Mitzi’s cheeks began to burn. “I had a teenage crush on
him. I’ve grown up since then.”
Fanny Lou winked as she headed for the door. “Paula, since you
live with Mitzi, I’m putting you in charge of being sure she takes her birth
control pills every morning.”
Mitzi felt even more heat in her cheeks. “Granny!”
“When you get old you get to say whatever the hell you want to.”
Fanny Lou closed the door behind her.
In the small town of Celeste, Texas, Mitzi Taylor has never quite fit inside
the lines. Nearly six feet tall, flame-haired, and with a plus-size spirit to
match every curve, she’s found her niche: a custom wedding-dress boutique
catering to big brides-to-be with big dreams. Taking the plunge alongside her
two best friends, she’s proud they’ve turned The Perfect Dress into a perfect
success.
Just when Mitzi has it all pulled together, Graham Harrison walks back into her
life, looking for bridesmaid dresses for his twin daughters. A still-strapping
jock whose every gorgeous, towering inch smells like aftershave, the star of
all Mitzi’s high school dreams is causing quite a flush.
For Mitzi, all it takes is a touch to feel sparks flitting around her like
fireflies. She can just imagine what a kiss could do. Graham’s feeling it, too.
And he’s about to make that imagination of Mitzi’s run wild. Is it just a hot
summer fling, or are Mitzi’s next designs for herself and seeing her own dreams
come true?
About the Author: Carolyn Brown
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books, which include women’s fiction and historical, contemporary, and cowboys-and-country-music romance. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else and knows what they’re doing and when. And they read the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.
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