The Pioneer Woman: The Accidental Country Girl Comes to the Mayo

Another successful event from Book Smart Tulsa! An estimated 700 fans forfeited Mardi Gras celebrations to meet the fabulous Pioneer Woman herself, Ree Drummond, at The Mayo Hotel in downtown Tulsa. Her latest book, The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels-- A Love Story, tells the story of her meeting Marlboro Man, winding up on a cattle ranch and their first year of marriage.

There could be no better venue to bring out the city girl in Ree than the Crystal Ballroom of this historic hotel. There was even a cash bar and valet parking available!

{Insert oohs and ahhs here}

The Pioneer Woman, with her brother, Mike, took to the podium and immediately surpassed every expectation I had of her. Could it be possible that she is even more darling in person?

After a blizzard canceled her first book signing, Ree still couldn't catch a break getting to Tulsa. Driving into town, her brakes went out and she had to take out some fencing- everyone was OK! Still a little shook up, Ree shares that she is not a fan of public speaking- even the four-year-olds at church make her nervous- so she quickly got to signing the hundreds and hundreds of books before her.

The crowd waited patiently for hours to have their chance to share a few words with PW herself and take advantage of many photo opportunities. Mike even penned a few covers, stirred up some laughs and shared some loving moments with his sister...

Aww!

Not everyone could make the transition from city to country life as graciously as The Pioneer Woman has, let alone turn it into an opportunity. I'm guessing the patience and diligence that she demonstrated during this event has a lot to do with it! We reached the front of the line after a mere four hours of anticipation and she gave us the same attention and dazzling smile as if we had been the very first. This woman really appreciates her fans- and we appreciate her!

I'm excited to dive into her new book and hear any feedback from those who have read it!

During the event, Jeff Martin, from Book Smart Tulsa announced some exciting upcoming events I hadn't seen posted on their website. Much to my delight, they were about my favorite subject- food! Of note,  Book Smart Tulsa is helping to bring the Lee Brothers to Philbrook Museum on April 30th. You might recognize them from appearances on Food Network and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Also, Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery & Cafe in Boston and Dorie Greenspan, author of Around My French Table will be making appearances!

Don't miss Book Smart's next event- it's a big one! They will be celebrating their two year anniversary along with the release of Jeff Martin and C. Max Magee's new book- The Late American Novel: Writers on the Future of Books. Catch it Thursday, March 10th at Dwelling Spaces at 7pm!