Beauty Queen Blues Show Up & Wear a Crown

Belynda's recipe for life, Beauty Queen Blues, is an intimate (at times raw) memoir told from her creative, curious, crazy point of view.

From her mother she learned proper etiquette, explicit self-control, and how to sew. Her devil-may-care dad crossed more than a few boundaries. He informed her of the seven deadly sins and taught her how to create memorable cuisine-all while maximizing her flirting techniques. Her two older sisters and one brother were jealous of her being the do-no-wrong baby of the family, but they loved her too-as much as they knew how to love. The Chambers clan was always laughing, at times with each other, but most times at each other.

Crowned a queen in Memphis at 16, Belynda became a popular public personality, recognized for her figuremore than for her self. She showed up, wore her crown, and spoke up for St. Jude's children, women's rights, and the environment. Obsessed, determined, driven to find her comfortable spot in the world, she questioned her religion, race, gender, and discovered that her Southern roots didn't quite fit.

Beauty Queen Blues is a life-changing love story. Two marriages, three daughters, dozens of countries, infinite laughs, delectable food, numerous metaphysical events, broken bones, brains, and hearts pack Belynda's life with divine grace and love. To feed her thrill of cooking for others, she became a chef. Recipes-sensual ones that promise to please-are included.

When Belynda peels away the years writing and remembering those she loved anyway even though they were really f***ed up, she experiences several epiphanies. Love your life sooner is just one of them. Maybe, just maybe, being crazy is a good thing.