Miss Julia Knows a Thing or Two

Chapter 1

After taking a good, long look at myself, I've realized that I may be a little too outspoken in putting forward my opinions, just a bit too quick to judge others to their detriment, much too inclined to think I know what's best for someone else, and entirely too skeptical of every claim to better my life made by salesmen of all stripes, including politicians. So I've decided to turn over a new leaf, and I intend to do it before I get so set in my ways that I can't turn over anything.

And here's the cold, hard truth: I am in danger of becoming a crabby, sharp-tongued old woman who has allowed her worst attributes to become her defining characteristics.

I have, however, recognized the danger in time to do something about it. I well recall being a student in what was then called a Health class in high school-this was long before those classes were enlivened by the use of vegetables as visual aids. During a period on personal hygiene, the teacher informed us that when we begin to smell ourselves, we have been noticeably reeking to others for four days.

That makes me wonder if the same holds true in different situations. I mean, even though I've only just recognized some unbecoming traits in myself, is it possible that they've been obvious to others for much longer?

One never knows how one is judged, so it behooves each of us to be prepared for the worst assessments and get ourselves ready to deal with them. So for me, that means strengthening my better impulses and diminishing those that are unseemly in a lady, and if that term puts me back into an archaic age, then so be it. Actually, no one seems to think that being a lady is worth anything these days. What is now wanted is to be WOMAN-a status that affords all the perquisites of ladyhood plus the benefits of manhood as well.

But I'm off the subject.

After taking that hard look at myself, I didn't like what I saw. So I have determined to smile more, compliment others more, allow others

Ann B. Ross is the author of more than a dozen novels featuring the popular Southern heroine Miss Julia, as well as Etta Mae's Worst Bad-Luck Day, a novel about one of Abbotsville's other most outspoken residents: Etta Mae Wiggins. Ross holds a doctorate in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has taught literature at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. She lives in Hendersonville, North Carolina

"Written with Ross s signature Southern charm and wit, the newest Miss Julia will delight long-time fans of the series and will entice new readers to get to know her. --Booklist 


"As fast, feisty, and full of personality as its heroine." --Kirkus
 
"This amusing tale will please cozy fans." --Publisher's Weekly
Praise for Ann Ross and the Miss Julia series

"Ann B. Ross develops characters so expertly, through quirks, names, and mannerisms, that they easily feel familiar as the reader is gently immersed into the world Miss Ross has created . . . A delightful read."--Winston-Salem Journal

"Miss Julia is one of the most delightful characters to come along in years. Ann B. Ross has created what is sure to become a classic Southern comic novel. Hooray for Miss Julia, I could not have liked it more."--Fannie Flagg, author of The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

"Yes, Miss Julia is back, and I, for one, am one happy camper."--J.A. Jance, author of Cold Betrayal