Ann B. Ross reading and books igning at Malaprop’s, Aug. 31

From a press release:

Ann B. Ross reading and book signing at Malaprop’s, Aug. 31

Ann B. Ross reading, signing and Q&A
Sunday, Aug. 31, 3 p.m.
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café
Open to the public

Ann B. Ross’s Miss Julia books are always a delight, and Etta Mae’s Worst bad Luck Day is no exception.” — —J.A. Jance, author of Moving Target

“Fans of Ann B. Ross will love this book! Etta Mae Wiggins is the funniest character to come down the pike since Miss Julia showed up to speak her mind. I laughed all the way through it. Hooray for Etta Mae!” — Fannie Flagg, New York Times bestselling author of The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion and Fried Green Tomatoes

For fifteen years, Ann B. Ross has delighted readers of her New York Times bestselling “Miss Julia” series with the hilarious hijinks of the residents of Abbotsville. This August, Viking is thrilled to publish Etta Mae’s Worst bad Luck Day, in which, for the first time, Ross brings Abbotsville to life from the perspective of a woman that some may call the polar opposite of Miss Julia: the hardscrabble, heart-of-gold Etta Mae Wiggins.

Try as Etta Mae might, she can never escape her daddy’s no-good last name, and she wonders when people are going to come to their senses and see that she isn’t just like her low-down kin. But when Etta Mae becomes the home nurse for Mr. Howard Connard, Sr., an aged and frail—yet also wealthy and highly respected —Abbotsville man, she sees an opportunity to say sayonara to her trailer park days once and for all. Becoming Mrs. Howard Connard, Sr., will give Etta Mae the dignity she needs to make her way in the world, and all Mr. Connard wants in return is a little excitement, which Etta Mae is more than happy to provide. Not everyone is thrilled by the wedding plans—least of all Mr. Connard’s scheming, money-hungry son and his stuck-up, holier-than-thou wife. With many challenges standing in her way, and on what seems to be the worst bad-luck day of her life, Etta Mae’s going to have to work hard and fast if she wants to get hitched before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, in the midst of this mayhem, Etta Mae’s ex-husband Skip shows up at her doorstep with a winning lottery ticket. But he didn’t come just to celebrate his good fortune; he’s fleeing the thuggish Puckett brothers, who are after his bounty. Between keeping Skip safe and getting that marriage license come Hell or high water, Etta Mae has quite an adventure ahead of her.

Etta Mae’s Worst bad Luck Day gives readers a glimpse into the beloved town of Abbotsville from an entirely new perspective, with appearances by quite a few familiar characters, including Miss Julia herself, who pens a letter that serves as the introduction to Etta Mae’s story. Etta Mae’s Worst bad Luck Day is a very special, one-time-only publishing event for Ann B. Ross and her legions of fans as they await the next Miss Julia novel, Miss Julia Lays Down the Law, coming in April 2015.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ann B. Ross holds a doctorate in English from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and has taught literature at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. She is the author of fifteen novels featuring the popular southern heroine Miss Julia. For more information, please visit www.missjulia.com