Hendersonville author of Miss Julia books has new one out

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It has been 10 years, 10 books and 10 capers for Miss Julia, the woman of a certain age who keeps the fictional town of Abbotsville, N.C., in line — and interesting. Author Ann B. Ross didn’t know how popular her series would become when she wrote the first book, “Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind,” published in 1999. Actually, she didn’t even know it would get published, even though she had previously written three other novels, now out ofprint.

“I never dreamed of it,” Ross said in a phone interview with The Herald-Sun from her home in Hendersonville. But a few months after Miss Julia created a buzz, her publisher was asking for more. The character — who is not, for the record, Ross — she pictured in her mind was an older woman in a white winter coat and hat clutching a handbag and the hand of a little boy. Ross didn’t see the boy as the woman’s grandson, so she considered other relationship possibilities.

The basis of the Miss Julia story is that she becomes a widow after a long and unpleasant marriage to Wesley Lloyd Springer who, it turns out, had a child with another woman, a younger woman named Hazel Marie. The mistress and the child, little Lloyd, show up at Julia’s door. In the series, the wealthy Julia takes them in and becomes like family to them both, with special fondness for Lloyd. She also remarries a much nicer man, named Sam.

Each novel includes a new development in Julia’s life as well as a mystery she manages to solve. Julia is concerned about appearances, but also has a soft heart and a daring streak. Ross said the fun of writing in first person is that Julia can’t see herself, but the readers do. Her favorite of the 10 novels is her first, the coming-of-age story that started it all, she said, but the most fun novel to write was “Miss Julia Hits the Road,” which has the protagonist riding a motorcycle.

Ross’ latest novel is “Miss Julia Delivers the Goods.” Julia finds herself again trying to maintain the perception of propriety when she finds out that Hazel Marie, whom she worked so hard to help be accepted by local ladies of the church, is in a delicate condition. And unmarried. Julia tries to join Hazel Marie and Hazel Marie’s ex in marriage before the local busybodies know what’s going on. Meanwhile, someone has broken into Sam’s second house, destroying his office and stealing records. Sam had been working on a local history book and found some things that seem questionable in court records. Julia tries her best to solve both situations.