Ross, Ann B.

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Ross, Ann B.

PERSONAL:

Children: two daughters, one son. Education: Attended Armstrong College and Blue Ridge Technical College; University of North Carolina at Asheville, B.A.; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.A., Ph.D. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, needlepoint, horseback riding, spending time with family.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Hendersonville, NC. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Novelist. Former professor of literature and humanities at University of North Carolina at Asheville. Also worked as an operating room nurse for five years.

WRITINGS:

The Murder Cure, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1978.

The Murder Stroke, 1981.

The Pilgrimage, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

"MISS JULIA" SERIES

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, William Morrow (New York, NY), 1999.

Miss Julia Takes Over, Viking (New York, NY), 2001.

Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, Viking (New York, NY), 2002.

Miss Julia Hits the Road, Viking (New York, NY), 2003.

Miss Julia Meets Her Match, Viking (New York, NY), 2004.

Miss Julia's School of Beauty, Viking (New York, NY), 2005.

Miss Julia Stands Her Ground, Viking (New York, NY), 2006.

Miss Julia Strikes Back, Viking (New York, NY), 2007.

Miss Julia Paints the Town, Viking (New York, NY), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Novelist Ann B. Ross is the author of Miss Julia Takes Over and other works in her best-selling "Miss Julia" series, which features a proper but feisty septuagenarian from North Carolina. "I identify with Miss Julia to the extent that we've both been raised as Southern gentlewomen—to be gracious, agreeable, and socially correct in all that we do, regardless of how we actually feel," Ross commented in an interview on her home page. Asked if she based Miss Julia on someone from her own life, the author remarked, "I suppose I can say that she is a combination or blend of a lot of strong-minded, straight-talking women I've known. It is fascinating to me, though, that many readers tell me that they know ‘a Miss Julia,’ and they wonder if I've met their aunt or grandmother or neighbor."

Ross, who taught literature and the humanities at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, introduced her popular character in Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, a 1999 title. After the sudden death of her husband, Wesley Lloyd Springer, a prudent banker and a mainstay of their small community, Julia DeWitt Springer receives yet another shock when Wesley's mistress, Hazel Marie Puckett, and their illegitimate nine-year-old son, Little Lloyd, arrive penniless at her doorstep. Despite criticism from her neighbors, Miss Julia reluctantly agrees to house the pair while fending off a greedy pastor who has designs on her inheritance. A critic in Publishers Weekly called the work "fast-paced and funny," and Library Journal reviewer Christopher Koranowsky similarly noted that Ross's "dialog produces laugh-out-loud responses."

In Miss Julia Takes Over, the strong-willed widow grows concerned when Hazel Marie doesn't return from her date with Wilson T. Hodge, a scheming church fundraiser. With the police of little assistance, Julia hires private investigator J.D. Pickens to locate the pair, though she insists on accompanying him as he pursues the case across the state. According to Booklist reviewer Mary Ellen Quinn, Ross permits "the reader to laugh gently at … Miss Julia while thoroughly enjoying the view through her eyes."

When Sheriff Coleman Bates and lawyer Binkie Enloe announce their engagement, Miss Julia offers to let them use her home for the ceremony in Miss Julia Throws a Wedding. All of her plans seem for naught, however, when Binkie develops cold feet and wants to back out, among other calamities. "Ross gets a bit carried away with wedding details, but her cheeky style works flawlessly once Miss Julia digs into the romantic intrigue," a Publishers Weekly critic stated. In Miss Julia Hits the Road, the determined Southerner comes to the rescue of her longtime housekeeper, Lillian, whose home is threatened by a rapacious developer. Miss Julia teams with her love interest, lawyer Sam Murdoch, to organize a marathon fundraising event that finds her donning leather chaps and hopping on the back of a Harley Davidson. "Along with the opinionated and indomitable heroine, the series charms readers with its gentle humor and small-town southern setting," noted Quinn.

In Miss Julia Meets Her Match, the fifth work in Ross's series, Miss Julia confronts the owners of a dubious religious theme park and downplays rumors that another of her late husband's paramours has come to Abbotsville. In Miss Julia's School of Beauty, the spunky protagonist reluctantly agrees to help Hazel Marie with a beauty contest for Miss Abbot County Sheriff's Department, only to find the pageant contestants are sorely in need of assistance. Miss Julia's personal life is in shambles, too, as her quickie marriage to Sam may not be completely legal. "Fun for series fans, although a few of Ross' characters teeter dangerously close to being stereotypes," observed Quinn.

When Brother Vernon Puckett, Hazel Marie's troublesome uncle, disputes the parentage of Little Lloyd, Miss Julia and Sam attempt to retrieve some of her late husband's DNA in Miss Julia Stands Her Ground. While Sam is away, Miss Julia's home is broken into and her engagement ring is stolen in Miss Julia Strikes Back. With the help of Little Lloyd, Etta Mae Wiggins, and private eye Frank Tuttle, Miss Julia heads to Florida to recover the missing goods. Quinn described the novel as "a wacky and mildly suspenseful escapade."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 1999, Nancy Pearl, review of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, p. 1795; July, 2001, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of Miss Julia Takes Over, p. 1983; May 15, 2002, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, p. 1577; April 15, 2003, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of Miss Julia Hits the Road, p. 1451; April 15, 2004, Mary Ellen Quinn, "Ann B. Ross' Miss Julia," p. 1426; March 15, 2005, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of Miss Julia's School of Beauty, p. 1267; March 1, 2007, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of Miss Julia Strikes Back, p. 69.

Library Journal, June 15, 1999, Shannon Haddock, review of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, p. 110; January, 2000, Christopher Koranowsky, review of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, p. 200.

Publishers Weekly, May 24, 1999, review of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, p. 62; July 16, 2001, review of Miss Julia Takes Over, p. 160; April 8, 2002, review of Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, p. 205; March 31, 2003, review of Miss Julia Hits the Road, p. 45.