A New Attitude
by Charlotte Hughes

Marilee Abernathy is the talk of Chickpea, South Carolina. Her husband, Grady- the not-so-reverend town pastor-has fallen under the mammary-enhanced spell of Lafonda Bonaire, the town floozy. Forsaking both home and career, the ex- reverend leaves home to move into his new den of iniquity- LaFonda's trailer. As if this weren't bad enough, their son, Josh, decides he'd rather live with his father in that "palace of sin" than stay with his smothering mother.

Unable to bear the shame of it all, Marilee decides to give the town something to really talk about- a suicide. Dressed impeccably with pearls and carefully applied Mary Kay cosmetics, Marilee prepares to meet her Maker. But, like everything else she turns her hand to lately, Marilee fails in her bid to make a graceful exit. After all, how can you expire from carbon dioxide poisoning when you forget to put gas in the car? Undeterred, Marilee decides to hang herself from a beam in the ceiling. However, when the fake beam gives way, Marilee almost brings the house down upon her head at the same time as bringing Sam Brewer into her life.

As a young man, Sam Brewer had something of a reputation with the ladies of Chickpea. Looking to escape the past, he left home and made a name for himself as a successful building contractor in Atlanta. Now he has returned home to take care of his mother but he didn't expect Marilee to come crashing into his life- especially like this.

And while Marilee's family may have abandoned her, her friends have not. Rallying around their friend, Ruby Ledbetter and Clara Goolesby remind Marilee that she has much to live for- including her promise to help raise funds to renovate Blessing Home for Pregnant Women. And with that they convince her to put up Winnie Fry, a very pregnant young black girl whose bark is worse than her bite.

And so, with the support of her friends, Marilee takes her first faltering steps at independence as she enters the workplace for the first time. However, all those years dealing with the congregation as the wife of a minister have prepared Marilee far better for dealing with people than she had imagined. Soon she is transporting corpses in the middle of the night, singing for her supper, and bargaining with armed thieves with aplomb.

As Marilee makes her way in the world, she surprises herself- if not her friends- with her capacity for standing on her own two feet. Soon she finds she is not missing her fallen husband quite so much. What's more, she is shocked by the interest she seems to be generating from Sam Brewer. But will good friends and a new attitude be enough for her to win back her son?

Other Books by Charlotte Hughes

Full Bloom

Full Tilt

Charlotte Hughes' Bio

Charlotte Hughes was raised in the South, the oldest and only daughter of three children. Her love of reading began in second grade when she read "Charlotte's Web," and she went on to become a devoted Nancy Drew fan. In college, she majored in communications and quickly found her voice in works by Southern authors like Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, and Katherine Anne Porter. Her favorite book, which she claims to have read several times, is "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.

Charlotte was introduced to romance by Kathleen Woodiwiss and early Danielle Steel books. She was in her late twenties, and a new mother, when she began writing seriously, trying her hand at short stories and, finally, category romances. Although she collected numerous rejections on her first book, her second book, "Too Many Husbands," was snatched up by Bantam Books and published as a Loveswept in 1987. The book quickly hit the #1 spot on Waldenbooks. Charlotte went on to write almost 30 books for the line before it closed. Since that time, she has written romantic comedy, a "soft" horror anthology, and romantic suspense. After co-authoring the very popular Full House series with Janet Evanovich, Charlotte decided to start her own series about a female clinical psychologist and her crazy family, friends, and patients. The first book, "What Looks Like Crazy," will hit bookstores in late February, 2008.

With 40 books under her belt, Charlotte is best known for her "gut-busting" comedy. Although she has won a number of awards, her biggest thrill is hearing from readers who claimed her books helped them get through a very difficult time in their lives. "I've received letters from cancer patients and those who have lost loved ones who told me they were able to laugh through their darkest moments because of my books. Those letters mean more to me than awards and bestseller lists." Her comedy, she claims extends into her personal life. She trained her nieces and nephews at an early age to call her Beautiful Aunt Charlotte.

Charlotte first fell in love with historic Beaufort, SC, while vacationing on one of the Sea Islands when her two sons were less than three years old. Finally, in 1992, the family relocated to the area, and Charlotte has been there ever since. The coastal town, having escaped the destruction of the Civil War, boasts more than 100 antebellum homes and churches, and is a tourist hot-spot and home to author Pat Conroy. "I find being surrounded by water, salt marshes, and enormous moss-draped live oaks calming," Charlotte says. "I can't imagine living any place else." She admits to being a homebody who keeps a low profile. Only a couple of her neighbors know she's a bestselling author.

With her sons grown, Charlotte shares her lowcountry home with two Dachshunds whom she lovingly refers to as Dumb and Dumber, as well as Yorkie named Sassy who rules the roost. "It's like having three toddlers in the house," she says, "but where else do you get that kind of unconditional love?"