"Happy Birthday, Miss Julia! You're TEN!"

That's right. Miss Julia Springer Murdoch, the beloved heroine of the Miss Julia novels, was "born" ten years ago, and The Country Bookshop is having a party on Tuesday, April 28, at 1 p.m. at Penick Village in the South Building Lounge.

The guest of honor? Why, none other than the author herself, Ann B. Ross.

"We are absolutely delighted to invite Ann's fans to celebrate the tenth and newest book in the series, 'Miss Julia Delivers the Goods,'" says Bobbie Bicket, owner of The Country Bookshop. "A year ago Ann was here on a Sunday when the shop was closed. We moved the bookcases to make room, but the response was overwhelming and we had to turn people away. When our good friends at Penick Village in Southern Pines invited us to use the lounge in the South Building, we gladly accepted. Although there is more room there, seating is still limited, so we're asking people to call the bookshop at (910) 692-3211 to make a reservation."

Readers met Miss Julia a decade ago in Ross' "Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind," the first novel in what would become a long-lived series. Miss Julia was a proper Southern gentlewoman of "a certain age"--gracious, agreeable, and socially correct--living in the small town of Abbottsville, N.C., with her husband of 44 years, town banker Wesley Lloyd. After he dies suddenly, Miss Julia, like a lot of new widows, had to learn to manage her money and run her own household. Her life was further complicated when her late husband's mistress, Hazel Marie, and his 9-year-old son, Little Lloyd, appeared at Miss Julia's door and she took them in.

Ross says all she was trying to do then was depict a realistic character who faces some of the same issues (and some worse ones) that many women do. "I try to make her a well-rounded character, one who has faults, a lack of insight, and one who often does the right thing for the wrong reasons. I'm not trying to make any particular point with this character; I'm just pleased when readers identify with her and enjoy reading about her."

Over the next decade Ross wrote a Miss Julia novel each year. "I tried to make each stand alone, so that a reader could start with any one of them," she says, "but of course I couldn't repeat everything in each succeeding book. And, in a series, characters and their relationships with each other do change and grow, and I tried to show that over the course of the books."

Although Ross says she can't accept and use any ideas sent to her, her new book, "Miss Julia Delivers the Goods," is a response to an e-mail she received from a fan. "I'm 91 1/2 years old and before I close my eyes for the last time, something has got to be done about Hazel Marie and Mr. Pickens," she wrote.

"If she wants to know what happens," Ross says, "then I better tell her." With "Miss Julia Delivers the Goods," Ross kept that promise.

Penick Village-South Building, where the Meet the Author event will be held, is located at East Rhode Island and Ridge Road.

For information and reservations, call The Country Bookshop at (910) 692-3211.