and Blessed comes a series about church ladies of the South. After reading this first novel in the series, fans of Southern fiction write, "I want to live next door to Mildred Budge."

A retired school teacher, Mildred Budge just wants to live a quiet life in her hometown of Cloverdale. But retirement does not mean she can say no to a friend--not a friend in trouble. A disciplined woman, Mildred can breathe the word "no" to a second cup of ice cream. Can resist drinking too much champagne. But when it comes right down to a friend needing a favor, she may say no first, but if someone really needs her-really needs her! -she always said yes.

That's how Mildred ended up with strangers camped out in her spare bedroom while helping her friend Fran launch a new business at the antique emporium.

The only real 'no' Mildred had said in recent history was to a man who loved her. Hugh wasn't the first man to pursue her. But he was the most recent. And she had been flattered but not interested-not in the way the widower wanted her to be interested.
Hugh didn't give up right away. He lodged himself near her at church. Found her in the church kitchen after a fellowship supper to aid in the clean-up. And finally, her would-be lover just asked her to say 'yes' to him outright. That was the moment when Mildred had to say a final 'no.'
Only her best friend Fran understood. Fran said when Mildred finally felt the regretful effects of that no, "We're all of us such fools."
But they aren't fools. Mildred Budge and her friends are just people trying to live inside the faith released from heaven through the One who didn't say no.
This is the first novel in the series about Mildred Budge and her friends-just ordinary people trying to live out an extraordinary hope available to anyone who realizes what kind of help he or she really needs. That hope has a name, and Mildred Budge knows it. Need hope? Need a friend?
Mildred Budge is a very good friend. If you like spending time with people who are ordinary but extraordinarily hopeful, then you'll love this story. Get a copy of this first novel in the series and find out for yourself what church ladies really think.About the author:
Daphne Simpkins is a Southern woman who writes about a variety of subjects and often on the secret lives of church ladies. Befriend her on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin.com. To sign up for new release information go to DaphneSimpkins.org. Other Mildred Budge titles include the next two novels: Mildred Budge in Embankment and The Bride's Room. Early short stories which were published in the United States and Canada are in two books: Miss Budge in Love and The Mission of Mildred Budge. A stand-alone Christmas story featuring Mildred Budge and her friend Dixie is Miss Budge Goes to Fountain City. That Southern city is also celebrated in another book not in the series called Christmas in Fountain City.

Other titles by Daphne Simpkins are: The Long Good Night, A Cookbook for Katie, What Al Left Behind, Blessed, Lovejoy, a novel about desire.