Southern Belle star of ‘Georgia Bottoms’

Georgia Bottoms is the queen of Six Points, Ala. Her family has lived there for generations, and her reputation as a beautiful, well-heeled, generous Southern lady is well-earned.

But Georgia has some big secrets that she guards with her life, and all, um, heck could break loose if just one of those cats is let out of the bag.

Since Georgia's family no longer has their fortune, but they still have the high costs of running their slowly crumbling estate, Georgia turns to what she does best — she "entertains" wealthy men of the town in exchange for “gifts” of money. In fact, she has a different man for every day (though she does manage to take off one day a week).

When the Baptist minister (Mr. Saturday Night) almost announces their indiscretion to the entire congregation, Georgia kicks into survival mode. And, she does a fairly good job of damage control ... or so she thinks.

Georgia’s little charades continue but complications constantly arise. She puts out fires and adjusts to small changes such as her increasingly forgetful mother, Little Mama, or her alcoholic brother who just can't seem to keep his nose clean. Still, life goes on and she handles it all with aplomb.

Then things get really dicey. Georgia has a son, a secret she has kept for nearly 20 years — until the day he ends up on her front porch. This new development in her life is much more complicated than even Georgia will admit.

With his latest novel, “Georgia Bottoms,” author Mark Childress again brings to life that most illusive of all women — the Southern belle — and he shows his creative and imaginative skills for combining the hilarious and the heartfelt to reveal the inner secrets of Southern womanhood. Childress’ writing is smooth and easy to absorb, and readers will find themselves drawn into Georgia’s antics from the first page.

Childress’ best-selling novel “Crazy in Alabama” was turned into a hit movie, and I really expect to see “Georgia Bottoms” on the big screen someday soon as well. If you’re a fan of Southern fiction, you’ll enjoy this fun romp through Alabama.