wilson's big hair and flying cows

Roberta Byrd – better known as Bertie – drives a tow truck for her father’s auto shop in the small town of Sweet Meadow, Georgia. All Bertie wants is to live a normal life, to find the man of her dreams, settle down, and escape the wrath of the Garden Club members of her church. That’s no easy thing to accomplish when the residents in your town view your wrecker service as a taxi service and will do anything to get a ride. It’s not easy when an airplane rolls over your hand, breaking it, and your brother moves in with you while he’s estranged from his wife. And it’s definitely not easy when the owner and previous resident of her house, elderly Pete Forney, constantly sneaks out of the nursing home to visit. If she’s lucky, he’s in his pajamas; if she’s not, he’s wearing nothing more than his birthday suit. After an accident with a mattress makes the national news, Bertie begins receiving threatening letters full of wacky tips from her stalker, “Jack.” Readers will laugh as Bertie heads downtown to file for a permit to park her wrecker at her house, only to discover that the official notices forbidding her to park her wrecker in her driveway were signed by dead man. Although Wilson’s debut novel can sometimes seem over the top with the nonstop craziness, it’s still a wonderful read. Bertie is a true Southern woman, able to survive at any cost, and to do it with style. Readers will relate to Bertie as she muddles through life and ultimately finds that commitment, love, support, and trust are closer than she thought.