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Phaedra Parks has not let being a real housewife stop her hustle flow. The lawyer turned reality TV star has added author to her resume. Her new book “Secrets of A Southern Belle: How to Be Nice, Work Hard, Look Pretty, Have Fun, and Never Have an Off Moment,” is out now. In it, the Georgia-born Parks shares her secrets for how to add a sweet Southern touch to your life no matter whether or not you were born below the Mason-Dixon line.

“It’s not about geography. You don’t have to be from the South. You just have to have a Southern mindset. When I think about a Southern belle, I think about a woman who carries herself with confidence. She has a tranquil spirit, she’s always prepared, she knows what she wants and she gets it. She expects the best, therefore, she gets the best.”

Parks says there are numerous secrets that she shares in the book about how to improve all elements of your life. She covers everything from entertaining to finding a great job. But don’t think it’s all just about smiling, talking sweet and looking good. Parks’ offers some real-world advice.

“It’s all about being prepared,” Parks told the Tom Joyner Morning Show. “And thinking ahead, so you always have an A, B, C option available for everything you do. Some people get into situations when they’re not prepared. I always tell people success comes when opportunity meets preparation.”

Parks says that her castmates aren’t in the Southern belle category, especially Kenya Moore, who’s often been her nemesis on the show. Despite Moore’s claim to “Gone With the Wind” fabulousness (a dubious distinction for anyone who’s actually read the book) Parks sniffs, “She’s anything but fabulous. If you want to talk about a beauty queen on bath salts, we can talk about that.” Ouch.

But maybe Parks is justified given the messy texts Moore’s been sending to her hubby, Apollo Nida.  Though the ladies tried to reconcile their problems on Sunday’s episode, we don’t think they’ll be planning birthday parties for each other anytime soon. Parks, who had her second son, Dylan, with Nida, this summer, says that despite the cattiness and drama on the highly rated show, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, now in it’s sixth season, remains a project she’s proud to be involved with.

“It allows people to see how six women live very differently. Most of us are extremely successful. With the betrayal of black women now, behaving very badly on some shows, on our show, we fight with our words.” A few weaves being pulled doesn’t count, we figure.

“At the end of the day, what makes the show work is that we have a lot of different personalities, and that’s what’s entertaining. If we were homogenized and everyone was just the same, it wouldn’t be fun for the viewers. I’m never after anyone to leave the show. I can work with anyone. I think everyone brings something different to the show.”

In true Southern belle mode, Parks says that Wendy Williams’ recent comments that Parks needs to depart the show are a good thing.

“I’m glad Wendy’s giving me the free publicity and that’s she’s keeping my name on her lips because that means she’s thinking about me.”

But does Williams qualify as a Southern belle?

“She’s a very tall lady,” Parks said, in true Southern belle fashion.

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