It was in eighth grade English class that Judith realized she
wanted to be a writer. Her teacher, who was from, what seemed at
the time, the exotic and far off state of Florida, introduced the
class to creative writing. Judith was hooked! Finally, there was
something interesting in school!
But her first published work was still 20 years away.
Life changed
when her family moved to nearby Roanoke, Virginia. On her first
day of school, as she was introduced to Miss O’Neal’s
ninth grade science class, a boy in the back of the room waved
both arms in the air and shouted, “She can sit back here!” Judith
knew that day her fate was sealed.
Judith and that young man just
celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary.
Her husband’s career
in the Air Force took them to California. They had two daughters
and Judith worked in mortgage banking and consumer finance lending.
Somehow, twenty years passed. With the love and support of her
family, Judith’s first novel was
published in 1988.
Seven long years, and countless rejections later,
Judith sold her second novel. A third, then a fourth followed quickly,
and she was on her way. By then she was writing full time. To date,
she’s
produced 22 historical novels, with sales topping 2 million copies
worldwide. Her titles include Harlequin Historical’s Top
Seller of the Year, a RITA Award Finalist, and a No.1 on the Barnes & Noble
Historical List.
In a departure from romantic fiction, Judith signed
a multi-book deal with Kensington Books for a mystery series that
will launch in July, 2008 in hardcover, under the name Dorothy
Howell. The series will have the same strong, sassy heroine, a
hot hero, and the laugh-out-loud humor that readers love in her
romantic fiction.
Judith makes her home in Southern California with
her family that now includes a grandson, who is the light of all
their lives. She is eternally grateful for her family, her readers,
the support of her publisher and agent, and her good fortune.
CONTACT
Judith loves to hear from readers. You can contact her at:
