About

About Judy

I was born in California but now live in Arizona with my husband and my Giant Schnoodle.

I have always loved reading and writing and have wanted to be a writer since I was a child. I had a dream job for awhile, working as a clerk in a library. I worked in Mesa’s city library for years and had lots of fun reading and coming up with ideas for stories in that rich and full environment. I am now following my real dream job, pursuing my career as a professional writer.

I struggle with a chronic illness (Meniere’s Disease) which brought me to my wonderful service dog (Amos). I am hard of hearing and I write despite having dyslexia. I am also living with stage 4 metastatic cancer, and in July 2022 had brain surgery. I attribute my ability to continue on with my writing to my strong faith in God and my belief that He will not abandon me through my illnesses. I am currently undergoing chemotherapy.

I write mostly fantasy, but occasionally delve into other genres just for fun. I have been published in dozens of magazines and anthologies. I have also written dozens of books and hundreds of short stories for all ages.

I have been mentored for the last few years by Dean Wesley Smith. I highly recommend his workshops on Teachable as well as his non-fiction books for all beginning writers. You can find his books/workshops over on his blog at DeanWesleySmith.com.

You can usually find me writing, reading, playing RPG games, and drinking lots of coffee. Either that or I will be napping, because, let’s face it, chemo is exhausting.

About Amos

Amos is a Giant Schnoodle (Giant Schnauzer and Standard Poodle mix). He has been through Service Dog training with me and he passed his Public Access test with flying colors. He is a total sweetheart, but is now retired from out-of-house duty due to health issues. He continues to alert me at home on a daily basis and was the one to discover my most recent cancer and aided me in getting timely treatment. If not for him, my cancer would have gotten much worse, and honestly, I would probably be dead. So he is my little hero and a gift from God.

You can usually find Amos napping, pretending to play fetch, or watching the world go by out the front window. He loves barking at delivery trucks, hanging out with me while I write, and pestering my husband at his computer for snacks.