I met author Jude Johnson as a result of our collaboration on Seven Dress Sizes. Over the course of the past year, I’ve learned that not only is she a talented author, but she’s a hoot with a wicked sense of humor. . I present Jude, please give her a warm welcome.

Jude, tell us a little about yourself, how long have you been writing and how did you get started?

I’ve always written, just never shared with anyone until 2002 when a group of friends encouraged me (actually, they double-dog dared me!) to write a novel. I independently published my first, Dragon & Hawk — about a Welsh immigrant who falls for a Mexican healer in 1880s Arizona — and when it did pretty well, I expanded the story into a trilogy. It was quite exciting to have the series picked up by Canadian publisher Champagne Book Group and re-published.

What types of stories do you write?

I love history and the interpersonal relationships that made little events into big deals, so my favorite storytelling involves historical fiction, adventure, and romance woven into a tapestry. I can get a little steamy, and I like to challenge myself with short stories because they’re so hard to get beginning, middle, and end in less than 5000 words.

What’s your favorite story you’ve written?

Wow, that’s like asking, “Who’s your favorite child?” The first is always a labor of love and determination but the latest project is always fresh in your mind. Dian Monroe’s story of being a size twenty in a size zero culture in Seven Dress Sizes is one I’m very proud to have written. I’ve had a few people tell me it brought them close to tears, so I’m glad I managed to evoke strong emotions.

And in a similar vein, who’s your fav story or character in all of literary history?

Boy, you really like to make me pull a Sophie’s Choice, don’t you? I guess the Hornblower series by C.S. Forester ekes it out on top (Horatio is such a self-doubting reluctant hero), but I also love Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Master and Commander, and the Temeraire series as well.

Ok, let’s switch tracks.  Tell us a little about your  short story  in Seven Dress Sizes.

“The Well-Rounded Woman” tells Dian Monroe’s tale of what it’s like to grow up as a Fat Girl–not only in school but as the only large person in her immediate family. How hard it is to feel accepted and fit in, how she has so much inner strength that she undervalues, and how she blossoms into her own when she gains the confidence to be herself. Based on personal experience, it was quite difficult to write at times, but I wanted other women–and especially young girls–to see there is far more to living a joyful life than fitting into a certain number.

What’s next for you?  What are you working on now?

I have a contemporary romance trilogy of novellas involving ballroom dancing coming out from Champagne Books, starting in September 2013 with A Dangerous Dance, then A Wicked Waltz and A Torrid Tango. Works in progress at the moment are a children’s book about a dyslexic dragon and the little girl who helps him, and –ooh, drum roll–I just finished research in Boston for a Revolutionary War novel about a fellow who jumps ship during the Boston Tea Party. Based on a true story, you won’t know if he’s a patriot or a Loyalist spy until the end…maybe!

Thanks for visiting with me today Jude and telling us a little a more about yourself. Before you leave, can you tell us where we can find you next?

I’m speaking to a local Rotary group May 23, then laying low during the summer heat to work on my projects. I’ll have an update on my website once I start lining up events for the fall.

Jude can also be found on the web at:
Personal Blog/Geiko Girls/ Writers Vineyard/Facebook/Twitter

Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Champagne Books

Ok readers, Jude has hinted that she has a goodie for a lucky commentor, so ask Jude anything about her latest release, Seven Dress Sizes, her writing, or leave a general comment.  Good luck!

Today is day 1 of the biggest challenge I’ve accepted to date in my writing career.  Today, I start work on my new paranormal wip!!

Big whoop, right.  What’s so new and exciting about that you say? Well, thanks to Candace Havens and her Book in a Month Club workshop. I will have a finished manuscript (yes, a complete, from start to finish, 60k word draft ) in 2 (TWO) weeks.

And as you know, music is a huge influence on my writing.  Music  helps to set the tone, helps to channel emotion, and helps to create conflict, as well as resolutions. So, to get me off to a good start on those first 15 pages, I’ve selected my untitled paranormal’s theme song: Otherside by The Red Hot Chlli Peppers. I LOVE this video too.

Muse inspiration lyrics:

  I heard your voice through a photograph
  I thought it up and brought up the past

*Lyrics by: Michael Balzary, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith
*Lyrics are property and copyright of their owners; provided here for educational purposes and personal use only.

Today, Lisa Sullivan is hosting me over at her blog.  I’m talking about the new release, Seven Dress Sizes, of course.  But also giving some insight into my story, “Found Rhythm”, and the angle I took on exploring the collection’s theme.  Check me out!

*Side note-Lisa is owner of L.A.S Books where she provides editorial and desk top publishing assistance. She’s also Executive Editor of Ghosts of the Mid-Atlantic , a monthly magazine dealing the paranormal and the Mid-Atlantic.  Check out an issue or two, it’s good reading.

Today, author Tigris Eden is hosting me over at her blog.

I’m chatting a little about my writing process and my giveaway.  Check it out!

Well the day has arrived! My very first story is now available for sale! WOOHOO!!

Paperback:

Kindle Format:

I was asked to be a contributing author in the Seven Dress Sizes story story collection by 7 DS Books.  I was very drawn to the collection’s theme because, like most people, I, too, have fallen prey to what society deems as beauty and how I don’t measure up to it.  Standards of beauty vary from country to country, industry to industry, and culture to culture, and it seems everyone (women, men, young adults, children in some cases) are always striving for “beauty and acceptance”, but usually falling short because, by and large, the standard is a moving target.  What one deems beautiful, another deems unacceptable.    The thing I like about this collection is that  it showcases seven different stories about seven different dress sizes, all of whom struggling against the “beauty standard”, but ultimately learning to accept themselves as they are and not be bound by their number.

There will be more to come on this topic, so I won’t dive too deep today.  Instead, join me in the excitement that is my very first release date and story in publication!  The collection is available in both ebook and traditional print via Amazon.  For additional detail and purchasing, please click Seven Dress Sizes
or click the book cover above.

Seven Dress Sizes

What is a woman’s worth ? What is beauty? Depending on culture, commercialism, family, or our peers, men and woman have allowed society to dictate a woman’s worth based on nothing more than the outer shell of her existence.

There is no perfect number. No measurement or shape is safe under the judgmental eyes of the world.

No eyes can judge a woman as harshly as her own.

Seven Dress Sizes takes you into the lives of seven different  modern women.  All struggling, in a full scope of shapes and sizes, to find the key to unlocking self worth, acceptance of  their personal beauty, and natural confidence.