Jude, Tina Marie - Writer and Illustrator
My first stories were written in a small bedroom in Iowa. As a child, I said “I am going to be an author some day.” Then I illustrated my stories. My love for reading was the trigger. Through my school years, I continued my favorite hobbies. Then it was time to get a “real” job. None of those first jobs really hit the mark. It took until my husband and I moved to a dairy farm and I was expecting our first child to remember what I loved to do the most. Tragedy struck and we moved to Texas. Ten years later and here I am with three children, same husband and two dogs, and sharing the joy of writing, drawing and reading.
Some rewarding experiences have been mentoring young students in reading, coordinating a fiction critique group, and winning 2nd Place for a children’s story in a conference contest in 2002. Can it get any better than this? Yes, as soon as I can stop delivering newspapers in the middle of the night. But until then, I’ll just keep jotting those ideas and stories down while all of you are asleep.