This is the pseudonym of author Dorothy Howell. 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 37th 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 23 historical novels, with sales approaching 3 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 launched in July, 2008 in hardcover, under the name Dorothy Howell. The debut mystery, HANDBAGS AND HOMICIDE, was a Publishers Weekly starred review. That was followed this year by PURSES AND POISON. The series has 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.