FJ: When did you decide to become a writer?

Judith: I’ve been writing since I was 7 years old. I began with poetry and wrote my first story at the age of 11. In high school, I took every English class offered, and in my senior year, I asked my English teacher if she would support me in an independent study so I could write a book. She agreed and I did. Never published it.

FJ: When did you decide to become a writer?

Mar: No decision involved. I slid into it. Being a wordsmith had been important in my working life in academia. I thought everybody could write. Widowed after only 4 days in our retirement home, I had a vast sea of empty time. Silly me. I thought writing a mystery would be easy because I was a passionate reader of crime fiction. I laugh now that I know just how hard it is.