Judy Kelly
I have retired from public school teaching where I taught elementary, middle, and high school students. I loved teaching elementary and high school students and often think about those students and how they are doing. Presently I am an adjunct professor at a college in Maryland where I have taught speech, College Reading, and English. I love working with students, helping them see their value and encouraging them. I also teach Fiction Writing in the Life Long Learning Institute at two colleges in Maryland.
My first novel, That Ever Died So Young was a Finalist in the Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction Award, 2014 and Blessings and Curses was in the Top Ten Most Popular Novels at the Frankfurt, Sharjah, and Guadalajara International Book Fairs, 2018.
Blessings and Curses is the result of my high school students who though they had nothing to offer society and wanted to give up. Many of the students came from other countries and didn't know the culture or the language and could not depend on their parents to help. They didn't see their value and thought dropping out of school to become the people that society had labeled them was their only way. Other students had other problems, but all thought they had nothing to give. As the teacher in their English class, I worked hard to get each one to see their value and how they all have skill and are important people.
Aside from working with my students, I love to read and write, visit museums, love live theater and the movies. I have enjoyed long distance biking and walking and at one time I was addicted to the gym. I don't believe the addiction did much to improve my body shape, but I was convinced that if I went every day I would surely see results soon.
Lately, I have been on the radio talking about my novel, Blessings and Curses, and I am so enjoying it. Some time ago, I was a TV talk show host on a cable network, and I have been thinking about that and this radio tour I'm doing. The cable show and TV shows have ignited my thoughts about doing podcasts or starting a radio or TV show again where I would invite other authors to talk about their novels.
