About Judah Raine

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About Judah Raine

My Background

The Drakensberg

I am a farmers daugher, and so have a love for wide-open spaces and country air. We lived a simple life, and much of that has weaed itself into the tapestry of who I am. Although I live in the city - or as close to it as I can bear - my heart is in the country... those wide sweeping hills and valleys, the majestic mountain peaks, the isolated hamlets that make this country such an amazing place to live. But my heart is in the mountains, and I would live there if I could.

Words have been my passion for as long as I can remember. My Dad would tease that I had been born with a book in one hand and a pen in the other. My first "publishing' experience was at 10 years old, in the South African English Alive publication which sourced contributions from our schools. As a simple and hopelessly shy fam girl, this marked the beginning of a consuming desire to write, and much of my childhood passed in copious notebooks of fairly ridiculous penmanship that set the foundation for where I am today.

As a reader my only stipulation is that it be "good writing". I adore the classics and still have many on my bookshelf. I have read everything from comedy to romance to heavy psychological thrillers. I am grateful for the blessing of having people in my life who encouraged my voracious reading and my tentative and often abysmal writing.

I have no greater joy than being able to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). One of the hardest aspects of my struggle with Hashimoto's Disease has been the crushing of the creative instinct that goes with it. Yet my love for writing has also been the greatest motivation in finding ways to cope with the illness. It is a source of incredible joy to me that I am able, once again, to turn my efforts to the one thing that defines who I am.

I write, therefore I am.

Professional Profile

Classic Romance Revival I have a BA Degree through the University of South Africa, with majors in English and Communications (specializing in Advertising, TV and Public Relations, sub-majors in Psychology (including HIV/AIDs Care and Counselling) and Educaiton.

Most of my work experience has been in the fields of Public Relations, Sales and Marketing and Administration / Management, along with considerable experience in producing company material such as training courses in customer care, self development and front-end systems. I have also written, edited and published company newsletters and magazines and, for many years, was involved in the conference and events industry. I am a specialist in setting up departments from scratch, with a particular focus on systems and staff training.

Woven into all of these was my passion for communication and the power of words. It brings me incredible satisfaction to be able to direct all my experience into the one passion that has remained with me all my life.

Aside from being a published author, I am also an editor for Astraea Press (with others in the pipeline) and also freelance as an editor with particular focus on developing aspiring and unpublished writers. I have also been a judge for the Golden Rose Romance Writing Contest. I also produce cover artwork on request.

I currently own Classic Romance Revival, a group created to develop and grow the "classic" romance genre. The focus of the group is to create opportunities for authors, readers and publishers to increase awareness of the "classic" romance genre. This includes promotional and marketing opportunities at an affordable cost.

Hobbies and Interests

Wedding gown back Dragonfly wedding train

Writing, writing and writing.

Seriously, these are my first choices!

But I love music too, and have a fairly eclectic collection. I am also a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, and would like to master the piano - although it's frustrating when I "hear it in my head" and haven't yet tamed the keyboard.

I love handwork as well and spent many years doing wedding gowns. Now I only do them for family - special people. It's a lot of work, and although I love beading it's labour-intensive.

My animals are my life. Sadly, 2011 saw the death of my Larry-cat whom I adored (my daughter says we were joined at the hip and she could be right) and my faihful old Keila, or Mommy-love as she was known. I miss them, but still have two dogs and a cat to keep me sane.

I do my own websites, a hobby which is enormously challenging and rewarding, and hope to (somewhere in my crazy schedule) to actually learn programming. How fun would that be?

Of course, I love reading too, and although I have a busy life editing and reviewing does help with that.

Oh, and let's not forget writing...