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I'm Judy Bagshaw
I describe myself as "a woman with a mission and a unique vision".
My mission is to write romantic stories that show plus sized women living rich involved lives. This mission grew out of my own personal struggles living as a large sized person in a world where fat is reviled.
It wasn't until my late twenties that I realized that I had wasted a good portion of my time obsessing about my weight and looks. At about this point, I discovered NAAFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, a size acceptance organization in the United States. And I experienced an epiphany. I did not have to accept the notion that there was something about me that had to be fixed. I could be acceptable as I was. And I began a journey of self-acceptance that eventually led to my writing career.
Writing has always been a part of my life, but it became a serious pursuit when I reached my mid-thirties. I started taking writing classes and one summer stumbled upon an ad for a publisher seeking plus-sized romances. So I sat down and wrote one. I can remember a writing instructor telling me emphatically that there was no real market for romances featuring plus sized heroines. I thought then that I would really enjoy proving him wrong! Unfortunately, the publisher seemed to fade away and, disappointed I tucked the book in a drawer. But I never gave up my dream to sell my unique stories.
A few years later while surfing on my computer, I discovered a whole publishing world online and the rest, as they say, is history. After researching several companies, I settled on a Canadian e-publisher, TreeSide Press, for my novels. They offered a contract for my book, Lady Blue in 2003, for Love By The Pound later that year, and for Teacher's Pet in 2004. My short stories found a home as a collection, At Long Last, Love in 2004 with New Age Dimensions publishing. And in December 2004, I had a short story appear in an anthology, Love At Large, with Draumr Publishing. I have completed a fourth novel called Big Fat Lies that is under consideration with a publisher.
I still work full time as an elementary school teacher, currently teaching music and drama to primary grades. I look forward to retirement this June when I can devote all my time to writing. I have so many stories I want to tell. And since finding publishers who want work that it outside the mainstream box, I know that there are people out there that want to read stories where the big girl wins the hero's heart and lives happily ever after.
You can find out more about me and my stories at my author web-site, http://www.judybagshaw.com. Don't forget to sign my guest book when you visit. I love to hear from my readers.
You can also write to me at : judy_bagshaw@yahoo.ca, or join my fanclub at http://www.geocities.com/judybagshaw_fanclub/
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