Career Dog Groomer Turned Sucessful Writer

 

By Shirley Wible, Literary Arts Chair, Arts Council Menifee

Judy Howard had been a dog groomer since she was 11 years old. She loved it and the pups loved her back… but after retiring from ownership of the local Canine Beauty Salon on Bradley Road in Menifee, she was ready for something new, challenging and fun. Howard took a creative writing class in Hemet through the Mt. San Jacinto College, and after a 10 minute writing exercise about the color red, she was hooked. “Words just kept coming out – I couldn’t stop the flow” says Howard, “I continued the class because I discovered I liked it and it seemed I had a natural talent for writing”.

Three books later with two more in the making, Judy Howard knows who she is and what she wants to do for the rest of her life – “I am a writer… I need to write!”. The crazy thing is she never ever thought about writing before she took the creative writing class and certainly never thought that she would write a book. All her years living through adversities she felt as if she had something to express “and now I have found the outlet” Howard said gratefully.

This December Judy will be honored as the Arts Council Menifee’s “Artist of the Month”. She has been chosen for her body of work, support of the organization and her involvement with the local community.

Born and raised in Springfield Illinois Judy moved to southern California in the early 1970’s and has lived in the area ever since.

Her first book “Coast to Coast With a Cat and a Ghost” is a memoir centered around a trip she took in her RV across the country. She had two companions traveling with her – her cat and a ghost who was a stuffed full-sized figure who rode shotgun beside her and took on the characteristics and attributes of her late husband. Judy kids that he was to be a protection for a single woman traveling alone but he often gave her driving advice and chided her when she missed a turn or got a little lost. “This was supposed to be a fun travelogue” she said “but I discovered through the writing that I was working out many personal issues about living with an abusive husband”.

Her second book, “Going Home with a Cat and a Ghost”, became a story with many of the same characters from the first book who were projected into a fictional future. This one focused on a school reunion and a past romance. “This one was fun!” said Howard.

The third book, “Masada’s Marine”, takes on a much more serious subject – PTS symptoms and the miraculous healings of service dogs. Judy remarked that the research for this book was intense and very difficult – finding out information concerning veterans and their difficulties after returning home was emotional and disturbing. More than anything she wanted to get the facts right and represent the situation truthfully. For her this was a labor of love.

Howard is now working on a sequel to her third book and, for relief, a book with the working title “Sportster’s Adventures” about a cat who escapes from a road trip into the wild only to decide to head for home and all that happens to him along the way.

Howard has been an Arts Council Menifee patron for about 3 years. She is a member of Sisters In Crime and the Inland Empire’s California Writers Club. She is in the top 10 percent of Amazon’s Author Ranking. Howard presents workshops and seminars at libraries, schools, RV rallies, and senior centers. She would like to do the same at Veteran’s Centers “because writing is healing” as she, herself, has discovered.

Howard occasionally will do in-home dog grooming as she still loves it and “it’s a big part of my life”.

For more information about local art activities in Menifee, please visit artscouncilmenifee.org