Biography: Jude McCoy
A Writer's Toolbox Creator
My career in writing began as a free-lance reporter and correspondent for our local paper. It was a time of discovery and learning. My passion for books was now overflowing into the area of writing. It did not take much time before I realized that I was a fiction writer at heart. My readers encouraged me to write fiction, and it is fundamentally their support which gave me the courage to turn down that creative path.
To honour their faith in me, I returned to school and within three years, earned an Honours Certificate in Creative Writing.
Since graduating, I have won third place in an international Christian, short-story, fiction, writing contest, had my first story published, and have taught Creative Writing to many budding authors--both in the classroom and over the internet.
My investigative skills come in handy as I assist and advise others with their research, fact checking, character and story development.
I love sharing my font of information with those struggling to get their start. My services are utilized by several professional, published authors -- as well as many who are taking their first tentative steps along the adventure that is creative writing. To date there are over 32 published works with my fingerprints on them, as well as several others in the works.
At present I am teaching online courses as well as teaching an Adult Creative Writing course at our local high school. Plans are in the works for writing workshops in Northwestern Ontario as well as in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
It is my pleasure to be a part of creating Northern Lights Fiction Writer's group. Their web site is now open to members anywhere in Canada or the USA.
My husband and I own and operate a large cattle ranch in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. With our children flown from the nest, we are finding new enjoyment in supporting each other in our chosen professions.
We have three children; our two sons are both chefs living in Windsor, Ontario; our daughter is involved in the ministry of The Salvation Army and is presently situated in New Zealand.
Our Granddaughter, Mya, has brought new joy into our lives, giving us fresh eyes and revitalized hearts. With our children fast in the business of making their own mark on the world, we have now the luxury that comes with being able to follow our personal hearts' occupations.
To read a sample of Jude's work, you can find the following collection of Christian Short Stories at www.amazon.ca
Fire by Nite -- A collection of Christian Short Stories
Fire By Nite is a publication showcasing the best in new Christian short stories, with book reviews, perspectives, and interviews both readers and writers of Christian Fiction will enjoy. Issues are published quarterly in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Fire By Nite provides an independent forum for established authors as well as fresh new talent making their way into print. The fresh new tales are written from a Christian worldview possessing depth and quality, capturing the attention of both Christian and secular readers in bold new ways. Readers will enjoy these stories, creative vignettes perfect for the busy person, tales that remind us of God's presence constantly interwoven within the fabric of our lives.
This collection includes:
1. Scott Thompson, Rock and a Hard Place
"It is a story about a teenager breaking out of nominal Christianity in the face of a tragedy. Like all of us, he could have easily gone the other way."
2. Dan Lee, A Thief's View
"One of my favorite things to do is to look at the other perspective in a story. Many have told of the crucifixion using the disciples or the Romans or Barabbas to tell the story. When doing some historical research on Roman crucifixions I began to wonder what the repentant thief would have told us if he had had the chance to write his story. From there it was just turning on the computer and flowing back in time to see things from a different perspective."
3. Jude McCoy, The Deacon's Bench
"I have always loved a story that my mother told me about a small Deacon's bench that sat in her aunt's entranceway. Mom told of how she would hide little treasures inside the seat. It was seldom opened by the aunts, so became a secret hiding place for my mother and her older sister."
4. Leonard Varasano, The Creche
"The Creche is the story of one man's loss of faith as a result of his tragic role in the death of his mother and father on 9/11. Only through the bounty of God's saving grace, coupled with the undying love of his lost parents can his life be placed back on course. The events of September 11, 2001 forever changed all of us. Each and every one of us lost someone that day: family, friend, fellow American. I was silent on the subject until this spring, when I watched Mel Gibson's The Passion. Shortly thereafter, the story of The Creche came to be."
5. Kristin Slavik, Saving Grace
"Saving Grace was a story idea based on God's willingness to help us overcome mistakes of the past. Sometimes, as Christians, we are afraid to look for good things to come out of our bad choices from the past. I saw Grace as a woman who wanted to do the right thing, but made choices based on misinformation. She did not have faith to guide her as she had to make those decisions. God's grace comes in the form of a second chance to fix the past."
6. Marjorie Arrowood, The Awakening
"This story started out as a novel. I was finishing the second chapter one fall morning a few years ago when I received a phone call. The voice of a close friend was very tense. Are you watching TV? The date was September 11, 2001. The wind was taken out of my sails, and the story remained untouched until becoming a short story for this contest."
