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Judy Duarte

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.judyduarte.com/

Genre

Romance

Member Since

April 2013

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When life threw Judy Duarte a curve twenty years ago, she did what many newly single mothers do. She pulled herself and her four kids together, became even more determined to come out on top, and decided to start following her dreams. What better role model could she provide her children than to show them that anything is possible? So, she returned to school, graduating from UC Irvine about the same time her oldest kids hit the teen years.

With her dream of getting her degree having come true, another dream presented itself by way of a new, perfect mate. Life was good again, but one dream still nagged at her:

"I always knew there was a book inside me, but since English was my least favorite subject in school, I never considered myself a write When life threw Judy Duarte a curve twenty years ago, she did what many newly single mothers do. She pulled herself and her four kids together, became even more determined to come out on top, and decided to start following her dreams. What better role model could she provide her children than to show them that anything is possible? So, she returned to school, graduating from UC Irvine about the same time her oldest kids hit the teen years.

With her dream of getting her degree having come true, another dream presented itself by way of a new, perfect mate. Life was good again, but one dream still nagged at her:

"I always knew there was a book inside me, but since English was my least favorite subject in school, I never considered myself a writer."

All her life Judy has been spinning stories--telling tales to her kids as they grew up, plotting stories and creating characters to fill the time during carpool days and all those commutes back to college...and she never stopped dreaming of putting those stories on paper. Determined to follow her yearnings, she joined Romance Writers of America and met her critique partners Crystal Green and Sheri WhiteFeather (both are now multi-published award-winning authors and the trio have worked together and encouraged each other ever since).

“I might not have been a born writer, but I was a storyteller. The characters and plots came easy, but I had to learn how to make the scenes in my head come alive for the reader. And that meant I had to learn how to write.”

Judy's determination to become a published author grew and she began focusing on creating poignant stories designed to touch a reader's heart. As she fine-tuned her writing style and learned her craft, she found herself writing the stories she liked to read. Stories about families, second chances, and true love. In creating her own happily-ever-after stories she took ordinary characters, put them in emotionally compelling situations, and forced them to grow. They learned, as she had, that when a door is closed, they must look for that open window.

“Since I love books and movies in which people must overcome insurmountable odds to win and earn their happy-ever-after, those are the kinds of tales I like to create.”

Judy's unpublished stories won not only the coveted Emily (West Houston RWA Chapter) and Orange Rose (Orange County RWA Chapter) awards, but also earned her the status of a double RWA Golden Heart finalist in 2001.

Then Judy's dream became a reality in March 2002 when Silhouette Special Edition released her first book, COWBOY COURAGE. Since then, she has published seventeen books and is contracted to write three more. Her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. Her tales of redemption and renewed trust generate many fan letters from readers who tell her of the positive impact reading her stories have had in their lives.

A woman who had been shattered by her husband’s recent betrayal and desertion had not been able to read or watch anything that had a romance involved writes: I saw your book in the store, and the title caught my eye. (I have a thing for cowboys.) When I read the back cover, I bought it and couldn’t put it down. I finished it in one day. I still have my doubts about meeting a decent man and trusting again. But maybe in time I will be able to love again. I will be watching for your next book.

In July 2005, Judy won the prestigious Reader's Choice Award for THE RICH MAN'S SON.

“When I received the call telling me I had finaled in the Reader’s Choice, I was thrilled beyond measure. Being judged by real readers and recognized as a finalist was a joy in itself. I went to the ceremony honored to be in attendance. And when they announced me the winner, tears came to my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. It took days for my feet to touch the ground.”

Judy makes her home near the beach in Southern California with her husband, their son, and a cat ...more

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Combine Editions
Judy Duarte’s books

Average rating: 3.87 · 7,544 ratings · 738 reviews · 340 distinct works • Similar authors

	Mulberry Park 3.95 avg rating — 360 ratings — published 2008 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Christmas On Nutcracker Court 3.56 avg rating — 363 ratings — published 2011 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The House on Sugar Plum Lane 3.64 avg rating — 182 ratings — published 2010 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Entertaining Angels 4.11 avg rating — 141 ratings — published 2009 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Healing Dr. Fortune 3.92 avg rating — 138 ratings — published 2011 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Marry Me, Mendoza! (The Fortunes of Texas: Southern Invasion, 4) 3.95 avg rating — 118 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mendoza's Miracle (The Fortunes of Texas: Whirlwind Romance, 3) 3.94 avg rating — 111 ratings — published 2012 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From Fortune to Family Man 4.16 avg rating — 104 ratings — published 2017 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Anyone But a Fortune (The Fortunes of Texas: The Wedding Gift Book 3) 4.33 avg rating — 92 ratings — published 2022 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wed by Fortune 4.09 avg rating — 94 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by Judy Duarte

Mulberry Park (4 books)
by

Judy Duarte (Goodreads Author)

3.82 avg rating — 3,947 ratings

Brighton Valley Medical Center (6 books)
by

Judy Duarte (Goodreads Author)

3.71 avg rating — 346 ratings

Brighton Valley Babies (3 books)
by

Judy Duarte (Goodreads Author)

3.75 avg rating — 220 ratings

Return to Brighton Valley (4 books)
by

Judy Duarte (Goodreads Author)

4.06 avg rating — 191 ratings

Brighton Valley Cowboys (3 books)
by

Judy Duarte (Goodreads Author)

3.87 avg rating — 164 ratings

More series by Judy Duarte…

Quotes by Judy Duarte (?)

“And a weak person will find it easier to take what someone else has earned rather than risk working hard and achieving something on his own.”
― Judy Duarte, Mulberry Park

tags: inspirational, life-quote

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“And the biggest reward was reaping the kind of life I deserved.”
― Judy Duarte, Mulberry Park

tags: inspirational, life-quote

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2010-2011 Completed Tasks (do not delete any posts)	2578	1119	Feb 28, 2011 09:05PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2013: Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE POSTS)	2503	778	Aug 31, 2013 09:04PM
Love Inspired His...: Q&A with December 2013 Authors	244	73	Dec 27, 2013 08:15AM
Love Inspired His...: Q&A with January 2014 Authors!	216	55	Jan 30, 2014 03:50PM
Nothing But Readi...: May 2015 Caravan	115	216	May 31, 2015 11:49PM
The Life of a Boo...: May 2015 Monthly Reading Challenge	67	391	Jun 01, 2015 07:19PM
A Million More Pages: Alphabet Soup	366	121	Jan 08, 2016 11:23PM
A Million More Pages: Takotna to Ophir Checkpoint	128	90	Jan 28, 2016 05:53PM

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Judy’s Friend Comments

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message 1: by Betty

Jul 18, 2013 04:20AM

judy.i tryed to send you my address upon your request for a copy of house on sugar plum lane but for some reason my compture would not bring up your web page.this might not be the right place to leave a message but i did want to get back to you .i did find a copt from amozon.com.thanks again for you help.GOD BLESS.Betty Yarbrough.

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