Judith Shaw

A native New Yorker, Judith Shaw married an Aussie and raised two children in Indonesia, Singapore, and the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. During her years overseas, she developed a passion for seeing the world that has never waned.

Judith has a deep love of animals and feels an almost psychic connection with dogs, horses, and, on one striking occasion, a pet python. She was a solitary child. Her constant companion, caretaker, and best friend was Gammy, a black standard poodle known for hating the garbage man and cornering babysitters in the coat closet.

Judith’s first horse and the love of her life was a bay Morgan named Tom Thumb. When the family moved back to the States, Tom came, too. At nineteen, he was probably the oldest gelding ever to cross the Pacific.

When a riding accident in 2011 ended her active involvement with horses, Judith focused on her other life-long passion: language. After decades as an editor and journalist, she began to explore writing. Sleepless in Jakarta is her first book for adults. Her first novel for children, Charley’s Horse, won multiple awards. Judith lives in Massachusetts with her husband Ron.