10 Things You Might (or Might Not) Know About Me By Judy Penz Sheluk
I’m beyond excited to join the regular cast of authors on The Stiletto Gang as your “first Monday of the month” author — although I’ll admit I was grateful to learn I didn’t actually have to wear stilettos to be part of the gang.
Hopefully you know that I’m the author of two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries (The Hanged Man’s Noose 2015, A Hole in One, coming March 2018), and the Marketville Mysteries (Skeletons in the Attic 2016, Past & Present, coming 2018/2019). I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Fiction Mystery Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where I’m also on the Board of Directors, representing Toronto/Southern Ontario.
But this is my first post, so I thought I’d share 10 things you might (or might not) know about me.
- I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and while I prefer small towns to big cities, I’ve lived within a two-hour commute of Toronto all my life, and sometimes think it would be nice to own a condo in Toronto for the times my small-town soul craves the intensity of the city. Like a part-time thing, you know? Only way more part than full.
- I’ve owned five dogs: Sandy, a Golden “mix” as a kid, and as an adult, four purebred Golden Retrievers: Einstein, Ranger, Copper, and my current two-year-old, Gibbs, who was named after Mark Harmon’s character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, on NCIS.
Gibbs - I write my books listening to talk radio, either Newstalk 1010 Toronto or Talk 640 Toronto, depending on the host, show, and topic. I even listen to the Saturday and Sunday paid “infomercial” type of shows on cars, real estate, and employment law. Maybe it’s all those years of working in an office, but I can tune out talk radio in a way I can’t tune out music.
- When not listening to talk radio (like when I’m writing blogs, such as this one), I mostly listen to country music. Favorite song: It’s a tossup between George Strait’s I Got a Car, Patsy Cline’s Crazy, Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places, Luke Combs When It Rains it Pours, and Carrie Underwood’s Church Bells. Ask me next week… the answer might be different.
- I’ve completed several half marathons (13.1 miles) and four full marathons (26.2 miles) – Ottawa, Ontario, Mississauga, Ontario (twice), and Cincinnati, Ohio. I sometimes think I might want to do another full marathon some day. Then sanity sets back in.
- Like my protagonist, Callie Barnstable, in Skeletons in the Attic, I am addicted to cocoa butter lip balm and have tubes of it everywhere: office, bedside table, purse… you get the idea. In fact, when The Body Shop announced they were discontinuing the cocoa butter line, I went online and ordered the last 13 tubes!
- A sheepdog once jumped out of a car window and landed on my back—while I was cycling in the Holland Marsh with a friend and training for my first (and last) half-ironman triathlon. The dog and I both survived to tell the tale (although I did have a few scrapes, cuts, bruises, and a sprained right wrist from the fall). I also managed to complete the 70.3 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, two months later. I sold my bike the next year. Can’t say as I miss cycling.
- The first time I dated my husband, Mike, we broke up after he criticized the way I made Kraft Dinner (it wasn’t “cheesy enough”). It would be 10 years before we met again. We bought a house together six months later. He claims I was unreasonably stubborn the first time around. I claim he was a pompous ass who finally figured out how to be nice. I’ll let you decide who was right (hint…it was me).
- I’m the Senior Editor for New England Antiques Journal, a position I’ve held (and loved) since 2008. The knowledge gained at NEAJ inspired my Glass Dolphin Mystery series.
- My favorite food is cheese pizza. I consider myself a connoisseur, and will try a slice of cheese pizza wherever my travels take me. Know any great pizza places in Reno, Nevada? I’m planning to be there in March 2018 for Left Coast Crime.
Thanks for taking the time to get to know a bit more about me. I hope I can get to know some of you. You can find more about me, and my books, at www.judypenzsheluk.com, and they have kindly added all my social media links in the right hand sidebar. Looking forward to first month Mondays on the Stiletto Gang!
Good thing you love dogs, cause that sheepdog sure wanted to be your friend 🙂
Hi Kristina, that was one dog I did not like! Though really it was the owner's fault for leaving the window wide open.
Hi Judy, nice to get to know you better! I'll be one of the new blog kids in January. I loved my short time in Toronto and can see why you'd like to be there more often.
Hi Shari, yes Toronto is a nice city with lots of great places to eat, theater etc. Like every big city, it has good and bad, but I always feel alive when I'm downtown with all the hustle and bustle.
Interesting revelations, Judy! I didn't know you were a runner! My hubby has run about the same number of marathons and half marathons as you, so I know a little bit about what he's gone through to train. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. They're huge!
Thanks Debra! These days, I'm more about doing 5k 3 or 4 times a week. I may do another half (probably will) but the marathon just takes too much training time. I'm also very slow, so that makes it even longer 🙂
Hi, Judy! As a reporter for many years I wrote with the police scanner as background noise. Writing mysteries I only listen to instrumental — I think talk radio would compete with the voices in my head. But it obviously works well for you.:)
Hi Vicki, instrumental…interesting choice. I might be able to work with that. Not sure I could write with a police scanner in the background!
Welcome to the gang!
Thank you! I feel very welcome.