Judith Rook

Biography

Judith Rook was born and raised in rural Yorkshire in the UK. The nearest city was Bradford, the great centre for wool processing, but she remembers fields running up to moorland much more clearly than mill chimneys.
Judith’s early writing was done in old accountants’ ledgers which had blank sheets interleaved with the ruled pages. She wrote on the ruled pages as well. Not thinking of becoming a writer, Judith wrote whatever she felt like writing: stories, poems, reflections. Then life intervened and her imagination went underground. For some time, she worked in education and wrote articles and reviews about music.
After a few years, Judith began to write fiction. Recording ideas that had been bottled up for a long time, she thought she had become an author. When rejection notices came in, she joined two writing groups, developed her technical skills and learned how to write stories for other people.
Judith is a compulsive reader. Sci-fi is her favourite genre, then come the great classics, followed closely by fantasy. She is fascinated by developments in human space exploration and reads a great deal of contemporary cosmology. Judith also admires good crime writers and one day she may try her hand at thrillers or crime stories.
As a young woman Judith emigrated to Western Australia where she lives now. From time to time she stirs herself to rally around important social issues and has been known to take to the streets in support, so long as there are good cafés along the way.
Periodically Judith turns to short stories. She finds the challenges of short story writing refresh and strengthen the techniques which she uses in her novels.

Smashwords Interview

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in rural Yorkshire in the UK. It was a quiet and contented childhood, with intimations of the greater world always just over the horizon. I liked being a child. There were interesting people around me who, even if they teased, never let me down. I wasn't particularly interested in dolls but I cannot remember a time when I did not read.
Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite authors must be Charles Dickens, for his characters and storylines; Isaac Asimov, the master sci-fi writer for his robot conceptions and hard science backgrounds, Holbrook Jackson, a relatively obscure essayist, for his thinking, Terry Pratchett for his incredible imaginative flair, Alexander McCall Smith, the author of the "44 Scotland Street" series, particularly for the awful Bruce and poor Bertie, the child prodigy; Kerry Greenwood for the stylish Phryne Fisher and Kenneth Grahame for "The Wind in the Willows." I mustn't forget all the good sci-fi/fantasy and crime writers of the world.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Judith Rook online

Where to buy in print

Books

First Steps for a Hero
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 27,650. Language: English. Published: September 3, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Young adult or teen » Science Fiction, Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure
Escaping from the local bully is part of David’s life, but when the bully threatens his sister, the peaceable young school-leaver must turn into a hero as best he can. He is helped by an enigmatic man from a parallel universe. But with the man comes a danger which could threaten the safety of Earth, and only David can deal with it.
The Three Ways of Desire
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 92,030. Language: English. Published: September 19, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Erotica » Menage/Multiple Partners, Fiction » Fantasy » General
In a society which shares its high women among only a few great houses, the time has almost come for the intelligent and affectionate Yolande DesPrez to be sold. Her remote guardian, Morrain, controls an empire and Yolande must accept the future he chooses for her. But Morrain has unusual plans for Yolande. With the help of his best friend, he will keep her to be his own woman.
Man Of Two Planets
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 116,240. Language: English. Published: August 15, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Space opera, Fiction » Fantasy » Epic
Born on Circe, the strange planet, Borto is learning to be a guardsman on the neighbouring world of First Home. He finds life as a warrior difficult, especially since he carries within him a being from Circe’s darkness. Although the creature gives him great strength and unusual powers, he tries to suppress it. But finally, Borto must accept that he has become a different man.
Planet Woman
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 104,300. Language: English. Published: April 15, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Space opera, Fiction » Romance » Sci-fi
(4.60 from 5 reviews)
Circean humans have always known that their planet can think, but a diplomatic mission from another planet finds this difficult to understand. Lewis, the sardonic envoy, certainly does not understand Tethyn, his Circean hostess, and the independent and determined woman desperately fights against his desire for her. But Circe needs them to come together to help defeat an approaching danger.

Smashwords book reviews by Judith Rook

  • Reflections in a Hubcap on Oct. 30, 2016

    In this collection, Steve Atkinson proves himself to be a complete master of the short story, not only through his accomplished writing style but also in his choice of themes and subjects. The immediacy and completeness of characters is something that a writer of short stories must achieve if a reader’s interest is to be caught, held, and the story remembered; and character definition in Atkinson’s stories is remarkably deep and rounded. These are people who easily could be found among the living, but Atkinson takes the points of essential reference and description to render his players equally alive on the written page. Even the most minor of accompanying characters is vivid and strong, and faultlessly takes their small part in framing and interpreting the many storylines which Atkinson follows, ranging through the full gamut of human experience, from the darkness of the tormented soul to a child's brilliant happiness. The narratives unfold at a carefully studied pace. Nothing is hurried nor pushed along too quickly. The author controls the reader’s desire to know where the action is leading through the precise handling and fascination of the immediate moment. Atkinson’s tales are not objects for skim reading. Each of the stories in this collection ends with that moment of dénouement or revelation when final understanding is achieved. This is the technique which sets the fully skilled short story writer apart from aspirants in the genre, and it identifies this book as one for very serious consideration by any reader looking for a good story, excellently told. Author Judith Rook