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About Judith
Early Childhood
As a child, growing up in the South (Southeastern US —Piedmont Region) a native of Charlotte, North Carolina area, where you could find me with my nose in a book, most of the time.
My favorite childhood pastime—taking my books into the woods, or somewhere beautiful and peaceful, to find solace, a rainy day, or perhaps a porch swing, escaping — caught up in my characters, stories, and dreams; transported to another place or time. (Still, enjoy).
Shortly thereafter, by the time I was twelve, I was redesigning rooms, for all my babysitting parents'
homes- space planning, interior design and rearranging their furniture to create balance.
By the way, I am a Virgo. We demand organization.
Education
Attended North Carolina and New York schools and colleges; majoring in Marketing, Finance, and Interior Design. Later certifications in Bank Management, Hospitality Management, Sales Management, Publishing, Investment Banking, Financial Services, Technology, Real Estate, and Journalism.
Background
Often, I am asked about my background, being involved in a number of industries with a long list of jobs. "A long story", as they say, so will try and recap. (all this text is not good for SEO). A recruiter's nightmare, transitioning from one industry to another, mainly driven by economy demands, especially the highs and lows of real estate and technology (as noted in 2002 and 2008).
Continued to left (early)
Late
Digital Marketing: After the real estate crash of 2008, I returned to South Florida, starting my own consulting online marketing business with a mix of real estate investment clients and regional hotel groups in Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, FL and Charleston, SC areas.
For the last ten years, I have been focused on digital marketing, web content management and strategy, website design, and SEO/SEM.
In addition, I continue to consult with many vacation rental properties, bed and breakfast inns, boutique hotels, investment properties, travel industry and serve on several international consulting board councils and platforms, such as GLG- Gerson Lehrman Group New York.
I still get my "design" fix —creating with staging, interior design, the web, and photography working with a few hotels and real estate clients.
Personal
Hospitality Marketing: I love to travel and adventure, a bit of a "wanderlust", with the freedom of consulting, picking up and moving to a location, for short or long term projects—seeing new things, experiencing new cultures, geographical areas, people, and history.
20 years ago began consulting with investors and bed and breakfast inn and hotel properties throughout the country. I have lived onsite, as an innkeeper at various historic, urban and resort properties. (you meet some of the most intriguing people at B&Bs).
As personal interests go, enjoy nature, hiking, cycling, reading, writing, graphic design, blogging, staging, photography, interior design, and travel.
A mother of two grown sons in NC, in the financial and legal industries. Two fabulous grandchildren, Avery and Brady—known as "Nana J"
Present
My home has been in West Palm Beach, FL (a walking city) in the urban Historic Downtown area for the last eleven years, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and Palm Beach. With miles of trails and the beautiful, prestigious Palm Beach. It is a quaint city with everything at your fingertips and easy access to other Florida cities, whether south, north, east, or west. (PBI Airport is only a few minutes away).
Consultant: I am still actively involved with my consulting business; however, taking a step back from the hectic deadlines, suits, and corporate world, to a more casual lifestyle with shorts and flip-flops with more remote work.
To breathe and enjoy life, at a slower pace, with more time for my love and passion for reading, reviewing, and blogging. I love connecting readers and writers. I have had a few published articles (travel, online or marketing-related), and a contributor on several blog platforms. I enjoy interviewing authors, choosing Top Books each month and helping other book bloggers get their start. More about Book Blog below.
Early
Marketing, Financial, Design: Having remained in some areas of marketing, advertising, media, design or creative role, throughout my career— gaining new experiences and skills with each position. Without creativity, life would be rather dull and "boring."
My first job while in college, was in high-end furniture sales and design. After school, first real career position was in the financial industry—banking; a bank manager, commercial lender, and later a regional marketing manager, for two large international financial institutions — Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Charlotte and Southeast.
In other words, this means big responsibility, impressive titles, long hours, and minimal pay. Moving on, more certifications, an investment banker, continuing education, licenses—later joining a real estate investment firm, and private banking.
Then returning to my first love—interior design; a marketing manager for an upscale national furniture design studio and publication in High Point, NC. (in NC you have two choices, furniture or financial - I tried both).
Middle
This is where my career took off! Atlanta.
Advertising, Media, and Publishing: In 1994, with my sons off to college (I had them when I was a mere baby), divorced. Relocated to Atlanta, GA, spending the next twenty years in the media business with fast and furious deadlines (loved it); Atlanta- Associate Publisher, Network Publishing for Black's Guide, Inc., the nation's largest provider of commercial real estate data.
In addition, I served as Membership Director for the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and on many boards, chairs of charity events, headed sponsorship committees, and responsible for raising thousands of dollars for Yes! Atlanta (an at-risk youth program) as well as NAIOP.
Continuing in the media business: Associate Publisher for New York's Cahners/Reed Publishing-GRID, a real estate investment magazine. Atlanta-Leader Publishing Group— Associate Publisher of Atlanta's Business to Business Magazine.
A Publisher for PRIMEDIA— Atlanta's New Home Data Book—largest national residential real estate provider. A select number of other multi-media companies focused on design, architecture (Phoenix), hotels, (Florida) real estate development, and investments throughout the US. In between interior designer for several Atlanta and Florida firms and design studios.
Online Media: In 1999, I embraced technology, moving all my print clients to the web. "Ah, the exciting world of internet dot.com start-ups, pushing stock options, pre-IPO" (which never materialized). VP Southeast Regional Sales Manager for several national software companies — commercial real estate, advertising, and online marketing media start-ups in California, Chicago, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta.
Afterward, a few VP of Sales and Marketing positions involving a lot of travel, with regional hotel management and resort design groups, working with architects and designers between Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, New York, and Florida.
After all the high paying careers ended, with the dot-com bust, in 2002, (the good old days with the six-figure income, hefty expense accounts, commissions, bonuses, and full benefit packages—long gone, in today's world); jobless, once again. (Re-invention time again).
Real Estate Marketing: I picked myself up, put on my residential real estate hat, and relocated to NE Florida as Regional Sales & Marketing/ Design Studio Manager for a Fortune 500 company, overseeing upscale new construction luxury properties (coastal and golf communities) and later mid-and South Florida.
I found residential real estate to be less sophisticated than commercial and later returned to Atlanta, as Southeast Regional Sales and Marketing Manager for a national commercial real estate investment firm, based in Boise, ID, overseeing offices in Georgia, Carolinas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.
Hospitality Marketing: Due to spending more time in Florida, on the road, a plane, or in a hotel room with multi offices in 2006, I relocated from Atlanta to South Florida. However, once again, soon after that, the company closed due to the real estate crash.
I fell in love with South Florida, and the lovely year-round climate (minus the heat of the summer), and remained in the area.
Joined a diversified real estate investment company in Boca Raton, FL, as Sales and Marketing Manager, where they sent me off to the Florida Keys to sell real estate, opening a new waterfront marina club— sold condos for boats, and a waterfront private resident club condo-hotel project. (continue to the right side of the page for more.
A roller coaster ride —Wow! I am old.
Books
In 2014, I started my first book blog, centered around new and upcoming book releases at #JDCMustReadBooks. A top reviewer on NetGalley, Goodreads, BookLikes, Amazon, LibraryThing, and active on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Edelweiss, and LinkedIn. (not a Facebook fan).
Genre
Fiction: Adult, suspense, legal, crime, urban noirs, psycho, cop procedural thrillers, and mystery; southern, novellas, short stories, coming of age, contemporary, chick-lit, women's, literary, and historical fiction.
Non-Fiction: Christian, memoirs, biography, autobiography, legal, travel, social, business, plant-based cooking- especially vegan and gluten-free, due to allergies as well as integrative medicine.
Not a huge fan of romance, science fiction, gothic, horror, supernatural or paranormal.
Please contact me via my contact page for book review requests, and include a link to the book; if interested will respond. I have a full editorial calendar, working with NetGalley, and am unable to respond to other requests.
Authors
I also enjoy working with authors in a marketing business capacity. Having worked with published international and New York Times bestselling authors, assisting them with the launch of their new release, website design, interviews, book research image storytelling, marketing, book promotions, newsletters, hosting book giveaway contests, blog tours, design, ongoing website content management, content strategy, social media management, SEO/SEM, e-marketing, and blogging.
Let's Connect
I hope you enjoy my book blog and reviews, and look forward to connecting with authors, and other readers- to talk books!
Love discovering newfound authors, debuts, sharing my love of books, and devouring my favorite authors' latest releases, and their oldies, but goodies.
Later Career
Present
Book Blog
About
Web content strategist
creative thinker-content curator
web designer
interior designer-stager
social media manager
influencer- online market gurus
a voracious reader
reviewer- book promoter-blogger.
A vegan, wanderlust
lover of nature- adventure
rustic log cabins- walks in the woods-waterfalls
porch swings- evening breezes-hammocks-rain-
tin roofs - mountains-seaside-islands, travel,
solitude, fall, design, art, architecture,
historic cities, photography, books,
healthy living, cycling, and hiking.
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