Today we’d like to introduce you to Judy Liu
Hi Judy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Judy Liu, and I’m an author, dancer, dog mom, daughter – there are so many things and titles that each of us are in this universe.
I’ve always loved writing. Growing up, I was more drawn to the written word and history than to numbers (although those middle school science experiments WERE fun). I think the first time I realized I enjoyed writing fiction was a high school English Literature class. After that, I didn’t have many opportunities to explore this and was focused on other studies, but I’ve always had vivid dreams, of which my sister would vehemently encourage me to jot down.
Many years passed before an opportunity with a small publishing company came up, and here I am now. With a published book and a wonderful bookish community. I glaze over this because honestly, I often look back wondering how I sat down and created a whole book, plot line, and multiple characters.
A mentor once told me that although there’s a lot in life we cannot control, what we can do is ensure we’re prepared to take opportunities that come to our doorsteps, and I’ve worked to take that to heart. I’ve been rejected from schools, programs, jobs, bookstores, and yes, it’s not a great feeling, but at the end of the day, I know sometimes there’s a touch of something I can’t control, and the result was not fully in my hands. So, I take it away as a learning opportunity so that I can be more ready next time for what’s meant to be mine. And so far, I think this method (of coping, perhaps? ha!) has worked well for me in getting to where I am today!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road; it’s been a path littered with frustrations and disappointments, but what path isn’t? To me, every struggle means I’ve hit a point of growth. Discomfort is indicative of growing. At least, that’s what I tell myself!
The writing was hard. There were some scenes my editor asked to remove to stay within a word limit, but I would think the scene is pivotal to the plot. Trying to juggle writing with my day job frustrations and family and my pup as and still is difficult. Writer’s block is a real thing. Creativity block is a real thing!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For my day job, I focus on compliance and have worked in various spheres.
Closer to my heart, I would call myself an artist. I’ve been dancing since I was four years old, doing traditional Chinese and Taiwanese aboriginal dance styles to transitioning to Bhangra, which originates from Punjab. I’ve now been doing Bhangra for about 12 years, dancing competitively with insanely talented teammates and creative directors and teaching locally. I love being challenged to learn choreography in a competition time crunch, understanding the stage, learning new choreography and movements, and making choreography. I find it a great mental exercise.
In the creative stream, I’m also an author, and I’m proud of my books, The Vending Portal and The Memory Extracts. I’ve been trying to write a sequel for The Vending Portal, and have been stuck, so it’s doubly impressing to me I even squeezed out my first book! I’m incredibly proud of these little books and their existence and what they hold.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I feel like writing a book that’s born from my head and putting it out into the world for friends, family, strangers to read is risky. It’s like giving them a piece of me and how I think. It feels very vulnerable.
I would call myself risk-averse, but then I see myself putting out a book, or dropping everything to move across the world within three months once upon a time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.judyliuauthor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judyliu_author/?hl=en
- Other: You can find my author page and books on Goodreads, Amazon, and Storygraph
Image Credits
First headshot by Ramon Grande (@ramongrandephotography)
