A warm welcome, and a little about me
also writing as Judith Logan Lehne
I'm often asked how I came to be a writer. The truth is, it wasn't a conscious decision; creating
with words has always been part of who I am more than what I do.
As a child I spent a great deal of time writing out my thoughts and feelings, processing my experiences
in journals and diaries. I learned early on that life doesn't always turn out as you wish, so I began
writing stories – dumping my struggles onto fictional characters who could make things happen the way I
wished they would. My characters didn't always get what I wanted – fictional people often have minds of
their own – but in creating their stories, I sometimes found new ways to approach life's challenges. I
rarely shared those stories with others, but I think they were the beginning of everything that followed.
It was, in fact, a whispered frustration from one of my four children that inspired my first in-print
story. Published in Highlights for Children, “The Ragman's Music” set my long-held
writing dreams soaring – and eventually grew into my first novel, When the Ragman Sings.
I spent several decades immersed in children's literature, writing fiction and nonfiction, presenting
creative writing workshops, and teaching for the Institute of Children's Literature. Later, my work in
the mental health field introduced me to powerful real-life stories of strength and courage, many not
all that different from my own. I often thought about cocoons and butterflies, storms and rainbows, and
the many parallels to the human experience.
When I retired, my writing became a way to honor the uncomfortable, dark times and shine a light on the
resilience and grace that travels with each of us on our way to becoming who we're meant to be. None of
this is a conscious goal when I begin a new work. It simply seems to be where the stories wind up when I
reach the end.
As I consider my writing through all of the decades, it seems that hope has been the underpinning in
nearly every book and story I've written. If readers come away with a sense of peace and promise
whispering softly into their hearts, then all of my writing dreams will have really come true.
– Judi
