Judy Croome

Today is the Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sun, 07 Apr 2024 22:00:00 +0000

At last, I'm pleased to announce the publication of my latest book, THE SAND PEOPLE, a collection of magical realism and other stories. I'm writing under the pen name J A CROOME now, so remember to FOLLOW J A CROOME on Goodreads for updates on new book releases. Here's a teaser of what some of the stories in THE SAND PEOPLE are about:

If you enjoyed the teaser, rush out and buy your copy of THE SAND PEOPLE on Take-a Lot (South Africa) or on AMAZON (International)

Writing the short stories in THE SAND PEOPLE was both challenging and rewarding. Between nearly two years of major eye surgery, crushing self-doubt about my writing, and learning to live without my beloved Beric, reaching for every word was a struggle I could not have won without the generous support of several key people.

At nearly ninety years old, my mother, Dawn Heinemann, took over all practical housekeeping duties when I disappeared into my cave to wrestle with my writing demons. Her fierce spirit of independence gave me the gift of freedom to write, while the example she set and her unconditional mother’s love gave me the inner strength to complete this book.

My family and all my friends (old and new) enrich my life enormously, as does that cat extraordinaire, Mighty Mr Mittens, the sweetest, bravest familiar any writer can ask for.

I am incredibly grateful for the presence of Dr Joanne Pautz, Jess van Herwijnen, Chris Hajec, and Gary Chapman in my life. Joanne’s unfaltering friendship and support; Chris’s unconditional acceptance and understanding; Jess’s uncanny ability and willingness to provide wise guidance whenever needed; and the lengthy debates with Gary on everything from philosophy to fishing make me happy and emphasise the importance of human connection in the necessarily introverted life of a writer.

No acknowledgement is complete without honouring my ancestors and loved ones in spirit, in particular, my late father, Isaac Benjamin Heinemann, a gifted clairvoyant and dowser, and my late husband, Dr. Beric Croome, whose brilliant intellect and deep spirituality made him unique. Always remembered, always at my side.

My cherished writing friends for over twenty years, Leonie Anderson, Janet Chamberlain, Debs Valentyne, and Liesel van Wyk, have, once again, improved my work with their editing skills and insightful comments.

While the creative expression of all stories in this anthology is mine, I must thank my brother-in-law Ian Cockerill for his technical advice in “Where the Wind Talks.” Any error of fact is due to my creative interpretation of his extensive mining knowledge.

I am also grateful to Wendy Bow of Apple Pie Graphics for the beautiful cover design and to Dave Henderson and his team at My eBook (South Africa) for their technical expertise.

Judy Ann Croome (2024)

Johannesburg South Africa

Watch This Space!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 08:25:00 +0000

What’s happening on Amazon Kindle April 8, 2024?

After a long hiatus, I’m thrilled that my latest book will be available for sale on Amazon.

A collection of magical realism and other short stories, this book is a departure from my previous writing and my pen name is now J A Croome.

Stay tuned for more information.

South African Poet Judy Croome Writes to Change Perspectives: An interview with The Hawk newspaper

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 05:00:00 +0000

Last month I spent a delightful few hours with journalists from THE HAWK newspaper of St Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States of America. Over smoothies and hot chocolate, journalist Leslie Quan, photographer Mateo and I discussed a wide range of topics from the Ancient Greek poet Korinna and her focus on women's experiences being written for women to how the listening to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in the 1990's as South Africa transitioned to a democracy affected me.

You can read the full interview here or an excerpt below.

Thanks to Leslie for her thought-provoking questions and Mateo for his photography skills, and wishing both Leslie and Mateo great success in their future careers.

BOOK LAUNCH: Rich Pickings by Judge Bernard Ngoepe

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 04:18:00 +0000

I was unable to attend this prestigious book launch in person because of the venue’s covid requirements, but still an electric experience via zoom being part of the Juta’s launch of the Tax Ombud SA’s Judge Bernard Ngoepe’s book “RICH PICKINGS out of the past”

Order your copy from Jutas catalogue here

Read my 5 star Goodreads review here

All royalties donated to Diabetes South Africa as the Judge & his wife have lost 2 of their 3 children to this illness

Shepherd's Best Book Lists

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 09:17:00 +0000

There's a new kid on the block and its name is SHEPHERD, where a reader hungry for more books can easily find books similar to the genre, style and type that has just been enjoyed.

In the words of Shepherd's founder Ben Fox:

"Shepherd is reimagining book discovery for the online world.
I love walking around bookstores and browsing until something grabs my attention. I am reimagining that feeling for the online world. I want to help readers bump into books they would otherwise not find and give them ways to follow their curiosity between topics and concepts.
And, I want to help authors meet more readers. Authors illuminate our world, take us on faraway journeys, and entertain us. There is a growing trend that authors have to become their own marketing team. That concerns me because it is very difficult to do and it takes time away from writing. I want to make it easier for authors to market themselves and sell more books.
I love wandering around bookstores and letting random books capture my attention. Nothing will ever replace the “bookstore experience”, but I want to reimagine book discovery online with a lot more serendipity and delight."

Here are two "best book lists" I've written for Shepherd.

THE BEST BOOKS ON MAGICAL REALISM

THE BEST BOOKS FOR FINDING HOPE AND INSPIRATION

There are many more lists of the best books on, well, on just about every topic you can think of and many more reading topics you haven't even thought of to discover.

Enjoy browsing!

A Poetic Book Tour for "the dust of hope"

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 05:00:00 +0000

Please join Serena and her team from Poetic Book Tours for their Winter 2022 blog tour for the dust of hope: rune poems by Judy Croome, published by Aztar Press in September 2021.

Blog Tour Schedule:

Jan. 27: The Book Lover’s Boudoir (review)

Feb. 3: Anthony Avina Blog (review)

Feb. 8: Wall-to-Wall Books (review)

Feb. 9: Little Miss Star (review)

Feb. 17: Necromancy Never Pays (review)

Feb. 22: Review Tales by Jeyran Main (review)

March 2: Anthony Avina Blog (Interview)

March 8: True Book Addict (review)

March 17: Pages for Sanity (review)

March 22: the bookworm (review)

Follow the blog tour with the hashtag #dustofhope and @judy_croome

Free Kindle copy of “the dust of hope”

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 05:07:00 +0000

Now is your opportunity to get a free holiday read! I’m running two promotions for my latest volume of poetry “the dust of hope”

AMAZON KINDLE - ends 4/12/2021

#free on #kindle offer ends 4 Dec 21 “the dust of hope” by @judy_croome You’re welcome to #read (and #review) these #rune #poems of #hope during the #pandemic GET YOUR FREE REVIEW COPY HERE

BOOKSIRENS - ends February 2022

ARC’s (Author Review Copies) available on Booksirens - only 250 reader spots available GET YOUR FREE REVIEW COPY

the dust of hope: from page to screen

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 05:38:00 +0000

I had such fun making the book trailer for my latest volume of poetry "the dust of hope: rune poems" released by Aztar Press in September 2021.

Browsing for images from iStock's enormous collection was challenging - so many beautiful photos, how could I chose only 7? And then the, as always, painful process of paying for them in ZAR! Hunting for the perfect audio in Shockwaves vast archives was relatively easy - the perfect tune popped up almost immediately.

Hope you enjoy watching the video as much as I enjoyed making it!

And you can buy your own copy from Amazon or access it free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited.

The Gift of Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 07:47:00 +0000

I had great fun presenting "The Gift of Poetry" at Writers2000 monthly meeting on 9/10/2021. Watch the full presentation below or on you tube. or read about it in the Bedfordview Edenvale local newspaper

Topics I discuss include:

* what is poetry?

* what makes a poet?

* loving the language

* the poetic vision

* is poetry relevant?

* why write poetry?

* recommended reading

Find my poetry books on Amazon https://amzn.to/3vE8TUk

Just published DROP BY DROP (poems of loss) by Judy Croome

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 15:15:00 +0000

For paperback copies in South Africa, contact Aztar Press or take a lot

Visit Bookdealers, The Colony , Hyde Park, Sandton, Gauteng

The Book Shoppe, Tokai Junction, Tokai, Western Cape

Also available at all major on-line stores in eBook and paperback

and other on-line stores

Watch the book trailer to find out more:

In Remembrance Dr Beric Croome 23/5/960 to 22/4/2019

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sun, 28 Apr 2019 06:59:00 +0000

A long road to STREET SMART TAXPAYERS

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 04:29:00 +0000

In 2008, my husband Beric was awarded his PhD thesis on taxpayers' rights in South Africa. This pioneering work was later published as a legal text Taxpayers' Rights in South Africa (Juta Law, 2010), but he always believed it should be made available as a less technical guide to educate the ordinary South African taxpayers of their rights.

In 2013, I offered my services as a writer and we approached Juta Law withe the proposal that I "translate" the legal text into a fun and easily understandable text that would make the complex tax laws of South Africa more accessible to the ordinary South Africa taxpayer.

Because of Beric's devastating illness (he was diagnosed with aggressive oesphageal cancer in 2015) the journey to publication has, at times, been as challenging as it was exhilirating. We couldn't have done it without the support and patience of our publishers Juta Law (especially our editor Melanie Wagner) and the support of our family (especially my Mom, Dawn Heinemann, who despite having her second heart attack in 2016, has been a rock of support for us.) Our friends, too, have been incredibly supportive and understanding of the focus we needed to stay on the path to publication.

Finally, after four and a half years, "STREET SMART TAXPAYERS: A Practical Guide to Your Rights in South Africa" was revealed for the first time at the Tax Indaba 2017.

You can order your copy of Street Smart Taxpayers from Juta Law by clicking here

Here's the blurb from the book's catalogue page on Juta's on-line shop:

Simplifying complex legal language and tax terminology, the book attempts to reduce the fear factor and frustrations that many taxpayers experience when dealing with tax matters.

Street Smart Taxpayers explains the processes SARS must follow when working with taxpayers throughout the various stages of the tax process, and identifies the remedies available to taxpayers. Together with interesting tax stories and a useful glossary for taxpayers to better understand tax lingo, Street Smart Taxpayers explores the following taxpayers’ rights:

• the right to property
• the right to equality
• the right to privacy
• the right of access to information
• the right to administrative justice
• the right to remain silent
• the right of access to courts

Combining humour, expert knowledge and anecdotes about the troubles taxpayers encounter in their dealings with SARS, the authors also investigate taxpayers’ obligations, how tax and religion intersect and the important question of ethics from the point of view of both SARS and the taxpayer. It is hoped that this book will enable taxpayers to be street smart and competent in handling their tax affairs.

Dr Beric Croome with Judge Bernard Ngoepe the Tax Ombud before joining him in panel discussion on "The Psychology of Tax Behaviour in Times of Recession" Tax Indaba 2017

You can order your copy of Street Smart Taxpayers from Juta Law by clicking here

Contents Include:

A history of South African taxation
Taxpayers and the tax process
Seeking help as a taxpayer
What are your taxpayer rights?
Taxpayers’ right to property
Taxpayers’ right to equality
Taxpayers’ right to privacy
Taxpayers’ right to access to information
Taxpayers’ right to administrative justice
Taxpayers’ right to remain silent
Taxpayers’ right of access to courts
Taxpayers’ obligations
The ethics of paying tax
Taxpayers’ rights — an international work in progress
Taxpayers’ remedies in South Africa
The future of taxpayers’ rights

Glossary

At Tax Indaba 2017 - panel discussion on "The Psychology of Tax Behaviour in Times of Recession" Speakers from left to right: Dr Beric John Croome (ENSafrica), Dr Randall Carolissen (SARS), Judge Bernard Ngoepe (Tax Ombud SA) and Patricia Williams (Bowmans)
(Photograph courtesy of Thyann Delport of https://www.payspace.com/)

Street Smart Taxpayers is of interest and benefit to:

South African taxpayers
Law students
Tax practitioners
Government officials

You can order your copy of Street Smart Taxpayers from Juta Law by clicking here

For the Love of Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 17:29:00 +0000

South African poet Judy Croome was judge of the 2016 Writers 2000 Poetry Competition.

Read the "BEDFORDVIEW & EDENVALE NEWS" article here.

Listen to Judy Croome present feedback to competitors and announces the winner:

All the photos of the festive function at Inyoni Creek Club House

can be found on my Facebook page.

Here are a few photo highlights:

Andrea Girling wins a volume of my poetry "a Lamp at Midday"

Giving the poetry entrants feedback and announcing the winners

Chairperson Nicki Bosman, Vice Chair Mike Corders and
Burgie Ireland of Writers2000

The Carnival themed Awards lunch had some imaginative and fun masks!
(I'm not wearing a mask!)

David and Gail Robbins from Porcupine Press.
David judged the non-fiction category.

Anthony Ehlers judged the fiction category

Poetry prizewinners from Left to Right: Jill Jacques (2nd placed poem "Sheddings"), myself,
Meggan Preuss (1st placed poem "You and I" and Duncan Steptoe (3rd placed poem "Emergence")

Being a judge has its rewards - not only reading great poetry ,
but also walking off with some lovely gifts!

Thank you to Writers 2000 for a fun filled afternoon!

Sunday Times Travel Weekly: Head among the Clouds in the Italian Alps

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 05:23:00 +0000

After our recent overseas trip, my travel article was published in the SUNDAY TIMES. Here is the article in the on-line Times

HEAD AMONG THE CLOUDS IN THE ITALIAN ALPS by Judy Croome

As due to copyright, I can't reproduce the article here (not even the original unedited article) here are some random photos from the holiday:

Val de Mello near Chiavenna Italy

View from the balcony of Casa dell Ava in Pianazzola, our home for a week

We climbed down more than 2 kms of these steps from Pianazzola to Chiavenna
(and, yes, they are as steep as they look!)

On the way to Chiavenna we overnighted at St Moritz and woke to the first snows of the season

I loved Pianazzola because it was full of cats!

Exploring Pianazzola

The view from Casa dell Ava's balcony in Pianazzola after a rain storm

After Pianazzola, it was off to Milan and Teatro de alla Scala

and the Castello Sforza in Milan

And even more cats at the Castello then we found in Pianazzola!

and amazing buskers in the Milan Duomo

We started in Basel Switzerland where Beric represented South Africa at the International Fiscal Association's 69th Annual Congress - here he is talking to the nearly 2000 delegates!

In Chiavenna in the ancient and beautiful Church of San Lorenzo a close up of the magnificent gold filigree on the Peace of Chiavenna, a 12th century gold & bejewelled Bible cover.

Frescos at Church of San Lorenzo in Chiavenna

Aqua Fraggia near Chiavenna

View of the Rhine from our hotel room in Basel where the conference was

Switzerland = chocolate shops!!!!

Day time cruise down the Rhine

a stranger in a strange land

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 10:22:00 +0000

NEWSFLASH!

‪#‎Newsflash‬ Aztar Press is proud to announce the release of

"a stranger in a strange land" Judy Croome's latest volume of poetry.
Currently available from on-line stores as print and eBook.
Available in South Africa from Loot, TakeaLot or direct from Aztar Press

Read reviews from Vine Leaves Literary Journal (UK) and Readers' Favorites (USA)

Radio Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 18:00:00 +0000

Samm Marshall of SABC2 TV discusses THE WEIGHT OF A FEATHER and OTHER STORIES

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 12:35:00 +0000

Samm Marshall of SABC2's Morning Live discusses Judy Croome's anthology of short stories THE WEIGHT OF A FEATHER AND OTHER STORIES on early morning TV.

Author Judy Croome's anthology of short stories has a vibrant slice of life for anybody who dares to pick up her offering. She has hit her stride from the classical The Weight of a Feather to the emotional The Last Sacrifice. Her short story collection "The Weight of a Feather and Other Stories" is a special collection worth reading. She joins Samm Marshall in studio

Upcoming Release and Book Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 19:15:00 +0000

Here's the book trailer I designed and created for my latest release

"THE WEIGHT OF A FEATHER and Other Stories,"

an anthology of short stories

Paperback now available
eBook due in December 2013

Multi-talented and ever-patient author

Michelle Davidson Argyle

once again designed and created another fantastic cover

The Huffington Post Featured my Fiction!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Sat, 25 May 2013 17:03:00 +0000

I'm delighted (thrilled/over-the-moon/excited/all of the above) that THE HUFFINGTON POST has published a short story of mine called THE WEIGHT OF A FEATHER.

You can read it free on the HuffPost by clicking on this link

Wikipedia claims that the HuffPost is "is ranked the most powerful blog in the world by The Observer"

Whether it is or isn't, I'm still enjoying the thrill of seeing my work published by an international and well-reputed organisation such as The HuffPost.

My paternal Ouma (grandmother) feeding chickens on the farm
ca 1940s

I made the Top 10 books of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:09:00 +0000

After a slow start 2013 has suddenly picked up!

I've just been advised that my spiritual novel DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE has been picked by Lee Harmon of THE DUBIOUS DISCIPLE as one of his Top 10 Religious Reads for 2012.

Here's what Lee had to say about why he picked DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE for this honour:

A captivating and haunting novel about love, betrayal, lust, trust, and learning to live again. This one earns its place because of its penetrating writing style.

You can find out more about all ten of Lee's Top 10 Reads here.

Lee's blog is listed as "an exceptional website for Christian theologians" on the Top 100 Christian Websites (The Dubious Disciple is in the top 10 under the "General Category"), so his pick of DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE is a real honour!

You can read Lee's original review of DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE here

Thank you, Lee!

And a Happy 2013 to all - let's hope the good news keeps rolling in!

a Lamp at Midday

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:23:00 +0000

I'm delighted to announce that the paperback edition of my debut collection of poetry a Lamp at Midday is now available for sale at Amazon.com.

As many of you know, the last 18 months have been somewhat stressful as my adored Dad's health continued to deteriorate. I had no time to work on my planned new novel, so I fed my Muse by writing poetry.

This collection is the result and, along with poems on a variety of topics, includes some poems to my Dad that you've seen before on this blog. But these are not only poems about my Dad. The official blurb is:

"Containing a wide selection of poems, a Lamp at Midday gives voice to the contrasts and contradictions of modern life. As they challenge complex emotions and explore timeless themes, these poems also have relevance for the reader’s own life. This personal collection of poems is a vivid celebration of one woman's spiritual questioning and earthly existence, speaking with a haunting intensity of life, loss and love. "

Here are some of my personal favourites from the Haiku section in a Lamp at Midday:

flames

skipping skywards so

fast, burnt orange warmth can turn

to red inferno.

forget-me-nots

above the sea of

brightly coloured petals i

wave farewell to you.

halloween

a field of golden

round pumpkins, ripe and ready,

basks in the sunshine.

lightning

suddenly the sky

is furious, and lets loose

a finger of fire.

giraffes

long necks undulate.

gentle eyes and jigsaw coats

crown a setting sun.

No book is completed without the help of others.

As always, my dear writing friends (Debs, Leonie, Janet, LvW) were there to cheer me on when I faltered and fell into deep fits of angst about this work.

Angela Voges of Typographica Manuscript brought her excellent editing skills and insightful comments to the text, while the multi-talented author Michelle Davidson Argyle created the beautiful cover.

And, last but not least, without the faith and support of my family - in particular my wonderful husband Beric and my incredible Mom, Dawn Heinemann - I'd never write anything at all.

The paperback copy will be available at South African on-line stores from around middle August 2012, which is the same time that the eBook will be available for sale.

I'll be running giveaways on GoodReads and LibraryThing, so if you want a chance at winning a free copy, keep an eye out for my tweets and Facebook announcements.

The Final Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Croome | @judy_croome) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:37:00 +0000

Much as I love Wenkidu's original artwork "Man and the World of Stars", and as much as I love the first cover created using this artwork, the multi-talented Michelle Davidson Argyle has surpassed her first cover with a second offering that took my breath away:

This is the second sample cover for DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE – it’s a more commercial, but it's still different and, in a way, reflects my writing style better.

The first cover is bold, striking, exotic and stunning, while this cover is also different, unusual and striking, but in a more subtle, intriguing, gentle and ethereal way.

I also love the veiled mirror reflection of the woman, suggesting “two faces” (two sides) to everything. As each of the characters in the story have to find the real person behind the masks they wear, this watersplashes mask on the woman's face and the veiled reflection hint at the story.

The more I looked at this cover sample, the more it talked to me – thinking of the reviews to date of my book, my writing comes across as lyrical, mystical and gentle rather than big and bold. The soft and mysterious watersplash mask cover definitely taps into that energy.

So...this is it! The final cover for DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE. I'm so relieved, because, while I have no expectations that the cover will suddenly turn the book into an overnight best seller, I can now put the book to rest knowing that it has the perfect cover.