Judy C. Andrews received a master of arts degree in English/Creative Writing from The City College of New York. She has worked as a teacher, freelance writer, an editor, and a presidentially appointed children’s advocate. Ms. Andrews is also a member of the Harlem Writers Guild as well as the New York chapter of The National Writers Union, and PEN America. Ms. Andrews’ most recent works are The Gathering of Gemstones: A Poetry Collection, on Amazon Kindle, and an essay titled, “Brightness,” which appears in The Read650 Anthology, Gratitude. She is presently working on completing her fourth book, another novel of suspense. Her historical, thrilling, fictional novels, An Ocean of Jewels, and A Gift to Treasure are reflections of her Gullah/Geechee heritage.
Ms. Andrews enjoys writing stories from an intriguing Gullah/Geechee perspective. Her characters are usually foster children, educators, freemasons, and/or amateur sleuths who seek ways to rectify dangerous situations or experiences in the communities of the fictional towns of Creeksville, Georgia, Eva Creek Island, Georgia, and Jewel Park, New York. Her novels have touched upon such historical topics as Orphan Trains, Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Weeksville community, and Colorism.
Ms. Andrews grew up in the foster care system, became an educator, and essentially avoided the stereotypical pitfalls of children who leave the foster care system. Her characters reflect many aspects of her life. Her father spoke the Gullah/Geechee language to her often during her childhood. During that time, she had no idea about this rich heritage. As an adult, and through research, Ms. Andrews learned that Gullah/Geechee is more than just a language. It is an African American culture and legacy shared throughout the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, across a section of more than one thousand islands that sit along the coasts of the mainland of these states. Join Ms. Andrews with a glass of teacola, some mullet, red rice, sweet potato pone, and a comforting dollop of curiosity as you share a journey with her.
Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us, in the dreariest and most dreaded moments can see a possibility of hope.” Civil Rights Activist, Mary Jane McLeod Bethune explained how important it is to “invest in the human soul,” because she felt that everyone is “a diamond in the rough.” The Gathering of Gemstones: A Poetry Collection, by Judy C. Andrews, explores the possibility of hope in an ever-changing world, through her personal reflections on conditions that affect the human experience and nature, with emphasis on her African American culture.
A sensual and spiritual collection, Ms. Andrews’ poetry covers a range of topics using the motif, light. Subjects in this collection include love, romance, relationships, and social issues. Traditional poetic genres such as sonnets, cinquains, free verse, and haiku are among Ms. Andrews’ favorite forms of poetic expression, as well as non-traditional genres in the upbeat style of formation poems.
This artistic work of literature invigorates, entertains, and inspires readers from all walks of life who enjoy creativity, artsy work, sexy language, and rich words of power. The world is filled with enchanting possibilities.
In 1901, a murder occurred on a small island off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. Decades later, Imani Jewel Henderson, an educator and former foster child, discovers that the murder was connected to her Gullah/Geechee heritage, and that it had something to do with the Ku Klux Klan, as well as a relative who perished during the Jewish Holocaust.
Imani defiantly seeks to uncover the truth about her placement in the foster care system and information about her biological family. In her search for self-knowledge and self-love, she must first overcome alcohol addiction and an abusive relationship with a married man.
How are smart teenage girls lured into the dangerous world of sex trafficking and abuse? The newly married narrator, Treasure, takes readers into the world of a 14-year-old who knows that answer and is brave enough to share it!
Two women from the Gullah/Geechee town of Jewel Park, New York, go missing while investigating insurance fraud at the hospital where they were employed. A doctor and a preacher may be involved.
The 14-year-old is quite familiar with both men. One of them helped raise her. What secrets will she reveal to Treasure about these men, her once privileged life, and the small town she grew up in, when danger is just around the corner?