Candis, Judy

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Candis, Judy

PERSONAL: Born in Detroit, MI; married; children: Amelia, Trenier. Education: Florida A & M University, B.S.

ADDRESSES: Home—Tampa, FL. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. The Montereys (musical group), former lead singer; columnist and full-time journalist; University of South Florida, Tampa, creative-writing teacher; Bar-B-Q King (restaurant), Tampa, part-owner.

MEMBER: Nathari's Writers Guild (co-founder).

WRITINGS:

Colorblind (novel), Ishai Books (Tampa, FL), 1998.

Still Rage (novel), Writers Club Press (Lincoln, NE), 2001.

Blood Offering (novel), Writers Showcase Press (Lincoln, NE), 2002.

All Things Hidden (Christian fiction), Warner Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to newspapers and periodicals; former columnist for People for Peace Sake.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A Dangerous Climate, for Warner Books.

SIDELIGHTS: Judy Candis started writing as a child growing up in Detroit, Michigan. She first fell in love with the written word by reading her father's horror and mystery comics, then discovered the public library and the miracle of free books. Her first poem took first place in a school contest, sparking her ambition to become a writer. Candis went on to write for her school newspaper and attended several regional writing conferences and contests. Later, she supported herself as a journalist while working on various novels, several of which—including Still Rage and All Things Hidden—have been published.

A devout Christian, Candis credits her faith with guiding her career, even when her interests turned toward writing horror and mystery stories. According to Candis, "I didn't feel comfortable asking the Lord to bless me writing about ghosts and demons. I will never forget what He told me. He said since the beginning of time, when Cain slew Abel, there have been more than enough monsters in human form and I could write a zillion stories about the war between good and evil with His blessing."

The battle between good and evil is a major theme in Candis's works. In All Things Hidden she introduces Jael Reynolds, an African-American divorcé and mother who has advanced in her career to a job as head detective for the Dadesville, Florida, police force. A murder spree in the city tests Jael's faith and her resolve at work, while she struggles in her personal life as well. Tracey D. Weaver, writing in Black Issues Book Review, called the novel "gripping" and added that the author "does a phenomenal job developing the characters and giving the reader a reason to pull for her protagonist." Tamara Butler, reviewing All Things Hidden for Library Journal, found the book to be "a competent mystery with enough spiritual meat to attract readers of Christian thrillers." A contributor for Kirkus Reviews concluded that "what truly distinguishes" Candis's work "is the infusion of Jesus into every facet of the story and every aspect of the heroine's life."