A long time ago, in a galaxy that now seems quite far away, Judy Cole was one in a long succession of Editors-in-Chief of Playgirl magazine (a job title, that in retrospect, turned out to be a lot like being married to Henry the Eighth). After being “axed” to leave for refusing to print unauthorized nude photos of Brad Pitt, Judy was tapped to write her first book, Playing For Keeps: Dating, Seducing and [Maybe] Marrying the Modern Man (Adams Media).

In addition to Playgirl, Judy also served as “chief cook and bottle washer” for Today’s Charlotte Woman, SexIs, and Vibrant Living magazine. Her writing has been featured in Creative Loafing, SKIRT!, Nerve, Charlotte Magazine, Draft (all things beer), Business North Carolina, North Carolina Health News, Men’s Fitness. A frequent contributor the Good News Network, she also scripted nearly eight seasons of Twice as Good, a regional Emmy and Taste Award-winning, STEM-centric, PBS cooking and travel program for kids.

And Jilly Came Tumbling After (Red Sky Presents), Judy’s debut novel, was released earlier this year. Her previously published fiction includes a collection of slightly off-kilter not-exactly-for-children’s stories, Peculiar Parables for a Dubious Millennium and Grrracie! A Stray Dog’s Tale.

Judy and her menagerie of rescue dogs and cats currently reside a stone’s throw—if you have the ambition and a really strong arm—from Charlotte, North Carolina.