About Judith Marie

Some people are born for one place, one career, one chapter. Judith Marie was born for all of them.

A world traveler, author, scuba instructor, photographer, engineer, educator, and great-grandmother — Judith's life has defied every expectation and crossed every border. For over 40 years she lived and worked across the globe, from the deserts of Saudi Arabia to the caves of the underwater world, from the streets of Beijing to the shores of Nova Scotia. Her stories are not invented. They are lived.

A Life Written in Ink and Salt Water

Judith's love of storytelling began long before she put pen to paper. She inherited the personal writings of her grandparents and parents — a rich, detailed family tree of voices from the past — and knew from an early age that stories were meant to be preserved and shared. Her own life would give her no shortage of material.

As a certified scuba instructor for nearly 20 years, Judith has dived and taught all over the world. She served as an adjunct professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville, teaching a 3-credit course in scuba diving. She was involved in search and recovery operations and cave diving — often charting new, previously unmapped caves. Her deepest known depth on scuba (without mixed air) was 280 feet inside a cave, in complete darkness after the lights went out. She knows she drifted deeper before finding the safety line. What matters most, she'll tell you with a smile, is that she came back.

A Career Without Borders

Judith's professional life reads like a novel in itself. She worked as a Junior Engineer for a large construction company across the USA, Norway, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia. She served as Recreation Director for the Armed Forces in Saudi Arabia — including a secret mission coordinating a Christmas party for Delta Force. She was a professional photographer, both underwater and topside, with magazine covers and photojournalism credits to her name. Her lens brought her to the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, where she photographed royal weddings and private celebrations.

In Beijing, China, she was Marketing Director for the Rainbow Plaza — a commercial, nightclub, and restaurant complex. She later became Registrar for the International School of Beijing (K–12). Back in Canada, she owned and operated Juwil by the Sea, a beloved retail store one block from the ocean in Chester, Nova Scotia, and spent six years as the official photographer for the Chester Yacht Club and its prestigious international yacht races.

Stories Worth Telling

One of Judith's books, Last Flight to Freedom, tells the true story of giving birth in Iran during the civil war — and being evacuated while smuggling her newborn daughter to safety. It is just one chapter of a life that has included walking the Great Wall of China, swimming with sharks, exploring the qanat underground waterways of Iran, and serving as an internet minister and life coach.

Her books span memoir, wellness, children's literature, and adventure — not because she planned it that way, but because her life simply refused to stay in one lane.

What Drives Her

Writing and photography have always been Judith's twin passions — ways of capturing the world before it slips away. Now, as a proud great-grandmother twice over, she writes with a sense of purpose: to share every story, every lesson, every wonder with readers who may never dive 280 feet into a cave, but who deserve to feel what it's like.

"I am blessed. I have so much to share with my readers."

Welcome to Judith Marie Books. Pull up a chair. The stories are just beginning.