Author Judy Turner, who wrote under the pseudonyms of Katie Flynn and Judith Saxton, has died at the age of 82, her publisher has announced.
The best selling author of historical and romantic fiction penned more than 90 books in her lifetime, selling more than eight million copies.
Caroline Sheldon, her literary agent of more than 30 years, said: “Writing was her life and through her talent to tell stories she forged a remarkable career spanning nearly 50 years and selling over eight million books to her many fans.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas… 🎄🎶🤶
Amazing to see our incredible festive authors @Fionajourno, @DonnaAuthor and Katie Flynn all featured in @Culturefly's Christmas Reads suggestions. The perfect holiday reads! https://t.co/AaaewvKQH6 pic.twitter.com/Eaeo16d2eg
— arrowpublishing (@arrowpublishing) December 7, 2018
“She will be much missed by all who knew her.”
Her first novel writing as Katie Flynn, A Liverpool Lass, was published in 1993 and her novels under that name have gone on to sell 5.5 million copies.
Susan Sandon, MD of Cornerstone at her publisher Penguin Random House, said: “All at Century and Arrow feel immensely proud to have been Judy’s publisher over so many years.
“Her story telling has provided pleasure for literally generations of readers; I feel privileged to have worked so closely with her.”
Born in Norwich in 1936, Turner was encouraged to write after she had a poem published in Enid Blyton’s Sunny Stories aged eight.
She continued to write after she was diagnosed with ME (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) in 1996 and her daughter Holly worked as her assistant for 10 years.
On the latest two Katie Flynn books published by Century, Christmas at Tuppenny Corner and A Mother’s Love, Holly joined her mother in the writing and further Katie Flynn novels on which Holly worked with her mother are still in the pipeline.
A Christmas Gift will be published in hardback in July 2019 and paperback in November 2019.