Author Judy Turner, who wrote using the pseudonyms Katie Flynn and Judith Saxton, has died aged 82.
Known for her historical and romantic fiction, Turner wrote more than 90 books over the course of her career, selling more than eight million copies. Her publishers at Penguin Random House confirmed she passed away on New Years Day.
Turner was born in Norwich, discovering her love of writing after a poem of hers was published in Enid Byton’s Sunny Stories when she was eight. When her three children were young, she would write in the evenings after they had gone to bed and send the stories to women’s magazines.
She became known for her acclaimed Liverpool sagas, with titles such as Little Girl Lost and Darkest Before Dawn. Her bestselling novel was the 2009 book In Time for Christmas, which sold 143,664 copies.
After being diagnosed with ME in 1996, Turner was assisted in her writing by her daughter Holly. Her latest books, Christmas at Tupenny Corner and A Mother’s Love, marked her first two collaborations with Holly. A Christmas Gift will be published later this year.
Turner’s literary agent Caroline Sheldon, who represented her for over 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 8 million books to her many fans. She will be much missed by all who knew her.”
Susan Sandon, m.d. of Cornerstone at Penguin Random House, said: “All at Century and Arrow feel immensely proud to have been Judy’s publisher over so many years. Her storytelling has provided pleasure for literally generations of readers; I feel privileged to have worked so closely with her.”
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