<H1>About the Author</H1><BR>

Judy Lee Maasch-Aguiar was born in Phoenix, Arizona on August 6, 1959.  Her parents, Arthur and Margrit Maasch and her sister, Janny, were born in Germany.  Judy grew up as first generation American—speaking two languages and trying to cling to the roots of her German heritage that was rich with old world customs and traditions.<BR><BR>

Judy lived most of her life in Arizona, except for two years in high school when she lived in her family’s hometown of Karlsruhe, Germany.  It was in Karlsruhe, Germany where Judy experienced her first “White Christmas,” complete with ringing church bells at midnight—quite a contrast to the “original Christmas” of Arizona with sand and palm trees.
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Judy graduated from Arizona State University and began her writing career as a Technical Writer/Multimedia Specialist in the Semiconductor Industry.  After 20 years of writing nonfiction, Judy’s writing career flourished with the debut of her first fiction book, The Christmas Pickle—A Christmas Folktale that reveals the Legend behind the Tradition of hiding a pickle ornament on the Christmas tree.  
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Judy’s second book, The Heavenly Plan published in December of 2005 and has met with notable success.  Its uplifting message and playful imagery represents her love of life and her unshakable faith in angels and essence of “goodness” that surround us all.
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The Littlest Camel is her third fiction book.  It is a Christmas story that takes you on a remarkable and heart-warming adventure through the 12 days of Christmas as seen through the eyes of the littlest camel of the caravan.
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In addition to being a writer, Judy Aguiar is the owner of The European Christmas Market in Scottsdale, Arizona—making her well known in the community as an authority on Christmas traditions.  Local specialty clubs and charity organizations often request Judy as a guest speaker during the holiday season, and she has made numerous special appearances on the local news stations providing Christmas decorating tips and ideas. 
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In addition, Judy participated as an expert on Christmas traditions and symbols in a nationwide curriculum broadcast for Elementary schools as presented by Prentice-Hall, Inc and the Educational Management Group. 
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Judy is busy preparing her next couple of books for publication, which include Jingle & Jangle—A Tale of Two Wayward Sleigh Bells and a retelling of the classic legend, The Christmas Spider.  
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