The wait is OVER! My debut novel is out in the world!

Available in paperback or eBook from a variety of sellers by clicking below. 

If you're lucky enough to live in the Twin cities Metro area and want to shop local, try: 

Inkwell Booksellers  

426 E Hennepin Ave

Minneapolis, MN

 Library user? Request that your library add it to their collection. 

"Rooted in working-class realism, the novel captures the texture of Carla’s daily life, with all 

its frustrations, defenses, and small vulnerabilities. Emotion builds through accumulation rather 

than overt drama. The orcas act as a catalyst rather than a metaphor, pulling together a small, 

unlikely group and nudging Carla toward connection she would rather avoid. Taylor writes with 

restraint and confidence, particularly in her handling of landscape and moral hesitation. The 

steady pacing reflects the shrinking window of survival for the whales and Carla alike. 

A thoughtful, humane novel about responsibility, healing, 

and the nerve it takes to step in—an absolute stunner."

The Prairies Book Review

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"Librarians and readers seeking stories about individuals forced to break their isolation, confront 

their flaws, and hone new possibilities for their futures will find In the Company of Whales 

an ultimately uplifting tale about how connections between humans and nature are forged.

Replete with discoveries that will lend nicely to book club discussions, 

In the Company of Whales explores how one woman learns to get others on board for 

a controversial mission that is essential not just to preserving whales, but her own future. 

Its realistic scenarios and smooth intersections between the choices of remaining a loner 

or growing into new opportunities make for an evocative, compelling read."

D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

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Maryann Grossmann of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote about my writing journey. Her piece featuring In the Company of Whales appeared in the Sunday Life section of the newspaper on May 31, 2026. Here's a taste:

Judy Taylor was mesmerized when she saw live orca whales for the first time.

“My reaction was a gasp,” she recalls. “I’d seen pictures of whales but when I saw 

them splashing out of the water, it knocked my socks off. Their coloring is 

so striking — pristine white and black backs. That’s the feeling I wrote into my book.”

Taylor talked about her debut novel, “In the Company of Whales,” from her home 

in Minneapolis’s Longfellow neighborhood just miles from where she grew up. This 

week she’ll launch her story about a small town dealing with a trapped pod of whales 

and the lonely Goth waitress whose life is changed by the sea giants.

How did Taylor, a former teacher from landlocked Minnesota, fall so in love with whales?