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They both love to write. One wants to be published; the other, not so much.
Dan Smith
Judy and Larry Helms: Different strokes (of the pen) for different folks.
Judy and Larry Helms are positive proof that there is more than way to do it right.
Since they first met—opposing each other, representing legal clients in court—they have found a way to basically accomplish the same goals with different methods, and their relationship has remained quite harmonious.
Even the court appearance that threw them into different corners wound up playing to both interests. They liked each other from the start and “after we slept together, Larry recused himself” from the trial, Judy recalls.
Each had a notably successful law career, approaching the law from completely different specialties. Judy, co-founder of a Chicago law firm, specialized in insurance defense cases and contract law; Larry began as state’s attorney in Chicago (for two years) then zeroed in on medical malpractice and product liability.
These days, living in retirement on Windy Gap Mountain near Roanoke, they are traveling different roads as writers.
Judy is a successful novelist, having just released her second book, “Grudge Tiger,” and signing a contract with Touchpoint Press for a third.
Larry writes, too, but his writing is primarily for Larry, though Judy—and others who’ve read his work—insist he is a legitimate talent who could be churning out saleable books, as well, but he chooses not to. “I write commercially, and I accommodate the publisher,” says Judy. “But Larry’s the writer.”
“Grudge Tiger,” a rich page-turner of a read, is loosely based on a case Judy had as a lawyer in Chicago. The case is a lawsuit involving the owners of a zoo whose Bengal tiger mauls a young model.
Judy’s writing thus far has concentrated on stories involving the law (“cozy courtroom,” she calls it), while Larry is all over the board: novels, essays, commentary, poetry and his real love, music. Their living room is all but littered with his wide range of guitars and a piano.
Larry sits in his easy chair, writing fluently on a yellow legal pad and he reads his work publicly on occasion, especially at a Smith Mountain Lake writers’ group. He tried his hand at the novel when he was 30, but he read it to his three sisters, and they pretty well sent him packing for many years. Parts of the novel were based on them “and they were unimpressed,” he says.
He has never had the published author obsession, he insists, and his long books (130,000 words or so) would push him out the publishers’ door before he even gets read, says Judy. Still, “I think, ‘So what if I publish?” he asks. “What if I’m wildly successful, get New York Times reviews?’ It wouldn’t change the way I feel about anything.” So, he doesn’t pursue that.
Larry and Judy make a good match with their writing, as they do in general. “We support each other,” says Judy. “We’ve never been competitive. I started out letting him read chapters as I finished and now, I prefer to hand him the completed book.” Larry likes that, too, because of the perspective it presents.
Judy recalls that it was on Larry’s suggestion she begin writing. “The first time I put pen to paper, there was so much joy.”
They have two daughters—Lily Helms, a pre-school teacher and Grace Kotre, a college professor—who occasionally read and critique their work, making the venture a family undertaking.
It is a family dynamic they can all enjoy.
The story above is from our September/October 2021. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!