Deanne Smith

Please visit my website www.dsmithbooks.com and my Facebook Page Deanne Smith Books for more information. How blessed I am to have grown up in the small town of Wibaux, Montana, and in a family of readers “to boot.” My love of the written word largely comes from watching and listening to my parents and sister read. In fact, some of my fondest memories are of clambering up on Dad's lap while he read, Mom reading my sister and me bedtime stories, my sister's flashlight shining through the bedspread as she devoured novels deep into the night...under the covers, of course. My family also are storytellers, crafting their tales with deliberate care; which fostered in me respect for the placement of each word in my stories, for it is the words and how they are strung together that create the emotions I want to enliven in my readers. My writing began in my early twenties with a few short stories, mostly humorous, never-submitted works whose only purpose was to make the reader laugh. The next twenty-five years I primarily spent in schools, getting my degrees and teaching high school English. Nearing the half-century mark of my life, I finally asked the question that most of you asked at a much younger age: "What do I really want to be?" Immediately, the fun of writing and sharing those stories all those years ago came to me, and with that I had my answer. I wrote The Change, a Christian historical fiction novel based on tragic events that happened in my hometown in the early 1900s. It can also be considered a western historical romance because I like to incorporate some clean romance in my stories to make them uplifting novels. Because writing, publishing, and especially discussing The Change with its readers was so enjoyable, I wrote a second novel, Promises To Grace. Like The Change, it also is a Christian novel but it is darker, more of a western revenge novel with vigilante justice as its main theme. Upon its completion, I realized the characters have much more to tell, and so I look forward to writing a series titled “Welcome Home” featuring them. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading the entire series. In my novels, I love featuring a strong female protagonist who discovers God’s blessings in adversity. A woman who works for justice redeemed yet is plagued by insecurity or doubt - like Clara in The Change and Elizabeth in Promises To Grace - makes a wonderfully real main character, but it is the fiercely supportive, quirky sidekick - like Annie in The Change and Skeeter in Promises To Grace - that is my favorite character because despite how different from the main character he/she is, it is through that character’s assurances and guidance that the main character changes, and it is through the juxtaposing of them that each can be experienced more deeply by the reader. Plus, the sidekick adds endearing splashes of humor to the stories. A lifetime of living in rural communities on the plains and badlands of Eastern Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming and hearing pioneer stories - most people in the Northern Plains know the story of their ancestors who settled here - have given me beautiful yet rugged settings and characters who value faith, a good day's work, and each other. For that, I am grateful. When I am not writing, I treasure any time I can be with my husband and our two dogs, travelling, going for walks, or just being together at home. My family, as well as my husband's, are nearby, and spending time with them is a blessing. I also enjoy drawing, painting, and of course, reading.