Kay Smith-Blum is a former business owner and Seattle School Board President. A lover of the natural world and an avid gardener, Smith-Blum founded Environmental Endeavors, the first greenhouse program in Seattle Public Schools. A fan of mid-20th-century history, Smith-Blum has penned two other manuscripts set in Texas, but the recent upheaval over leaking waste tanks at the Hanford site drew her in. A meticulous researcher, Smith-Blum felt compelled to write the Hanford story in a way that would educate and entertain readers. The result is her debut novel, TANGLES, coming December 3, 2024. Smith-Blum’s published short works may be found in multiple literary journals. A companion short story to TANGLES is included in the 2024 anthology (a compilation that Smith-Blum co-edited), Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women. Named the Western WA Woman Business Owner in 2013, Smith-Blum has lived in Washington State for four decades. She works out her writer’s block in her sons’ gardens and the nearest lap pool.
