KAY SMITH-BLUM
The Author Redefining Historical Fiction
MEET THE AUTHOR
Kay Smith-Blum, named the Western WA Woman Business Owner of 2013, Smith-Blum has lived in Washington State for four decades. The former fashionista chaired Seattle’s first marketing campaign as a downtown business owner, and served as Seattle School Board President, a publicly elected position, between 2009 and 2013. An avid gardener, Smith-Blum founded Environmental Endeavors, the first greenhouse program in Seattle Public Elementary 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 Nuclear site compelled Smith-Blum, to write the little-known story in a way that would educate and entertain readers. A meticulous researcher, she has redefined historical fiction with her award-winning debut novel, TANGLES.
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A sunrise writer, she works out her writer’s block in her sons’ gardens and the nearest lap pool.
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Photo credit Marc Von Borstel
Unique Perspective
My perspective is shaped by decades of community involvement, as both a business woman and public official, my love of history and, of course, books books books.
Inspiration
I’m drawn to nature’s underlying themes, how our interplay with water, rivers and oceans, influence all life. My shelves are full of historical fiction and literary mysteries. By exploring the depths of language, one can find new ways of communicating old themes for a modern world.
Off the page
When I’m not writing or editing, you’ll find me in a garden, in a lap pool
or with a treasured grandchild on a neighborhood “adventure.”
What I’m Exploring Now
The strong women of the mid-20th century inspire me, and I constantly ask: how did these glass-ceiling breakers find the courage to take on the oppressive societal and legal dictates of the time?
