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MEET THE AUTHOR 

Redefining Historical Fiction 

Kay Smith-Blum Author Historical Fiction and Enviornmental Thriller and humorous essayist
Photo credit Marc Von Borstel

An Austin, Texas transplant, Kay Smith-Blum is a recovering retailer who is redefining the historical fiction genre from her bayside perch in Seattle. Named Woman Business Owner (NWWA) of 2013, her wit, humor, and resourcefulness helped her high-end retail fashion business endure multiple economic shifts in a decades-long career. She and her husband sold their company in 2016, allowing KSB to write full-time.

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TANGLES, named 2024 Book of the Year from the Literary Global Book Awards, 2024 Best Debut Novel by the American Writing Awards, and awarded the Bronze medal for Best Adult Fiction in the 2024 Readers Choice Book Awards was released on December 3, 2024. Smith-Blum is a member of the WFWA (serving on the Scholarship committee), the HistFic Affinity Group, a member of the award-winning Feisty Deeds Anthology editorial committee (see Short Works for more on Feisty Deeds), Ravenna Writers Circle, CommuterLit Writers Group, the Authors Guild, PNWA, NIWA and AWP. She has been published in over a dozen literary journals and her short story, Ten Days won the2023 Black Fox Lit contest.

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As a publicly elected official (President of the Seattle School Board 2012) KSB led multiple initiatives on behalf of the students of Seattle. As a private citizen, Smith-Blum raised millions of dollars for education, the arts, and medical research. She established the first elementary school greenhouse gardening program in Seattle Public Schools, and has served on numerous charitable boards in the Pacific Northwest. 

​A graduate of the University of Texas, Smith-Blum chaired Downtown Seattle’s first marketing campaign and published a seasonal magazine for 10 years. With Teresa Elliott, KSB co-edited and licensed the “Every Man, Every Woman” inspirational series of cards and posters, published by Schurman Fine Papers, Portal Publications, and Sawdust City. Smith-Blum is a dynamic speaker and experienced producer of large and small events that leverage both traditional and social media. An active member of the downtown Seattle community, she is currently advocating for a park in the last green space in the urban core, made available by the demolition of the Highway 99 viaduct. An avid gardener, Smith-Blum works out her writer's block in her three sons' gardens (which she designed) and the nearest lap pool.

Curriculum Vitae:

"Every Man...Every Woman Should..." Inspirational poster series published in 1991, co-authored and edited by Kay Smith-Blum (original text written by Teresa Elliott)

https://sawdustcityllc.com/every-woman-should/

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“Targets,” humorous essay, Virus Days series, nominated for Best of the Net 2020

   Heavy Feather Review, May 2020  https://heavyfeatherreview.org/2020/05/07/smith-blum/

   Down in the Dirt Magazine (reprint):

    Online issue, June 2020, http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers

    Print version, November 2020, http://scars.tv/dirt/dirt177nov20/Pipe_Dreams.htm

   Late Frost collection, December 2020, http://scars.tv/2020September-December-issue-collection-book/Late_Frost.htm

   Anthology 2020, http://scars.tv/2020collection-book/Vote_Early_Read_Often.htm

 The Furious Gazelle, (reprint) January 2021, https://thefuriousgazelle.com/2021/01/12/kay-smith-blum/#more-3087

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“Zooming Right Along,” humorous essay, Virus Days series Quail Bell Magazine, June 2020

http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-real-20/personal-essay-revamping-life-with-the-virus

 

“Testing, Testing,” humorous essay, Virus Days series Bewildering Stories, June 2020

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue861/testing_testing.html

 

“Syon and Me,” humorous essay, Virus Days series Pif Magazine, December 2020

https://www.pifmagazine.com/2020/12/syon-and-me/

 

“Ringed In,” flash fiction (drawn from first novel) CommuterLit.com, September 2020

http://commuterlit.com/2020/09/wednesday-ringed-in/

 

“The Newcomer,” flash fiction

   Fiction Attic Press, January 2021 http://fictionattic.com/the-newcomer/

   CommuterLit.com, reprint June 2021 http://commuterlit.com/2021/06/wednesday-the-newcomer/

 

“Desco Drive,” a short story (drawn from second novel) Minerva Rising Press, Fall 2021

Print issue https://minervarising.com/subscribe/issue20/

 

“Reach,” flash creative non-fiction Change Seven Magazine, January 2022

https://changesevenmag.com/reach-by-kay-smith-blum/

 

“Wallpaper,” a flash fiction drawn from first novel, The Stray Branch, April 2022

http://www.thestraybranch.org/current-issue-2/29-spring-summer-2022/

 

“On Edge,” a creative non-fiction piece, nominated for a 2023 Pushcart Prize,

Yellow Arrow Publishing, Summer 2022 https://www.yellowarrowpublishing.com/store/yellow-arrow-journal-upspring-pdf

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“Lines,” a fictional short story, Grande Dame Literary, August 2022

https://www.grandedameliterary.com/post/lines

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"Daylight Saves," a flash creative non-fiction piece, Adelaide Magazine, December 2022

http://adelaidemagazine.org/2022/12/20/daylight-saves-by-kay-smith-blum/

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"Ten Days," a personal essay, winner of Black Fox Lit's 2023 short story contest, April 2023

 https://blackfoxlitmag.com/readissue24/

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"Stripped," a flash fiction piece, Zoetic Press, Heathertide Orphans anthology, December 2023

print only, https://shorturl.at/iOX16 

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"The Calf," a companion short story to Tangles, Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women Women, an anthology, June 2024 https://shorturl.at/vGJ3Q

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"Free Will," flash fiction, Fiction Southeast, coming TBD

© 2024-2025 The author retains the rights to all publications on this site.
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