KAY SMITH-BLUM
The Author Redefining Historical Fiction
MEET THE AUTHOR
Kay Smith-Blum, a former fashionista and Seattle School Board President, spends her days debunking the tropes of the mid-20th-century history. An odd dream and the recent upheaval over leaking radioactive waste tanks at the Hanford Nuclear site compelled her to write, Recently named Best Regional Fiction in the West for 2025 by the National Indie Excellence Awards and Best Historical Mystery/Suspense by the American Fiction Awards at Book Fest 2025, TANGLES, was also named Book of the Year by the Literary Global Book Awards and Best Debut Fiction by the American Writing Awards. Smith-Blum, a sunrise writer, has lived in Seattle for four decades. She works out her writer’s block in her sons’ gardens (which she designed) and the nearest lap pool.
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 endlessly drawn to nature’s underlying themes.
My shelves are full of historical fiction and literary mysteries And I can’t stop exploring the depths of language, new ways of communicating old themes for a modern world.
Off the page
When I’m not at the desk, 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
Right now, I’m writing about strong women of the mid-20th century and asking myself how did these glass-ceiling breakers find the courage to take on the societal dictates of the time.
