Welcome!

Smoky is pleased to announce the release of her latest book, Observations of an Earth Mage, from Vanilla Heart Publishing, a collection of prose and poetry celebrating the fragile beauty of our planet.

Smoky is the author of two novels, Redeeming Grace and The Cabin, and two nonfiction books especially for writers: Front-Word, Back-Word, Insight Out: Lessons on Writing the Novel Lurking Inside You From Start to Finish, and Left-Brained, Write Brained: 366 Writing Prompts and Exercises to Free Your Creative Spirit, Awaken Your Muse, and Challenge Your Skills Every Day of the Year, all from Vanilla Heart Publishing. She has published short stories and poetry in literary journals such as CALYX and Potpourri and online ezines such as Foundling Review and Smashed Ink, and was a 2003 Pushcart Prize nominee. 

She is nearing completion of her third novel, The Storyteller's Bracelet.

Smoky lives in California with her husband, daughter, and a menagerie of animals, both domestic and wild, in a ramshackle cottage in the woods overlooking the San Gabriel Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains beyond. When she isn't writing, she spends her time hiking in the mountains, camping in the Sierras, splashing in tide pools, and fighting the urge to speak in haiku.