Smith, Annette 1959-

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Smith, Annette 1959-

PERSONAL:

Born 1959; married; husband's name Randy (an educator); children: Russell, Rachel.

CAREER:

Writer, 1997—, and home hospice nurse.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

The Whispers of Angels: Stories to Touch Your Heart, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 1998.

Sweeter Than Honey: Stories to Feed Your Soul, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 1999, published as Stories to Feed Your Soul, 2001, published as More Whispers of Angels: Stories to Feed Your Soul, 2005.

Homemade Humble Pie and Other Slices of Life (stories), Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

Everyday Angels: Stories to Brighten Your Spirit, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 2002.

Watermelon Days & Firefly Nights: Heartwarming Scenes from Small Town Life, Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2002.

"COMING HOME TO RUBY PRAIRIE" TRILOGY

A Town Called Ruby Prairie, Moody Publishers (Chicago, IL), 2004.

A New Day at Tanglewood, Moody Publishers (Chicago, IL), 2005.

Charlotte Leaves the Light On, Moody Publishers (Chicago, IL), 2006.

"EDEN PLAIN" SERIES

A Bigger Life, NavPress (Colorado Springs, CO), 2006.

A Crooked Path, NavPress (Colorado Springs, CO), 2007.

NONFICTION

Help, My Little Girl's Growing Up, Harvest House (Eugene, Or), 2001.

Help! My Little Boy's Growing Up, Harvest House (Eugene, OR), 2002.

Also author of On My Mind Web log.

SIDELIGHTS:

Annette Smith, a writer and home health nurse, is the author of A Town Called Ruby Prairie and other inspirational works. In 1997, Smith penned "The Anniversary," a story based on her experiences working with hospice patients in East Texas. That tale was also featured in her debut collection, The Whispers of Angels: Stories to Touch Your Heart. Smith has published several other volumes of stories, including Watermelon Days & Firefly Nights: Heartwarming Scenes from Small Town Life, a look at the eccentric but lovable residents of Ella Louise, Texas.

A Town Called Ruby Prairie, Smith's debut novel, is part of her "Coming Home to Ruby Prairie" trilogy. Charlotte Carter, a forty-year-old widow, opens her home to six unruly foster children. When a crisis looms, the townspeople rally around Charlotte's unusual family. A critic in Publishers Weekly noted that the "sweet story line might interest Christian readers who want a gentle, Mitfordish read without too much angst." A Bigger Life, the first work in Smith's "Eden Plain" series, concerns Joel Carpenter, a single father who attempts to put his troubled past behind him. The novel "is an enjoyable inspirational family drama," noted Harriet Klausner on the Harriet Klausner's Book Review Web site.

On her home page, Smith offered some advice for aspiring authors. "Write because you have something to say," she remarked. "Write because you feel out of sorts if you don't. Write because something touched your heart, stirred your emotions, or captured your imagination. Because if you're a writer, it's what you were created to do."