Smith, Deborah 1955–

PERSONAL:

Born September 27, 1955, in Atlanta, GA; daughter of Jack Edward, Sr. (an electrical engineer) and Dora (a secretary) Brown; married Hank Smith (an electrical engineer), August 11, 1979. Education: University of Georgia, B.A., 1979. Politics: Democrat.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Dahlonega, GA. Agent—Debra Dixon, BelleBooks, 4513 Ernie Dr., Memphis, TN 38116. E-mail—debbsmith@aol.com.

CAREER:

Writer. Neighbor Newspapers, Marietta, GA, reporter and editor, 1980-83; American Health Consultants, Atlanta, GA, medical writer, 1983-86. Partner, BelleBooks (publishing house).

MEMBER:

Romance Writers of America, Authors Guild, Georgia Romance Writers (president, 1986-87).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Lifetime Achievement Award, Romantic Times, 1988; Series Romantic Suspense Award, Romantic Times, 1991, for Silver Fox and the Red-Hot Dove; Maggie Award for Best Single-Title Contemporary Novel, Georgia Romance Writers, 1992, for Miracle; Maggie Award, Georgia Romance Writers, and Best Fantasy Novel, Romantic Times, both 2004, both for Alice at Heart; Reviewers' International Award for Best Long Contemporary Romance Novel, Holt Medallion for Best Mainstream Romance, bronze medal for best romance, Independent Publisher, bronze medal for best romance, Foreword, and Top Five Romances of 2006, Library Journal, all 2006, all for The Crossroads Cafe.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Jed's Sweet Revenge, Bantam (New York, NY), 1988.

Hold on Tight, Bantam (New York, NY), 1988.

Caught by Surprise, Bantam (New York, NY), 1988.

Hot Touch, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1989.

The Cherokee Trilogy, Bantam (New York, NY), 1989.

Legends, Bantam (New York, NY), 1990.

Silver Fox and the Red-Hot Dove, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1990.

Sara's Surprise, Bantam (New York, NY), 1990.

Honey and Smoke, Bantam (New York, NY), 1990.

Stranger in Camelot, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Heart of the Dragon, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Follow the Sun, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

The Beloved Woman, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Miracle, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Blue Willow, Bantam (New York, NY), 1993.

Silk and Stone, Bantam (New York, NY), 1994.

A Place to Call Home, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

When Venus Fell, Bantam (New York, NY), 1998.

On Bear Mountain, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2000.

Alice at Heart, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2002.

The Stone Flower Garden, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2002.

(With others) Reunion at Mossy Creek: A Collective Novel, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2002.

(With others) Summer in Mossy Creek, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2003.

Sweet Hush, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2003.

Diary of a Radical Mermaid, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2004.

Charming Grace, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2004.

(With others) Blessings of Mossy Creek: A Collective Novel, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2004.

The Crossroads Cafe, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2006.

(With others) A Day in Mossy Creek: A Collective Novel, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2006.

(With others) On Grandma's Porch, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2007.

(With others) At Home in Mossy Creek, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2007.

(With others) A Gentle Rain, BelleBooks (Smyrna, GA), 2007.

Also author of Proud Surrender, Berkley (New York, NY).

SIDELIGHTS:

Deborah Smith's earthy, humorous, and warm-hearted romance novels have earned her a devoted readership and critical acclaim, with reviewers comparing her work favorably to that of Barbara Kingsolver and Alice Hoffman. Among her most well-known titles are A Place to Call Home, When Venus Fell, and On Bear Mountain.

A Place to Call Home traces Claire Maloney's growth into womanhood in a small Georgia town. The central event in Claire's life happens when she is a young girl. When her friend Roanie is forced to kill his father to defend Claire from the older man's attack, Roanie is sent to prison for twenty years. Upon his release, the two are reunited and attempt to start a new life together. George Cohen, reviewing the novel for Booklist, called Smith "an exceptional storyteller," while a reviewer for Publishers Weekly praised the book as "a gracefully written and absorbing tale." Cynthia Johnson, writing in Library Journal, found that "this novel is a rich evocation of family and place."

When Venus Fell tells the story of Venus Arinelli, a pianist whose father was unjustly imprisoned by the government. Venus struggles to raise her younger sister while performing in night clubs and dealing with government agents bent on revenge against her family. Toni Hyde of Booklist described When Venus Fell as "an enchanting story filled with outlandish characters and unusual plot twists." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly concluded that Smith's "tale of redemption and learning to trust again is by turns sad, funny and touching."

On Bear Mountain concerns two Georgia families—one rich and the other poor—whose members' lives are torn apart after a sculpture is commissioned by the local college. The sculptor's family is likewise embroiled in the controversy. Meanwhile, a young romance must blossom despite the troubles. Calling Smith "a spellbinding storyteller," Diana Tixier Herald in Booklist described On Bear Mountain as "a beautifully written and unusual story." A critic for Publishers Weekly found that "a few too many crowd-pleasing elements are packed into this romantic weeper, but Smith practices her craft adroitly and tells a genuinely moving story."

Elements of magic inform Alice at Heart, about an eccentric woman, Alice, whose telepathic powers help her rescue a diver and a little girl from drowning. The diver, it turns out, has a mysterious link to Alice that uncovers old secrets and new passion. Library Journal reviewer Kristin Ramsdell considered the novel a "compelling, intricately plotted" work that successfully blends romance and fantasy. Diana Tixier Herald gave the novel similar praise in her Booklist review, noting that Smith achieves a "surprisingly convincing blend of romance and magical realism."

In The Stone Flower Garden, a gothic romance, the dark secrets of the past cast their shadow over Darl, granddaughter of the richest and most powerful woman in Burnt Stand, North Carolina. Darl's ill-fated love for Eli Wade, son of an impoverished stonecutter, sets in motion a chain of events that includes murder and that will eventually lead to Darl's discovery of the tangled web that binds her family and the Wades. While a writer for Kirkus Reviews found the novel cliched and overwritten, Booklist contributor Herald gave it high praise. Smith, she wrote, is a "remarkably talented … storyteller who creates unforgettable characters immersed in complex situations of love, loss and redemption."

Charming Grace, described by Booklist contributor John Charles as a "splendid story of love and honor," pits Georgia widow Grace Bagshaw Vance against Hollywood superstar Stone Senterra, who breezes into town with plans to shoot a film based on the life of Grace's late husband, Harp. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, Harp was killed on assignment while stopping the notorious Turn-Key Bomber, and Grace wants to keep his memory sacred. But in her efforts to stop production of the film, she encounters Boone Noleene, Senterra's bodyguard—and sparks begin to fly between them. A writer for Publishers Weekly enjoyed the novel's satirical take on Hollywood, observing that Smith's "unflagging energy, forgiving spirit and mischievous imagination compel the reader to delight with her in the frailty of heroes on-screen and off."

Gorgeous movie star Cathy Deen spirals into depression after a car crash that leaves her disfigured in The Crossroads Cafe. Cathy's cousin, owner of the cafe in Cathy's North Carolina home town of Crossroads, determines to contact Cathy and guide her toward psychological recovery. The plot, which a Publishers Weekly reviewer described as excessively syrupy, includes the assistance of Thomas Mitternich, who moved to Crossroads to grieve for his wife and son who died in the 9/11 attacks. Cathy is lured home, where she and Thomas fall in love and revive their interest in living. Lynn Welch, writing in Booklist, hailed The Crossroads Cafe as an "unforgettably poignant" love story.

Smith once commented in CA: "I am the author of numerous ‘category’ romances for several publishers as well as three larger novels, both contemporary and historical. While my career has moved steadily toward general fiction (or, as some call it, ‘mainstream fiction’) I consider the romance genre a solid influence on my past, present, and future as a writer. Romances are often misunderstood and ignorantly dismissed as pulp fiction. This disregards the depth, scope, and quality of the genre, which focuses on relationships, family dynamics, social issues, and just about any other subject matter found in contemporary fiction of all kinds. I'm very proud to follow in a tradition that dates back to Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, and which has as its oldest ancestor the classic mythology of all literature forms. I favor idealism and grand adventure in my stories, with a flavor of the contemporary South. A native Georgian from a long and colorful heritage, I enjoy using that heritage for inspiration."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 1997, George Cohen, review of A Place to Call Home, p. 1542; May 15, 1998, Toni Hyde, review of When Venus Fell, p. 1565; September 1, 2000, Diana Tixier Herald, review of On Bear Mountain, p. 8; January 1, 2002, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Alice at Heart, p. 823; January 1, 2002, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Stone Flower Garden, p. 823; January 1, 2003, Megan Kalan, review of Sweet Hush, p. 851; February 15, 2004, John Charles, review of Charming Grace, p. 1046; September 15, 2006, Lynne Welch, review of The Crossroads Cafe, p. 46.

Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 1997, review of A Place to Call Home, p. 832; June 1, 1998, review of When Venus Fell, p. 767; November 1, 2000, review of On Bear Mountain, p. 1513; November 15, 2001, review of The Stone Flower Garden, p. 1576.

Kliatt, May 1, 2003, Nola Theiss, review of Summer at Mossy Creek, p. 29; November 1, 2003, Nola Theiss, review of Reunion at Mossy Creek: New Stories of the South by the Authors of Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes, p. 28.

Library Journal, June 15, 1997, Cynthia Johnson, review of A Place to Call Home, p. 99; November 15, 2001, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Alice at Heart, p. 56; December 1, 2001, Cynthia Johnson, review of The Stone Flower Garden, p. 176; January 1, 2007, Kristin Ramsdell, review of The Crossroads Cafe, p. 51.

People, August 17, 1998, Erica Sanders, "Beach Book of the Week," p. 27.

Publishers Weekly, August 9, 1991, review of Miracle, p. 53; January 25, 1993, review of Blue Willow, p. 83; February 7, 1994, review of Silk and Stone, p. 84; June 2, 1997, review of A Place to Call Home, p. 47; May 4, 1998, review of When Venus Fell, p. 202; November 27, 2000, review of On Bear Mountain, p. 50; December 17, 2001, review of The Stone Flower Garden, p. 63; December 16, 2002, review of Sweet Hush, p. 45; February 2, 2004, review of Charming Grace, p. 60; July 31, 2006, review of The Crossroads Cafe, p. 53.

Romance Reader, June 3, 1998, review of When Venus Fell.

School Library Journal, January, 1998, Dottie Kraft, review of A Place to Call Home, p. 137.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), July 27, 1997, review of A Place to Call Home, p. 11.

Voice of Youth Advocates, February, 1999, review of A Place to Call Home, p. 418.

Washington Post Book World, April 11, 2004, "Shotgun Romance," p. 10.

OTHER

All About Romance,http://www.likesbooks.com/ (September 9, 1997), "Talking to Deborah Smith."

Deborah Smith Home Page,http://www.deborah-smith.com (June 30, 2007).