Debra West Smith’s earliest memories involve a fascination with both horses
and books. She spent the first part of her life with her grandparents in
Natchitoches, Louisiana. There, she enjoyed a quiet, serene life where she spent
most of her time developing a love for reading. Reading came second only to
riding when Smith was growing up, and at the age of eleven, a dream came true
when she got her own horse, whom she called Muffin. Muffin remained with Smith
and her family for thirty wonderful years.
After a life-changing move to South Louisiana, Smith graduated from Central
High in Baton Rouge. She married her high-school sweetheart and, after studying
journalism at Louisiana State University for some time, worked with a printing
company. After the birth of her daughter, Smith became a full-time mom.
Smith’s first attempt at writing came in the third grade, when her teacher
challenged her class to write original short stories. Smith ambitiously set out
to write a horse novel, which she discovered was much more work than she
anticipated. However, she picked up the dream of writing later in life, taking a
course at the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her first publication was in
Adventure, a children’s magazine for the Baptist Sunday School Board.
Inspiration for the Hattie Marshall series came from stories her grandfather
used to relate about his younger days in East Texas. The first story started out
as a project for ICL and soon developed into Hattie Marshall and the
Hurricane. Smith also wrote Yankees on the Doorstep, a
true story based on the diary of Sarah Morgan, a girl displaced from her
Southern home during the Civil War.
Smith resides in Bradyville, Tennessee, with her husband, Curtis, and two
children, Stacey and Sean. |
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