Cordellya Smith

I have loved songs and folktales my entire life, but learning to read written words was a challenge for me. Once I learned to read, it opened the door to an entirely new world. I could go anywhere and do anything through books. Writing became a natural extension of that. It allowed me to revisit happy times, heal from sad ones, and explore through the eyes of the characters I created. That’s why I love writing.

Everywhere! Sometimes they come from things I read or places I see.  Sometimes they are inspired by stories I heard as a child or the events of my life.

Kawoni’s Journey came from a combination of those things.  My great-grandfather’s mother was Cherokee.  He lived to be almost a hundred years old.  Five generations of our family were blessed to hear his stories.  Unfortunately, only my oldest son was among that group.  He died before my other children were born.  My daughter’s favorite story when she was a child was Little Red Riding Hood.  I rewrote the Little Red Riding Hood Story to include some of the family stories I loved so that she and her younger brothers would have a familiar way into them.

I love spending time with my family and friends, listening to music, traveling, watching movies, hiking, waterfalls, gardening, making soap, and reading. I also enjoy the holidays and all the fun that comes with decorating and doing special things to celebrate them.

I love reading many different kinds of books.  Among them are children’s stories, young adult fiction, literary fiction, fantasy, science fiction, histories, and inspirational books.

Some of my favorite writers are Appalachian.  I love reading them because it always makes me feel like I’ve come home.  They include Ron Rash, Crystal Wilkinson, Robert Beatty, Jim Wayne Miller, George Ella Lyon, and Lee Smith.