Sherwood Smith facts for kids

Sherwood Smith (born May 29, 1951) is an American author. She writes exciting fantasy and science fiction stories. Her books are for young adults and grown-ups. She was even a finalist for the Nebula Award, a big award for science fiction. Sherwood Smith also helps other writers in groups.

Some of her well-known books include Crown Duel. She has also worked with other authors. For example, she wrote the Exordium series with Dave Trowbridge. She also wrote two books in the Solar Queen universe with Andre Norton.

In 2001, her short story "Mom and Dad at the Home Front" was a finalist for the Nebula Award. Many of Smith's children's books have been on "Best Books" lists from libraries. Her book Wren's War won an award called the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Honor Book. Both Wren's War and The Spy Princess were finalists for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.

About Sherwood Smith

Sherwood Smith was born on May 28, 1951. Her birthplace was Glendale, California. On her website, she shares that she has been married for over thirty years. She also has two children and rescue dogs. Her house is full of books!

Besides writing, she used to teach part-time at an elementary school. She is now retired from teaching.

How She Started Writing

Sherwood Smith began making books when she was only five years old. She used taped paper towels for her first books. When she was eight, she started writing about a different world. This world was called Sartorias-deles. She soon found it easier to make comic books of her stories.

She first tried to send her novels to publishers when she was 13. But none of them were sold at that time. However, some of the novels she wrote as a teenager were later sold. This happened after she learned how to rewrite and improve them. One of these books was Wren to the Rescue.

Her Journey to Becoming an Author

It took many years for Smith to learn how to rewrite her stories. During that time, she went to college. She also lived in Europe for a while. After that, she came back to get her master's degree in History. She worked in Hollywood and then got married. She started a family and became a teacher.

She earned her first degree from the University of Southern California in 1973. She received her master's degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1977. In 2010, she became a member of a group called Book View Cafe.

Sherwood Smith currently lives in California.