About Kerelyn Smith | Writer of Literary, Speculative, and Children's Fiction

Hi, I’m Kerelyn Smith, a writer, reader, and general story enthusiast.

I have been in love with stories since I was very small. When my parents would ask me how my day was at school, I would try to parrot, word-for-word, the book from story time. I don’t have a remarkable memory, so this was often a long circuitous process with many, “Oh, and I forgot to tell you about the frog, he’s important later because…” and “I don’t remember what he said, but it was funny because of his crooked finger” — probably not what they had in mind.

Even before that, my parents would take turns reading aloud to me, selecting a wide variety of books from The Wind in the Willows to 2001: a Space Odyssey. I first remember deciding I wanted to be a writer when my mom read Dealing with Dragons to me. I have been writing ever since.

Since that time I have written countless short stories, some very bad poetry, a few plays, song lyrics, novels, and collections of linked short stories. The majority of this was not very good, and I have been content to keep this work mostly private. I have occasionally inflicted it upon friends, classmates, and family. Apologies.

My education has been unusual, including stints in public school, homeschool, private school, a science & arts middle school, and a technical art high school. I have done some unusual things such as constructing a pair of six-foot metal bird wings, sculpting a giant clay elf head, and working with a blacksmith at an historic farm. I’ve done some normal things as well, like soccer and jazz band. I received my BA in English Literature from Reed College, where I wrote my undergraduate thesis on Thomas Hardy and his descriptions of nature in his Wessex novels.

Surprising to no one, this did not lead to profitable employment.

As a result, I have found work in an odd assortment of jobs including Book Seller, 826 Valencia Intern, Census Worker, and Corporate History Writer. For the last decade, I have found a home in the software industry where I’ve done most of the things you can do. I’ve been a Technical Writer, Business Systems Analyst, Project Manager, and UX/UI Designer, and now am a Software Engineer. All the while I have been writing in my spare time: early in the morning, lunch breaks, whenever I could find the time.

Reading has been my constant escape. I haunt used bookstores and own more books than is entirely healthy. I am an avid reader of all types of fiction especially literary fiction, fantasy, science fiction, children’s literature, and the classics. The effects of working in a bookstore never wore off; I still love making and receiving book recommendations.

My more recent writing reflects my readings interests. I seek to evoke wonder, contemplation, laughter, and compassion and to capture the joy I felt when reading my first chapter books all those years ago.

Short Bio

Kerelyn Smith is a writer of literary, speculative, and children’s fiction. By day she is a software engineer but she gets up in the wee hours of the morning to write. She lives in Seattle, WA, with her partner and dog, and enjoys hiking, gardening, and overcomplicating things. Mulrox and the Malcognitos is her first novel.

For Information on the goals and objectives of the website, see the first post: An Experiment.

To check out what I’m working on, see the Writing Projects page.