Karen Cecil Smith

My love of history is reflected in all of my books. I strive to make my works entertaining as well as educational.

The biography Orlean Puckett: The Life of a Mountain Midwife (1844-1939) is my first published work. I researched the life of this beloved Virginia midwife for over four years, traveling across hills, hollers, and through the occasional mountain fog to interview "Aunt Orlean's" friends, neighbors, and family members. After giving birth to 24 babies, none having lived past infancy, Orlean Puckett became a midwife. The generosity and love that she, a grieving mother, extended to other women touched me. During her career, she successfully delivered over 1,000 babies. This book is my tribute to a truly remarkable woman and it was, for me, a labor of love. While there aren't many detailed stories about actual births, I included interview accounts and oral histories to the best of my ability. Orlean Puckett was more than just a midwife. She was a loyal wife who carried food to her husband John and other Civil War deserters who hid out in the hills from the Home Guard. She was a friend to neighbors and fed strangers who came to her door. Even though Orlean Puckett could not read or write, she possessed a wealth of mountain knowledge, folklore, and humor. The National Park Service honored her with a plaque in front of Puckett Cabin, located at Milepost 189.9 along Virginia's Blue Ridge Parkway.

My second book, An Old Salem Christmas, 1840, is a children's picture book about the Moravian Christmas Lovefeast Celebration. Although I am not a Moravian, I became interested in the German sect, their culture, and traditions while attending Salem College. The Salem campus is located in the heart of the beautiful and historic village of Old Salem, North Carolina, which is the setting for the book. An Old Salem Christmas, 1840 shows children that Christmas is more than Santa Claus and presents. This book tells the true meaning of Christmas. In 2009, the North Carolina Society of Historians honored An Old Salem Christmas, 1840 with the Clark Cox Historical Fiction Award.

The Society also selected my most recently published book, Pillow of Thorns, as a recipient of the 2013 Clark Cox Historical Fiction Award. The novel is based on a sensational murder trial that took place in 1850 North Carolina. A close friend of mine, who is a history professor, introduced me to the actual trial transcript and suggested that I write a book about it. Together we traveled to Fayetteville, NC where we conducted extensive research and interviews. My research also took me to Charleston, SC and St. Paul, MN. I was intrigued by the mystery that surrounded the beautiful young woman who was accused of murdering her wealthy, older husband. The story has so many fascinating elements --- high society; slavery; superstition, and the suggestion of murder. I used the trial transcript to develop the story and characters. I was true to the trial transcript and other historical events and names. Pillow of Thorns is about the young woman who stood trial for murdering her husband; it is not a laboriously detailed account of the trial. Interestingly, my extended research uncovered many untruths that have been written about this woman. I address all of these in the book.

I am currently searching for the right publisher for my second children's picture book An Old Salem Easter, 1850. In this book, children will travel alongside a young sister and brother as they prepare for the Easter Sunrise Service in historic Salem, North Carolina. Through the cleaning of gravestones in God's Acre, decorating them with flowers, being awoken by lovely trombone music, eating a traditional Moravian breakfast of sugar cake, then gathering with family and friends to watch the sun rise over Salem, An Old Salem Easter, 1850 is both educational and inspirational.

I have many other projects in the works and will post news about them when they are completed.