Sarah Jo Smith

Sarah Jo Smith (Sally Parido) is the author of contemporary women's novels The Other Side of Heartache, a semi-finalist in The Kindle Book Review 2013 Best Indie Book Awards for Literary Fiction, and her newest release, Entangled Loyalties (2016). A lifelong reader, she's had a book in her hands since her grandmother Rosie taught her to read at the age of five. Victorian literature was a favorite genre of study and she is a big fan of North American writers such as Willa Cather, Edith Wharton, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, and Anne Tyler. Two novels that have influenced her greatly are The Bluest Eye and East of Eden. Her novels delve into the female journey and the healing power of family. She writes stories where women characters face unexpected challenges and, through their struggles, emerge stronger and with a better understanding of themselves. She believes women will never stop reading books when they can relate to characters and gain insight into their own lives. She hopes her novels are those kinds of books. She was born in Los Angeles and raised in a high desert town in southern California. A former English teacher, she holds a bachelor's degree in English from California Lutheran University, a single subject teaching credential in English, and a master's degree in education from Santa Clara University. She has stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul books for the Adopted Soul, My Resolution, Teens Talk High School, and Say Goodbye to Stress. As the mother of three adults, Sarah Jo lives in picturesque Bend, Oregon with her husband, Gregg, of 35 years. When she's not reading or writing, hiking or snowshoeing in the Cascade Mountains, you'll find her on the pickleball courts. Please visit Sarah Jo Smith at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahjosmith.author LinkedIn: Sarah Jo Smith (author)