Amber Smith

Fiction Writer

Charlotte, NC
North Carolina US
Email: 
AmberSmithAuthor@gmail.com
Website: 
www.ambersmithauthor.com

Author's Bio

Amber Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle grade novels, including The Way I Used to Be, The Last to Let Go, Something Like Gravity, and her forthcoming middle grade debut, Code Name: Serendipity. An advocate for increased awareness of mental health, gendered violence, and LGBTQIA+ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help to foster change and spark dialogue. She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her wife and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats.

Publications & Prizes

Anthology:
Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America - ed. Amy Reed (Simon & Schuster, 2018)
Books:
Code Name: Serendipity (Penguin Random House, 2022)
,
Something Like Gravity (Simon & Schuster, 2019)
,
The Last to Let Go (Simon & Schuster, 2018)
,
The Way I Used to Be (Simon & Schuster, 2016)
Prizes won: 
  • Whippoorwill Book Award Winner (Something Like Gravity, 2020)
  • Kansas NEA Reading Circle List (Something Like Gravity, 2020)
  • Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Nominee (The Last to Let Go, 2020)
  • Eliot Rosewater Award Honor Book (The Way I Used to Be, 2018-19)
  • Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award Nominee (The Way I Used to Be, 2018)
  • Texas Library Association TAYSHAS List (The Last to Let Go, 2018)
  • American Library Association Amelia Bloomer List (The Way I Used to Be, 2017)
  • Texas Library Association TAYSHAS List (The Way I Used to Be, 2017)
  • New York Times Bestseller (The Way I Used to Be, 2016)
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee - Best YA Fiction (The Way I Used to Be, 2016)
  • Bank Street Best Books (The Way I Used to Be, 2016)

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Isabel Allende, Laurie Halse Anderson, Margaret Atwood, Gayle Forman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Nina LaCour, Madeleine L'Engle, Ann Patchett, Amy Reed, Courtney Summers, Donna Tartt

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
American
Prefers to work with: 
Children, LGBTQ, Mental Health, Teenagers
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Norfolk, VA
Virginia
Raised in: 
Buffalo, NY
New York
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Jun 29, 2021