Leanne Smith's first novel aims to inspire readers of all genres
"Leaving Independence," follows the journey of Abigail Baldwyn, who believes her husband died fighting in the Civil War, and her journey west to find the answers she so desperately seeks.
Grace Mestad |
“When something calls to you, journey toward it.” - Leanne Smith
And journey she did. Leanne Smith (’89, ’09 MBA), an assistant professor and mentor in Lipscomb’s College of Business, can now add historical fiction novelist to her title with the release of her first novel, Leaving Independence.
Leaving Independence, released by Waterfall Press in June 2016, follows the journey of Abigail Baldwyn, who believes her husband died fighting in the Civil War, and her journey west to find the answers she so desperately seeks.
The idea behind Leaving Independence began five years ago. Smith said she had numerous stories in her head for years, but that a piece of this one just happened to fall into place, and at that moment she knew it was time to start her journey.
The journey to completing this novel took Smith and her youngest daughter all the way to Kansas City, where the two rented a car, and then drove to Independence, Missouri. There they walked the town and cemeteries, checked into a bed and breakfast, and did research at the National Frontier Trails museum.
Smith said she felt God speaking to her through her doubts of writing her novel when on their first day in Independence at their very first stop, her and her daughter came across a maker that read “Leaving Independence,” which had been her working title for over a year.
“God was winking at me through cloudy skies and my own doubt that I could accomplish it,” Smith said. “You have to love a God like that.”
In releasing her novel, Smith said she hopes that her readers find inspiration through her story and that she can do for them what great authors have done for her.
“I want to do what great stories have always done for me: Teach me more about myself and the human experience,” Smith said. “Expand the borders of my heart; make me laugh, weep, curse and tremble; inspire me to keep putting one foot in front of the other; and help me hold steadfast to the twin beliefs that there are good people in the world and God is working through them.”
Smith is very open on her website and blog about how her faith and relationship with God have inspired and pushed her to follow this journey of writing a novel. Elements of faith are present in Leaving Independence, but Smith does not consider herself a Christian fiction writer, but instead a Christian writing fiction.
“There are faith elements in Leaving Independence, and characters relying on and expressing their faith, but Christian fiction as a genre has always felt limiting to me,” said Smith. ”I hope this story has wider appeal than to only those typical readers of Christian fiction. It's historical fiction. It's a western. Some would describe it as a romance, suspense, mystery or adventure. I call it inspirational fiction.”
When Smith isn’t nurturing her love of creative writing, she is teaching and inspiring the next generation of business professionals at Lipscomb. Through her experience in writing and releasing her first novel, Smith said she can now use those experiences to further inspire her students to chase their dreams.
“It’s incredibly gratifying to walk beside my students on the journey toward goals and dreams,” Smith said. ‘When I talk about pitching, for example, I understand it’s intimidating. I had to pitch to agents and publishers. And I can honestly look my students in the eye and say, ‘If you can dream it, it can happen. It might take you a few years, but if God planted the dream, He’ll prepare you to accomplish it. Your job is to be coachable and trust Him.’”
Smith is an assistant professor with a record of teaching excellence, student engagement, university service and community involvement. Her career background is in writing, design and administration.
Smith has won several teaching and service awards including NASBA’s “Making a Difference” Award, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs Region 3 Teaching Excellence Award and an Outstanding Teacher Award from Lipscomb. Smith holds an MBA from Lipscomb, an M.S. in Mass Communication from Middle Tennessee State University and a B.A. in Speech Communication from Lipscomb.
To learn more about Leaving Independence, author Leanne Smith or to purchase the book, click here.