Leesa Cross-Smith is an accomplished American author, born and raised in Kentucky. She is well-known for her works of romance, fiction, and chick-lit, and has written a total of seven books. These include "Goodbye Earl," "Half-Blown Rose," "This Close to Okay," "So We Can Glow," "Whiskey & Ribbons," "Every Kiss a War," and the forthcoming "As You Wish." Cross-Smith's writing has received significant recognition and acclaim, with many of her books becoming bestsellers and finalists for prestigious awards.
Cross-Smith's book "Every Kiss a War" was a finalist for the Iowa Short Fiction Award and the Flannery O'Connor Short Fiction Award, and was also nominated for the Pen Open Book Award in 2014. Another notable work, "Whiskey & Ribbons," won the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Gold Medal in Literary Fiction and was longlisted for the 2018 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. The book was also one of O Magazine's Top Books of Summer in 2018.
In addition to her success as an author, Cross-Smith also enjoys being a homemaker. She has received numerous accolades for her writing, including being longlisted for the 2022 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award and the 2021 Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize. "So We Can Glow" was listed as one of NPR's Best Books of 2020, while "Half-Blown Rose" received Coups De Cœur recognition from the American Library in Paris and was the Amazon Editors’ Spotlight for June 2022. Cross-Smith's books have been selected for various book clubs, including Sarah Selects, Barnes & Noble Book Club, Book of the Month Book of the Year, Goodreads Choice, and Marie Claire Book Club. Her writing has been praised for its emotional depth, compelling characters, and unique storytelling style, making her a beloved author in the literary world.