Cynthia Smith

Born Cynthia Alease Davis, in Bronx, New York, C. Alease Smith is a current resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has always had a passion for writing, although it hadn't matured until later in her life. Her love for English and writing actually extended from the third grade, when her teacher, Mrs. Wolf, told her she had a "gift." She decided however, to pursue art for the rest of her elementary, junior high and high school life through drawing and sketching, using various forms of media. She received scholarships to study at the Fleischer Art Memorial in Philadelphia, and a special Loeb Laboratory scholarship to study for a year at the Philadelphia College of Art (now known as the University of the Arts), also in Philadelphia. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology, summa cum laude, with honors from Kaplan University, and is a member of the Epsilon Delta Pi National Honor Society for Computer Sciences, National Scholars Honor Society, and the Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society. She also holds a Master of Arts in Writing Studies, summa cum laude, from St. Joseph’s University and is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Lambda National Honor Society for Graduate Students, Omega Chapter. Specializing in literary, contemporary fiction, as well as stories of real people, and stories inspired by real events, her work includes two novels, The Gatekeeper, published in 2009, and her latest work, The Fosters, published in 2013, receiving accolades including, “LYRICAL,” “BOLD,” “THOUGHT PROVOKING,” and “VERY WELL WRITTEN – IN A WORD, AN AMAZING READ.” Her nonfiction credits include the story of Thelma Wright, a reputed drug “queen pin” who took over her husband’s drug trafficking trade during the 1980s-90s. C. Alease stated that Thelma Wright had the title and an amazing story, but she needed someone “to get inside of her, to write the way she felt.” C. Alease completed the manuscript for "With Eyes from Both Sides, by Thelma Wright, as told to and written by C. Alease," in February, 2011, which has been hailed as, “ADDICTIVE,” “SOUL STIRRING,” and “A GREAT PIECE OF WORK.” C. Alease’s work garnered Thelma Wright a biopic on “Gangsters-America’s Most Evil,” on the Biography channel, in addition to numerous television and radio appearances, and speaking engagements. C. Alease says she is virtually "hooked, lined and sunk" when it comes to her love for writing. She says, "I love to write! I enjoy being creative, and through the Internet, I can take my art all over the world. That's it. That's me. Of course there's lots more, but for now, I am a mother, grandmother, wife, geek, techno guru, novelist, writer, and author!"