April Smith is an American novelist, television writer and producer. Her most recent novel, suspenseful historical fiction, is ''Home Sweet Home''. Previously, ''A Star For Mrs. Blake'', chosen by the Cincinnati Public Library as their 2014 "On The Same Page" all-city reads boo

Other works include a series of four mystery/thrillers featuring FBI Special Agent Ana Grey. One of them, ''Good Morning, Killer'', was adapted and executive produced by Smith for the TNT Mystery Movie Nights in 2011. She is also the author of a stand-alone thriller about the only woman baseball scout in the major leagues, ''Be the One''.

Education

A 1967 graduate of

The Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Spec ...

, Smith earned a BS With Distinction in English from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

and a master's degree in Creative Writing from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

Television producer and writer

Smith worked on several hit television series from the late 1970s through 2000 as producer, writer, and executive story editor, including ''

Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character was ...

'', ''

Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very dif ...

'', and ''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

''. She also adapted stories by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

for the

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

series ''

Nightmares & Dreamscapes ''Nightmares & Dreamscapes'' is a short story collection by American author Stephen King, published in 1993. Stories Dedication King dedicated this collection of stories to Thomas Williams, a writing instructor who taught for many years at t ...

''. She wrote teleplays for several made-for-TV movies, including the critically acclaimed 1998 remake of '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' and the 1999 adaptation of the

Anna Quindlen Anna Marie Quindlen (born July 8, 1952) is an American author, journalist, and opinion columnist. Her ''New York Times'' column, Public and Private, won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992. She began her journalism career in 1974 as a re ...

novel ''

Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the 13th British and 15th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976 by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first recorded after former guitarist Mick Taylor quit ...

''. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her screenplay for ''Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter'' (1984). In 2011 Smith penned the adaptation of her own novel ''Good Morning, Killer'', for the TNT Mystery Movie Night series. Smith's work has been nominated for three Emmys and two Writer's Guild awards.

Novels

Smith is the author of seven novels published by Alfred A. Knopf in hardcover and Vintage trade paperback, including thrillers and historical novels of suspense. The latest, ''Home Sweet Home'' (2017), is the epic saga of a family that becomes the victim of a murderous witch-hunt during the McCarthy era in 1950s South Dakot

''A Star For Mrs. Blake'' (201

is historical fiction based on the Gold Star Mothers pilgrimages of the 1930s, during which the U.S. government authorized funds for widows and mothers of soldiers killed during World War I and buried overseas to visit the graves of their loved ones. Now a forgotten footnote in history, almost 7,000 American women made the journey. It was the first official recognition of the sacrifices made by women during times of war. She is also known for four novels of suspense featuring FBI Special Agent Ana Grey as the central character: ''North of Montana'' (1994), ''Good Morning, Killer'' (2003), ''Judas Horse'' (2008), and ''White Shotgun'' (2011), as well as a standalone thriller about the only woman baseball scout in major league baseball, ''Be the One'', (2000), and two young adult books based on the TV series ''

James at 15 ''James at 15'' (later ''James at 16'') is an American drama series that aired on NBC during the 1977–1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie ''James at 15'', which aired on Monday September 5, 1977, and was intended ...

''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, April 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American mystery writers Television producers from New York City American women television producers American television writers American women novelists Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Living people Stanford University alumni The Bronx High School of Science alumni Writers from the Bronx 1949 births Women mystery writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Novelists from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state) American women television writers American historical fiction writers