Angela is the author of upmarket (i.e., book club) women’s/contemporary fiction. Her award-winning novels explore coming of age, generational secrets, and redefining self as well as unrequited love, dysfunctional families, and living with mental illness (among other themes), but always with an empathy that respects the complexity of the human experience and a huge helping of heart. While she spent many years working her way up the corporate ranks in accounting and finance, writing has been her passion ever since she wrote, edited and distributed a neighborhood newspaper at the age of eight (which, incidentally, was a big success until an exposé written based on sketchy facts shut her down for good). A Whisper of Smoke was her debut novel, and winner of the 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Award for Women's Fiction, the 2014 GRW Maggie Award for Excellence (women's fiction with strong romantic elements), the 2014 Heart of Denver Aspen Gold Award (women's fiction with strong romantic elements) and the 2015 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal for Women's Fiction. It was also a finalist in the 2015 International Book Awards for Women's Fiction. A Painted Lily was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2017 Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Angela's most recent women's fiction novel, Missing Pictures (released in 2021), is "a raw, emotional foray into the harrowing and yet hilarious capriciousness of mental illness... a novel that can meet you at your darkest moment and give you the power to decide to save your own life." She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her family, a neurotic but sweet Yorkie, and a Black Lab rescue who slobbers and hogs the bed. To learn more about Angela and her books, visit angelahokeauthor.com.