Cynthia Leitich Smith is the acclaimed and best-selling author of Tantalize, Eternal, and several other books for young readers. About Blessed, she says, 'Who hasn't felt like their life is over? Like they're all alone, facing an internal storm? That's when a little faith can save you, when you're fighting the hardest to believe in yourself.' A member of the faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA programme in writing for children and young adults, she lives in Austin, Texas.