Sherry Weaver Smith

Sherry Weaver Smith is inspired by the saints. She imagines setting out in a half-walnut-shaped boat like saints in Wales did long ago. The wind and current would take her on a journey.

Instead, Sherry has taken typical trips, involving planes, passport stamps, and visas. But all of these have shaped her writing. Sherry has a master's degree from the University of Oxford in England. Working for a nonprofit in the Philippines, she learned from Catholic Salesian Sisters who have dedicated their lives to helping homeless and working children in Manila.

Sherry is the author of "The Wolf and the Shield: An Adventure with Saint Patrick," a novel for grades 2-5, about a boy in ancient Ireland who tries to protect a wolf pup with the help of that island's most beloved saint.

Working on Pauline Books and Media's Friends with the Saints line of novels, she is also the author of the forthcoming "The Search for the Hidden Garden: A Discovery with Saint Thérèse." Can Thérèse help Charlotte, a bold girl, find and protect a special garden that its creator forgot?

Sherry's first step in her walk with saints began when she became Catholic as an adult when she returned from the Philippines. After marrying her husband, Michael, Sherry wrote her first poems and children's fiction for their daughter, Laura. Reflecting a love of nature, Sherry's haiku collection, "Land Shapes," has been published by Richer Resource Publications.

Sherry has worked in various product management and grant-writing positions for healthcare companies and nonprofit organizations. She received her bachelor's degree from Duke University in math and East Asian studies, and a master's in politics from the University of Oxford.