Smith, Hermine R.: - Hermine R. Smith was raised by immigrant parents in New Jersey. She lived on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania during her high school years, then moved to post-WWII West Germany. Hermine returned to raise her family in New Jersey and held some interesting jobs, including stage managing large choral groups, working in a bank and a bus station, dog grooming, and owning a health food store as well as a house painting business. She's been assisting creative writers boost their publishing odds since 1994 and recently learned to play mahjong. Hermine is an experienced and avid gardener who nurtures native trees and perennial plants that support local wildlife. She is also a caterpillar and butterfly advocate and includes lots of host plants for these pollinators in her garden.