About

My name is actually Christine M. Grote, but I sometimes write as CMSmith, or as my Thermodynamics professor used to call me, simply CM.

I have one husband, three sons, one daughter, two daughter-in-laws, one grandson, one granddaughter, and a dog named Arthur.

In October of 2011 I published a memoir called Dancing in Heaven that I wrote for and about my sister Annie who was permanently and severely disabled at birth. In 2015, I published Where Memories Meet – Reclaiming my father after Alzheimer’s. Someday I may write about my mother who was Annie’s and then my father’s caregiver. She died in January of 2013, two weeks before my father.

I enjoy reading, writing, gardening, photography, genealogy and travel.

I  began this blog on January 21, 2011. It is my public journal and all of the above is fodder for my posts. I hope you’ll join me from time to time.

A tip of the hat to my educators and employers.

EDUCATION:

Mount St. Joseph University (Cincinnati, Ohio – May 2007)
Bachelor of Arts
Major:  English
Minor:  Written Communications
Concentration:  Women’s Studies
Excellence in Leadership Award, Gold Level

University of Dayton (Dayton, Ohio – May 1979)
Bachelor of Science
Major:  Chemical Engineering
President – Society of Women Engineers
Vice President – Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi

WORK HISTORY:

Freelance Writer (Cincinnati, Ohio – 2004 to Present)

•  Wrote, edited, and self-published two books in print and e-book formats:
  • Where Memories Meet – Reclaiming my father after Alzheimer’s (2015)
  •  Dancing in Heaven – a sister’s memoir (2011)
• Blogging at Random Thoughts from Midlife (2011 – to present)
• Published op-ed stories in local newspapers and two feature stories in a national magazine (2004 – 2008)

RED! Webzine (Cincinnati, Ohio – 2007 to 2015)

• Writer and Web Editor (Volunteer – Part-time) —Worked with a college professor to design and publish a new online magazine. Wrote feature stories; edited and posted stories with photos on web

Glenmary Home Missioners (Cincinnati, Ohio – March to August 2008)

• Assistant Director of Communications —Wrote, edited and, using Adobe InDesign, prepared copy for three newsletters; wrote feature stories for quarterly magazine; updated website using Dreamweaver

Mount St. Joseph University (Cincinnati, Ohio – January 2005 to May 2007)

• Dateline Newspaper Editor (January 2006 – May 2006) —Coordinated efforts of student writers and assistant editors to produce a monthly newspaper
• Dateline Web Editor (September 2006 – May 2007) — Updated college web pages
• Lions-on-Line Editor (January 2005 – May 2007) —Initiated online college literary magazine and, working with a team of student editors and a faculty advisor, advertised for submissions; reviewed and selected acceptances; edited final copy, and published on website
• Writing Center Consultant (January 2005 – April 2007) — Assisted individual student clients through every stage of the writing process from idea generation to final editing for errors

Procter and Gamble (Cincinnati, Ohio – May 1979 to September 1982)

• Staff Engineer — Managed research and development projects, supervised technician, wrote bi-weekly reports for department-wide distribution detailing product development work