Shanton Smith is a 43-year-old dynamic writer from North Carolina. She is a single mother who’s had to face many struggles alone. She was adopted and raised by her grandparents. This created mixed views on family connections. She experienced a lot of childhood trauma due to the missing pieces of her puzzle. She was the middle of three girls and often wondered why she was chosen for adoption at 11 months of age. She pondered the idea that something was wrong with her. These thoughts lead to insecurities and feelings of incompleteness. Her grandmother was her biggest advocate and best friend, always reminding her of her uniqueness and encouraging her to be her best. As a young adult, Shanton worked in sales, where she earned numerous awards. At the age of 19, Shanton lost her father and both of her grandparents within 12 months. They were the closest to her. This left her feeling broken and alone.  Shanton later had two children, who became her newfound strength. Through her relationship with her children, she discovered the brokenness within that required healing. Shanton started a career in the insurance industry, where she developed an inquisitive nature for growth and learning new things.  Shanton has received numerous accolades in the insurance industry. Shanton learned about journaling and wrote her first book to cope with her inner struggles. Writing gave her a sense of closure allowing her to heal from traumatic experiences. She later developed a passion for screenwriting. Shanton aspires to provide hope and inspiration through film. Her recent screenplay Karma Is Her Name was selected as the best screenplay (unproduced) in The Venice Shorts Screenplay Awards. Another one of her recent scripts, He Loves Me Knot was chosen as a quarterly finalist in the Palm Springs Diversity Screenplay Awards and the Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards. Shanton loves to write as it grants an opportunity to turn traumatic experiences into newly found victories.