Bridget Smith started out life as Gordon Smith. As Gordon, she spent a mostly idyllic childhood in rural upstate New York, chasing butterflies and snakes. In college she gave up or...view moreBridget Smith started out life as Gordon Smith. As Gordon, she spent a mostly idyllic childhood in rural upstate New York, chasing butterflies and snakes. In college she gave up organic chemistry for painting, and served a term as chief of the Antioch College Fire Department. After graduating she moved to San Francisco, where she has remained. Her first book, The Forest in the Hallway (Clarion, 2006) was published before she became Bridget. The transition from painting to writing has alsoview less