D.S. Smith's Blog
May 25, 2019
Profile Interview
1. Born in Bolton, England, which is your favorite childhood memory?
My earliest memories are of the holidays we used to have in Blackpool, Northwest coast of England. I come from a big family, so there were always enough of us to play a good game of football or cricket on the beach. We didn’t have a lot of money back then but we had a lot of fun.
2. At the age of 20, what inspired you to join the RAF embarking on a career that spanned nine years?
I’m the youngest of 9 siblings, 6 brothers and 3 sisters. All 5 of my brothers served in the British Forces. When it came to my turn I chose the Air Force. I liked the idea of working with aircraft.
3. Spending 7 years at The Natural History Museum in London, how would you describe your experience of working as a Scientific Officer?
This was the job the really opened my eyes to the big wide world. I worked with many incredibly interesting people; from academics & naturalists to celebrities & the media. I travelled to and worked in institutions like the Smithsonian in Washington DC and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. My imagination blossomed with what I saw in the collections accumulated by some of the greatest naturalists of our time. I got to handle specimens collect by Charles Darwin and Captain Cook.
4. How has holding a degree in Biological Sciences helped you shape into a Science Fiction author?
When you delve into the science of how life has developed it is mind blowing. How our bodies work, how our cells regenerate and replicate, how we are able to reproduce copies of ourselves; this is the stuff of science fiction. Anyone with a basic understanding of biology and a vivid imagination can create awe inspiring stories using the facts surrounding the makeup of life.
5. How do you balance time between writing books and managing Subsea Engineering company in Ghana?
At the moment I am working a rotation of 4 - 5 weeks in Ghana followed by 2-3 weeks at home in England. Working away gives me a lot of alone time in the evenings and weekends. That is the time I am most productive with my writing. It means when I am home I can dedicate time to my family.
6. How do people you meet during your travel inspire you for your writings?
Working as an expat you get the best of both worlds; immersing yourself in the culture of the country you are working in and meeting other like minded expats. Learning the traditions and beliefs of other nationalities is always inspiring. Add to that the mysteries surrounding other expats you encounter; foreign office workers, business men, charity workers, students, tourists, etc...., the output is an abundance of fuel for your imagination.
7. What inspired your first novel, Unparalleled? What challenges did you face while getting your first book published?
I was reading Michael Crichton’s novel Timeline, whilst sat outside a Tiger Enclosure in a zoo. In the book the MC’s were sent back in time to medieval France, materializing in the middle of a full blown battle. In the tiger enclosure, a huge mail Bengal Tiger was prowling up and down the fence line. I started to imagine what would happen to one of Crichton’s characters if they were to materialize inside the enclosure. That was the start of unparalleled. The book underwent many revisions before I settled on the way I wanted the story to go. The prologue to the published edition is the only bit that remains from my original idea. Getting the book published was a breeze, thanks to Clink Street publishers of London. They were extremely supportive throughout the process. The hard part was sitting back and waiting while someone else handled my creation.
8. How would you describe your writing? Do you think your writing process has changed much since your last book?
I consider myself a down to earth, pragmatic person with a strong imagination. These two qualities kind of contradict each other. I’ve tried to capture that in my writing. Basically, putting ordinary people into extraordinary situations. With my first book I am confident I have demonstrated my ability as a story teller. Moving forward I’d like become more established as a writer.
9. Who inspired the character of Stuart Milton? How do you come up with character names?
Stuart is pretty much me. He’s the only character in the book through which I project my own emotions, morals and beliefs (hope I’m not incriminating myself here!). I came up with the name for Stuart using my middle name and the the name of the street where I had my first home. Other character names are quite random, though some are inspired by people I know or have met.
10. When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?
I am not writing for fame and fortune. I am just happy to share my imagination with others.
11. What is your author dream? Do you have any other aspirations that aren't writing related?
I’m just happy to share my imagination with others...No really, my dream is to be a professional writer. To be able to jack in my day job and churn out novels like Stephen King or James Patterson. Non writing aspirations? Learn piano and get better on the guitar.
12. According to you, what elements grab the attention of readers from the first page to the last page of your books?
Mystery, twists and turns, and most important of all, relatable characters with relatable emotions.
13. What types of books do you enjoy in your downtime? What are your top three favorite books of all time?
I enjoy Sci-Fi above all other genres but am open to anything with mystery and solid characters. My top 3 books, erm.....
1) Timeline - Michael Crichton
2) The passage trilogy - Justin Cronin
3) Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger.
13. How do you think concepts such as Kindle, and e-books have changed the present or future of reading.
The great thing about Amazon & ebooks in general, is it gives everyone the opportunity to publish their writings. So much talent may have been missed if it wasn’t for this kind of media. The down side is that life is too short to enjoy all that is available (for now at least).
My earliest memories are of the holidays we used to have in Blackpool, Northwest coast of England. I come from a big family, so there were always enough of us to play a good game of football or cricket on the beach. We didn’t have a lot of money back then but we had a lot of fun.
2. At the age of 20, what inspired you to join the RAF embarking on a career that spanned nine years?
I’m the youngest of 9 siblings, 6 brothers and 3 sisters. All 5 of my brothers served in the British Forces. When it came to my turn I chose the Air Force. I liked the idea of working with aircraft.
3. Spending 7 years at The Natural History Museum in London, how would you describe your experience of working as a Scientific Officer?
This was the job the really opened my eyes to the big wide world. I worked with many incredibly interesting people; from academics & naturalists to celebrities & the media. I travelled to and worked in institutions like the Smithsonian in Washington DC and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. My imagination blossomed with what I saw in the collections accumulated by some of the greatest naturalists of our time. I got to handle specimens collect by Charles Darwin and Captain Cook.
4. How has holding a degree in Biological Sciences helped you shape into a Science Fiction author?
When you delve into the science of how life has developed it is mind blowing. How our bodies work, how our cells regenerate and replicate, how we are able to reproduce copies of ourselves; this is the stuff of science fiction. Anyone with a basic understanding of biology and a vivid imagination can create awe inspiring stories using the facts surrounding the makeup of life.
5. How do you balance time between writing books and managing Subsea Engineering company in Ghana?
At the moment I am working a rotation of 4 - 5 weeks in Ghana followed by 2-3 weeks at home in England. Working away gives me a lot of alone time in the evenings and weekends. That is the time I am most productive with my writing. It means when I am home I can dedicate time to my family.
6. How do people you meet during your travel inspire you for your writings?
Working as an expat you get the best of both worlds; immersing yourself in the culture of the country you are working in and meeting other like minded expats. Learning the traditions and beliefs of other nationalities is always inspiring. Add to that the mysteries surrounding other expats you encounter; foreign office workers, business men, charity workers, students, tourists, etc...., the output is an abundance of fuel for your imagination.
7. What inspired your first novel, Unparalleled? What challenges did you face while getting your first book published?
I was reading Michael Crichton’s novel Timeline, whilst sat outside a Tiger Enclosure in a zoo. In the book the MC’s were sent back in time to medieval France, materializing in the middle of a full blown battle. In the tiger enclosure, a huge mail Bengal Tiger was prowling up and down the fence line. I started to imagine what would happen to one of Crichton’s characters if they were to materialize inside the enclosure. That was the start of unparalleled. The book underwent many revisions before I settled on the way I wanted the story to go. The prologue to the published edition is the only bit that remains from my original idea. Getting the book published was a breeze, thanks to Clink Street publishers of London. They were extremely supportive throughout the process. The hard part was sitting back and waiting while someone else handled my creation.
8. How would you describe your writing? Do you think your writing process has changed much since your last book?
I consider myself a down to earth, pragmatic person with a strong imagination. These two qualities kind of contradict each other. I’ve tried to capture that in my writing. Basically, putting ordinary people into extraordinary situations. With my first book I am confident I have demonstrated my ability as a story teller. Moving forward I’d like become more established as a writer.
9. Who inspired the character of Stuart Milton? How do you come up with character names?
Stuart is pretty much me. He’s the only character in the book through which I project my own emotions, morals and beliefs (hope I’m not incriminating myself here!). I came up with the name for Stuart using my middle name and the the name of the street where I had my first home. Other character names are quite random, though some are inspired by people I know or have met.
10. When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?
I am not writing for fame and fortune. I am just happy to share my imagination with others.
11. What is your author dream? Do you have any other aspirations that aren't writing related?
I’m just happy to share my imagination with others...No really, my dream is to be a professional writer. To be able to jack in my day job and churn out novels like Stephen King or James Patterson. Non writing aspirations? Learn piano and get better on the guitar.
12. According to you, what elements grab the attention of readers from the first page to the last page of your books?
Mystery, twists and turns, and most important of all, relatable characters with relatable emotions.
13. What types of books do you enjoy in your downtime? What are your top three favorite books of all time?
I enjoy Sci-Fi above all other genres but am open to anything with mystery and solid characters. My top 3 books, erm.....
1) Timeline - Michael Crichton
2) The passage trilogy - Justin Cronin
3) Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger.
13. How do you think concepts such as Kindle, and e-books have changed the present or future of reading.
The great thing about Amazon & ebooks in general, is it gives everyone the opportunity to publish their writings. So much talent may have been missed if it wasn’t for this kind of media. The down side is that life is too short to enjoy all that is available (for now at least).
May 24, 2019
A day in the life
I would love to be able to write a paragraph or two about how I structure my day to maximise the creative flow. How I wake up naturally to the sound of birds singing outside, stroll out to the kitchen to flick on the coffee machine before jumping into the shower to energise myself for the day ahead. But I’ll save the fiction for my books.
The Alarm sounds. I’m already awake but in a kind of conscious slumber. I haven’t slept well so I’m not awake enough yet to throw back the covers. I press the snooze button and immediately fall asleep. Nine minutes pass in what seems like 30 seconds and the alarm sounds again. Why is a snooze nine minutes anyway? I didn’t set that. One more snooze and I’ll get up.
Nooooo, I wake up abruptly, I must have hit the stop button instead of the snooze. I’m running late now, but not so late that it stops me satisfying my new obsession. I pick up the phone and refresh my Author Central page on Amazon to see if I’ve sold any more copies of ‘Unparalleled’ overnight. I’ll do this every couple of hours for the rest of the day and one last time before I go to sleep.
I managed to avoid being late by skipping breakfast, so my working day starts with a cup of coffee. As I take my first sips, I look out of the window. I have a corner office with floor to ceiling glass on two sides providing a panoramic view of the neighboring buildings. The towering Ibis Hotel is prominent with its grey and white patchwork facade, behind it I see the Marina Mall peeking out displaying 20-foot high adverts for KFC, Nike and Vodafone. The glass-fronted tower of the Stanbic Bank reflects the traffic driving by on the six-lane carriageway beneath it. Cars turn right onto a dual carriageway, flanked by Nissan and Mercedes Benz showrooms on one side and Land Rover/Jaguar on the other. They’re headed toward the Holiday Inn and Hilton. This description probably fits many cities around the world but this one belongs to Accra, Ghana.
I’ve been working in Ghana on and off for the past nine years. It’s my second home. The people of Ghana are amongst the most friendly, laidback, creative folk you will ever meet. Even as I write this, I am watching a Car Park Attendant dance his way around the parked cars as he patrols. He has some pretty impressive moves!
Quick look at the watch – I have ten minutes before my first meeting of the day. Grab the phone, refresh the page; I’m in the top 25,000 on the Amazon Best Seller list, up from 57,000 earlier, whoop, whoop, I must have sold a couple of copies.
The meeting I attend is a weekly update on the status of offshore operation in the Ghanaian oil fields. The company I manage here provide Subsea Engineering services required to maintain the infrastructure used to get the oil from the wells on the seabed to the storage facility at the surface. We have a ship in the field equipped with two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV’s) that are used to carry out this maintenance. The ROV’s are about the size of a transit van. They have two robotic arms used to operate valves and disconnect or connect hydraulic and electrical supplies. There are lights and cameras to provide the operator with the visuals needed to carry out the tasks, and they have thrusters to propel them through the water column. All of this is controlled from the deck of the ship by a team of pilots and technicians.
The meeting lasts for an hour and all is good…
Back at my desk I check my emails. There’s one from my daughter, written as she boards a plane at Manchester Airport. She’s flying out to Ghana with her friend to join me for the week. They are both Yoga Instructors so I have set up a number of classes for her to teach while she’s here. I’m looking forward to joining in. My daughter illustrated the cover for ‘Unparalleled’. It’s a beautiful water colour, designed with the books theme in mind. A lot of writing sites advise against using homemade covers. Perhaps they are right, but I’m proud of the work my daughter did on this so I want to show it off as much as the story itself.
It’s lunch time. I’m having a sandwich at my desk and surfing through the BLOG sites to look for feedback for the book and of course to check the sales – I’ve hit the top 12,000, it’s looking like the hard work was worth it after all. I now have 20 followers on Twitter and almost 50 on Instagram, big time here I come. I never used social media until the book was published, never really saw the point. Oh, I get it now though! I see the importance of spreading the word, getting your name out there, showing the world your book, giving them teasers, follow and be followed, tweet and be tweeted and then re-tweeted, post and …..ok, you get the point.
All the reviews so far are good. Admittedly, family and friends have posted most of them. One from the BLOG tour really stands out. Thank you Welsh Mummy Blogs. Your review gave me a huge confidence boost. I’m sure the bad reviews will come. My wife read the first printed version of the book when it arrived from the publisher in the post. She has found many spelling and grammar mistakes. This annoyed me at first, I thought I was sending out a polished version. So, I did a bit of research. Many advisors will tell you to write, edit, write, edit, write, edit……………which is very good advice. Then, I read a BLOG by Stephen King. He prefers to get it out there and learn from the feedback. After all, what is a review if it’s not a proof read?
Half way through the afternoon now and the lack of sleep last night is starting to take its toll. I need more coffee to get me through to the end of the day. I’ve noticed on a lot of the book review BLOG sites that you can express your gratitude for the work they do by buying them a coffee. All you have to do is click on the tag and donate. These guys commit so much to the art and most of them do it for the love of it. I get tired reading just a few chapters. Imagine reading book after book and then having to comment on them. I’ll will be buying them all a coffee from now on.
Last meeting attended, last email sent, the working day is over. A quick bite to eat and I’m on my way to pick up my daughter and her friend from the airport. I’ve been looking forward to this all day. I’m really excited to see them but also excited to have an excuse to show off the many interesting people and places I have come to know and love during my time working in this vibrant country. Standing amongst the crowd at the arrivals entrance, I feel like I’m in that scene from the movie ‘Love Actually’. People hugging, kissing, cheering and crying as their love ones appear through the double doors. My daughter and her friend appear, full of smiles and expectation. My daughter is dragging a big suitcase but under her arm is a copy of ‘Unparalleled’, bless her.
After a few drinks at the hotel bar, exchanging stories of the journey, my day at work and the plans for the week ahead, we all decide to turn in. It’s been quite a day, dedicated to work for the most part, family toward the end. But now it’s my time. This is when I write, when I go to bed at night. I’m drafting the sequel for ‘Unparalleled’ at the moment and have written the Prologue. The first chapter is going to introduce characters that were not involved in the first book. I’ll spend a couple of hours bringing them into existence, but first a quick check on Author Central. What the……I’ve slipped from the top 12,000 to over 100,000 on the best seller rank. Ahhhh, what is the point.
Good night.
The Alarm sounds. I’m already awake but in a kind of conscious slumber. I haven’t slept well so I’m not awake enough yet to throw back the covers. I press the snooze button and immediately fall asleep. Nine minutes pass in what seems like 30 seconds and the alarm sounds again. Why is a snooze nine minutes anyway? I didn’t set that. One more snooze and I’ll get up.
Nooooo, I wake up abruptly, I must have hit the stop button instead of the snooze. I’m running late now, but not so late that it stops me satisfying my new obsession. I pick up the phone and refresh my Author Central page on Amazon to see if I’ve sold any more copies of ‘Unparalleled’ overnight. I’ll do this every couple of hours for the rest of the day and one last time before I go to sleep.
I managed to avoid being late by skipping breakfast, so my working day starts with a cup of coffee. As I take my first sips, I look out of the window. I have a corner office with floor to ceiling glass on two sides providing a panoramic view of the neighboring buildings. The towering Ibis Hotel is prominent with its grey and white patchwork facade, behind it I see the Marina Mall peeking out displaying 20-foot high adverts for KFC, Nike and Vodafone. The glass-fronted tower of the Stanbic Bank reflects the traffic driving by on the six-lane carriageway beneath it. Cars turn right onto a dual carriageway, flanked by Nissan and Mercedes Benz showrooms on one side and Land Rover/Jaguar on the other. They’re headed toward the Holiday Inn and Hilton. This description probably fits many cities around the world but this one belongs to Accra, Ghana.
I’ve been working in Ghana on and off for the past nine years. It’s my second home. The people of Ghana are amongst the most friendly, laidback, creative folk you will ever meet. Even as I write this, I am watching a Car Park Attendant dance his way around the parked cars as he patrols. He has some pretty impressive moves!
Quick look at the watch – I have ten minutes before my first meeting of the day. Grab the phone, refresh the page; I’m in the top 25,000 on the Amazon Best Seller list, up from 57,000 earlier, whoop, whoop, I must have sold a couple of copies.
The meeting I attend is a weekly update on the status of offshore operation in the Ghanaian oil fields. The company I manage here provide Subsea Engineering services required to maintain the infrastructure used to get the oil from the wells on the seabed to the storage facility at the surface. We have a ship in the field equipped with two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV’s) that are used to carry out this maintenance. The ROV’s are about the size of a transit van. They have two robotic arms used to operate valves and disconnect or connect hydraulic and electrical supplies. There are lights and cameras to provide the operator with the visuals needed to carry out the tasks, and they have thrusters to propel them through the water column. All of this is controlled from the deck of the ship by a team of pilots and technicians.
The meeting lasts for an hour and all is good…
Back at my desk I check my emails. There’s one from my daughter, written as she boards a plane at Manchester Airport. She’s flying out to Ghana with her friend to join me for the week. They are both Yoga Instructors so I have set up a number of classes for her to teach while she’s here. I’m looking forward to joining in. My daughter illustrated the cover for ‘Unparalleled’. It’s a beautiful water colour, designed with the books theme in mind. A lot of writing sites advise against using homemade covers. Perhaps they are right, but I’m proud of the work my daughter did on this so I want to show it off as much as the story itself.
It’s lunch time. I’m having a sandwich at my desk and surfing through the BLOG sites to look for feedback for the book and of course to check the sales – I’ve hit the top 12,000, it’s looking like the hard work was worth it after all. I now have 20 followers on Twitter and almost 50 on Instagram, big time here I come. I never used social media until the book was published, never really saw the point. Oh, I get it now though! I see the importance of spreading the word, getting your name out there, showing the world your book, giving them teasers, follow and be followed, tweet and be tweeted and then re-tweeted, post and …..ok, you get the point.
All the reviews so far are good. Admittedly, family and friends have posted most of them. One from the BLOG tour really stands out. Thank you Welsh Mummy Blogs. Your review gave me a huge confidence boost. I’m sure the bad reviews will come. My wife read the first printed version of the book when it arrived from the publisher in the post. She has found many spelling and grammar mistakes. This annoyed me at first, I thought I was sending out a polished version. So, I did a bit of research. Many advisors will tell you to write, edit, write, edit, write, edit……………which is very good advice. Then, I read a BLOG by Stephen King. He prefers to get it out there and learn from the feedback. After all, what is a review if it’s not a proof read?
Half way through the afternoon now and the lack of sleep last night is starting to take its toll. I need more coffee to get me through to the end of the day. I’ve noticed on a lot of the book review BLOG sites that you can express your gratitude for the work they do by buying them a coffee. All you have to do is click on the tag and donate. These guys commit so much to the art and most of them do it for the love of it. I get tired reading just a few chapters. Imagine reading book after book and then having to comment on them. I’ll will be buying them all a coffee from now on.
Last meeting attended, last email sent, the working day is over. A quick bite to eat and I’m on my way to pick up my daughter and her friend from the airport. I’ve been looking forward to this all day. I’m really excited to see them but also excited to have an excuse to show off the many interesting people and places I have come to know and love during my time working in this vibrant country. Standing amongst the crowd at the arrivals entrance, I feel like I’m in that scene from the movie ‘Love Actually’. People hugging, kissing, cheering and crying as their love ones appear through the double doors. My daughter and her friend appear, full of smiles and expectation. My daughter is dragging a big suitcase but under her arm is a copy of ‘Unparalleled’, bless her.
After a few drinks at the hotel bar, exchanging stories of the journey, my day at work and the plans for the week ahead, we all decide to turn in. It’s been quite a day, dedicated to work for the most part, family toward the end. But now it’s my time. This is when I write, when I go to bed at night. I’m drafting the sequel for ‘Unparalleled’ at the moment and have written the Prologue. The first chapter is going to introduce characters that were not involved in the first book. I’ll spend a couple of hours bringing them into existence, but first a quick check on Author Central. What the……I’ve slipped from the top 12,000 to over 100,000 on the best seller rank. Ahhhh, what is the point.
Good night.
