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Timothy Jay Smith

Goodreads Author

Born

in Greenfield, Iowa, The United States

December 20

Website

http://www.timothyjaysmith.com

Twitter

timothyjaysmith

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Gay & Lesbian, Literature & Fiction

Influences

Christopher Bollen, John LeCarre, Graham Greene, Joseph Kanon Alan Fur ...more

Member Since

January 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/timothyjaysmith

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From an early age, Timothy Jay Smith developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him around the world many times. En route, he’s found the characters that people his work. Polish cops and Greek fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and Indian tailors: he’s hung with them all in an unparalleled international career that’s seen him smuggle banned plays from behind the Iron Curtain, maneuver through Occupied Territories, represent the U.S. at the highest levels of foreign governments, and stowaway aboard a ‘devil’s barge’ for a three-day crossing from Cape Verde that landed him in an African jail.

Tim brings the same energy to his writing that he brought to a distinguished career, a ...more

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Timothy Jay Smith My most recent book is The Fourth Courier, due to be released in April 2019. This book goes back a long way for me. In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and …moreMy most recent book is The Fourth Courier, due to be released in April 2019. This book goes back a long way for me. In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and Solidarity won the first free election in Poland. In the same year, Mikhail Gorbachav introduced new cooperative laws in the Soviet Union, which was an area of my expertise. I was invited to the Soviet Union as a consultant, which eventually led to my consulting in six of the former Soviet republics, and ultimately living for over two years in Poland, where The Fourth Courier is set.

At the time, there was a lot of smuggling across the border between Russia and Poland, giving rise to fears that nuclear material, too, might be on the move. While on an assignment in Latvia, I met with a very unhappy decommissioned Soviet general, who completely misunderstood my purpose for being there. When some official meetings concluded, he suggested we go for a walk where we could talk without being overheard.

I followed him deep into a forest. It was strange but didn’t feel unsafe, and I couldn’t imagine what he wanted. When we finally talked, he told me, “I can get you anything that you want.” I must have looked puzzled, because to clarify, he muttered, “Atomic.” Then I understood. In a conversation, there had been some passing remarks about the nuclear arsenal in Latvia, for which he had some responsibility, and he was trying to take advantage of still having access to it. While I was actually in Latvia to design a business program for Peace Corps volunteers, he assumed that was a front, and my real motive was to spy. Or perhaps he thought, I really did want to buy an atomic bomb!

I made it clear to him I was not in the market for nuclear material and I wasn’t a spy. I never forgot the incident, and some years later, when I decided to write a novel set in Poland, that was the kernel I used to develop a whole story that springs from a nuclear smuggling operation.
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Hi Tim! How did you come up with idea for the story of a gay Syrian refugee in Istanbul, in your upcoming Istanbul Crossing book?

Timothy Jay Smith For the last 20 years, every spring I’ve been going to the same Greek village: Molyvos, on the island of Lesvos. In 2015-2017, Molyvos was ‘ground zer…moreFor the last 20 years, every spring I’ve been going to the same Greek village: Molyvos, on the island of Lesvos. In 2015-2017, Molyvos was ‘ground zero’ for refugees crossing a narrow channel from Turkey. The village of approximately 1500 people had an estimated 500,000 refugees land on a nearby beach in one 12-month period.

My first job after college was in Greece working for a sociological research institute. That was 1972, and I spent over two years there, primarily on the island of Santorini. I fell in love with the country and have returned so often that cumulatively I’ve spent close to seven years of my life there.

Experiencing the refugee crisis inspired me to write a novel about them. Ultimately, though, that novel - Fire of the Island - evolved more into an homage to Greece than a story about the refugees per se. They’re in the story, but more as a backdrop fueling conflicts between the Greek villagers.

The more I thought about it, I realized I could describe every step a refugee took from the moment he or she landed on a Greek beach until settled somewhere in Europe. What I didn’t know was how the refugees actually got on the rafts that brought them from Turkey to Lesvos. So I went to Istanbul, contacted a refugee aid organization, and hired someone to show me Istanbul from the refugees’ perspective. He was a people smuggler himself, and after spending a couple of days with him, I had enough of a story to start Istanbul Crossing -- which is, indeed, a refugee’s story.
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Timothy Jay Smith’s books

Average rating: 3.77 · 554 ratings · 234 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Fire on the Island 3.61 avg rating — 192 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fourth Courier 3.57 avg rating — 173 ratings — published 2019 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Istanbul Crossing 4.47 avg rating — 62 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cooper's Promise 3.78 avg rating — 65 ratings — published 2012 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Vision of Angels 4.13 avg rating — 56 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fire on the Island: A Romantic Mystery 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	[ [ [ Cooper's Promise [ COOPER'S PROMISE ] By Smith, Timothy J ( Author )Oct-15-2012 Paperback by Timothy Jay Smith (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Timothy Jay Smith's Blog

On Writing a Gay Political Thriller

As the old adage goes, you get what you pay for, and when I decided to quit a good career to become a full-time writer, I got a lot of free advice. Don’t use the word fuck or at least not too often. Don’t have too many sex scenes and definitely don’t make them salacious. God forbid you should use the passive voice or start a sentence with a gerund!

Then there was the warning: Don’t beco

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Timothy’s Recent Updates

Timothy Smith is now friends with Megan Nathan
Sep 24, 2025 07:25AM · like
Timothy Smith is now following Panos Gr's reviews
Mar 26, 2025 10:50AM · like
Timothy Smith recommended The Curvature Of An Absence to Jennifer Steil The Curvature Of An Absence by Jorge Armenteros (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 13, 2024 08:21AM · like
Timothy Smith and 1 other person liked Dzikuska Reads's review of Istanbul Crossing: "Ahdaf is a Syrian refugee. He escaped the war, but also being executed by a terrorist organisation. Now, he's living in Istanbul, trying to survive by helping refugees like him get to Greece. He's approached by both CIA and ISIS to smuggle VIPs through" Read more of this review »
Nov 24, 2024 03:16AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Istanbul Crossing by Timothy Jay Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Istanbul Crossing by Timothy Jay Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Timothy Smith liked Anthony's review of Istanbul Crossing: "The Review What a compelling, tense, and emotional read. The author does a remarkable job of building a engaging cast of characters that drive the narrative forward while also allowing the realities of the conflicts in the Middle East and the impact i" Read more of this review »
Nov 24, 2024 03:16AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Istanbul Crossing by Timothy Jay Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Istanbul Crossing by Timothy Jay Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Timothy Smith and 1 other person liked Amorina Carlton's review of Istanbul Crossing: "Reading the story of Ahdaf, a fictional young man who serves as one leg of the vast network that helps refugees escape from Syria, is an amazing way to help spread knowledge about the Syrian refugee crisis and the realities of the situation abroad. W" Read more of this review »
Nov 24, 2024 03:16AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Istanbul Crossing by Timothy Jay Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Istanbul Crossing by Timothy Jay Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Timothy Smith rated a book it was amazing Havoc by Christopher Bollen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The best way to hide a secret is to keep it from yourself, or so muses Maggie Burkhardt, an octogenarian who’s perfected the practice of ignoring the dark secrets in her own life. Widowed when her “perfect” husband Peter died, and only days later los ...more
Oct 16, 2024 04:43AM · 3 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Havoc by Christopher Bollen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Havoc by Christopher Bollen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Timothy Smith answered Sarah Allen-Sutter's question: Hi Tim! How did you come up with idea for the story of a gay Syrian refugee in Istanbul, in your upcoming Istanbul Crossing book? For the last 20 years, every spring I’ve been going to the same Greek village: Molyvos, on the island of Lesvos. In 2015-2017, Molyvos was ‘ground zero’ for refugees crossing a narrow channel from Turkey. The village of approximately 1500 people had See Full Answer
Jul 05, 2024 05:10AM · 1 like · like View 1 comment
Timothy Smith is now following Bill Lavender Author of Q
Jun 17, 2024 08:01AM · like
Timothy Smith rated a book really liked it Exit West by Mohsin Hamid	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 17, 2024 07:52AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Exit West by Mohsin Hamid <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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topics	posts	views	last activity
The Seasonal Read...: * Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	3562	407	Aug 31, 2019 09:01PM
Queereaders: March 2020 - What are you reading?	27	73	Mar 29, 2020 09:46AM

Timothy’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-2) post a comment »

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message 2: by Ipshita

Jan 04, 2019 09:19AM

Hi Timothy! Thanks for the friend-invite.
I hope you can visit Kolkata during autumn, around the time of Durga Puja when the city is resplendent with lights :)

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message 1: by Sandra

Dec 24, 2018 07:27AM

Hi Timothy,
Thanks for the friend-invite! :)

reply | flag

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