Rachaud Smith's Blog: Tony Smith Writes

Years ago, I read The Jefferson Key by Berry, and loved it. I'd been meaning to get back to Cotton Malone and his world ever since, but kept putting off. This month, I finally went ahead and picked up The King's Deception, the 8th book in the Cotton Malone series and I am so glad I did. This book was wild! First off, I have to say that I LOVE Steve Berry's writing style. To me, it feels way different than other writers' in the genre in terms of energy. A lot of political thrillers feel slow and bogged down by the writer trying to have this overly-serious tone. With Berry, though, his writing flows at the perfect pace. This book is 402 pages and I flew through most of it in a few days!
Another aspect of his writing that shined here was how he writes his characters. None of the characters feel like a waste of words. They all have their stake in the plot, and feel needed in some way.
My one gripe with the book was that, while I understood the twist and why it made sense, it just felt kind of cheesy. Also, the twist was revealed halfway through the book. So, from that point on I was waiting for another twist that never came.
Overall, I had fun reading this novel and will pick up another one in the series soon. I'll give it 4 out of 5 stars.

It was the summer of 2009. I was 13 years old and an avid reader. Then, one day I had a thought: Since I read a lot, why not write my own book? A little over ten years later and here I am. Since then, I've self-published three poetry collections, which I have mixed feelings about. As for the elusive novel, well, I'm still working on it.
Pages and pages of ideas have been written and notebooks have been filled up. Still no novel. I would be lying if I said that doesn't disappoint me. If you had asked me ten years ago how many novels I would have published by now, I definitely would've said more than one. However, I am now learning to be more patient and enjoy the process. It is definitely better to write and publish one great book every three years than to write and publish three terrible books in one year.
Over the past ten years, I've "quit" writing too many times to count. I always come back, though, because as long as there's stories in my mind wanting to be told, I will feel obligated to make an attempt at writing them.
So, here's to another ten years. I look forward to seeing what happens with my writing. Will I finally write and publish a novel? Honestly, I believe I will. Gotta get back to working on that, though.

I picked up The Collector randomly in the library because the cover caught my attention. I hadn't read a horror book in a while and figured, why not? Seeing a doll on the cover, the obvious thing that came to mind was Annabelle. So, I was glad that the book turned out not to be an Annabelle copycat. It had it's own simple story that kept me intrigued to see how it would end. The book definitely reminded me of the horror movies of today in terms of the formula and pacing Alexander followed, and I could easily see this being adapted, even if it was just for Disney channel or Netflix. The characters were all general horror stereotypes, nothing that amazed me. This isn't a dig, though. Like I pointed out earlier, the book is simple, as it is middle grade. It's easy to follow and enjoy quickly. The book's ending was decent enough, again nothing special.
Overall, I give the book 4 out of 5 stars. While it wasn't anything groundbreaking, I was really entertained throughout reading it. So, that earns The Collector its grade.

So, a few days ago, I finally got something done I've been wanting to do for a while. I went part time at my day job!
It didn't exactly happen how I wanted it to, but I'm still glad enough that it happened at all. It feels like such a big weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I feel free! Well, almost. The day that I'm really free will be the day I can quit all together and be a writer full time, but this is a good start.
I can now start my ideal writing schedule, which is early in the morning when I wake up, around 8am until at least noon, or longer if I'm on a roll. Right now, I'm excited to do this on my terms and write some good pieces that can be shared with the world.
Too many people spend their lives in a way they don't want to, deciding that it's just the way it has to be. I don't believe that's true, though. I knew I had to take a chance on myself and my writing ability. Pass or fail, I will know that I gave myself a fair chance to succeed, which is all one can ever ask for. After that, it's up to you what you make of that chance. So, here's to the next chapter!
Let me know in the comments what your ideal writing schedule is, and if you've been able to start writing full time.