Today on the Indie Author Spotlight at the Seventh Star Blog, we are featuring an award-winning, multi-genre author, Tommy B. Smith! Tommy is a fantastic talent whose work spans everything from dark fiction, to coming of age suspense! We invite you to learn more about Tommy and his writing in the new interview below!
How would you describe your writing style to a reader who has never read your work before?
Horror. Dark friction. New chaos. Each book has demanded a style of its own. For the vicious end of it, look to my horror novella from some years back, Poisonous. My short story collection Pieces of Chaos is more a blurring of critical lines between the human and inhuman, the cosmic and the psychological, and may appeal to fans of the “weird” tale. My most recent release, Anybody Want to Play WAR? is a coming of age story, character-driven and deeper into the literary tale than I’ve ever gone in the past.
What genres are you published in, and what do you like most about writing in those genres?
Horror and dark fiction, primarily, though my latest doesn’t quite fall under that same umbrella. I’ve sold a few short stories in the fantasy genre. Secondary world fantasy provides generous world-building opportunities. I’ve also managed to seize the same opportunities through horror with books such as Poisonous and The Mourner’s Cradle finding common soil. I appreciate the heavy, razor-sharpness of horror and tend to linger on the other side of the fence where the bones of lost travelers decorate the late evening shadows.
Are there any genres that you would like to explore that you have not yet been published in? If so, then what interests you about potentially writing in those genres?
I’ve considered writing a thriller because I have the ingredients for one. For me, it isn’t as much of a desire to write in a different genre as it is a story happening to stray in a direction that requires a different label.
Tell us about your latest release.
My most recent release is Anybody Want to Play WAR? It’s a Bildungsroman somewhat in the tradition of stories such as The Catcher in the Rye or The Outsiders, perhaps, but it’s a much different animal. This is the story of Bryce Gallo, a teenage boy attacked and disfigured by a savage dog. The events that unfold are his efforts to come to grips with his damaged appearance, his place in a vast, merciless world, and a highly uncertain future.
What are you currently working on, in terms of your works in progress?
It’s a little conundrum of the sea, sky, and the earth.
What do you personally find most challenging about the craft of writing?
Knowledge, persistence, and patience can overcome many barriers, but there are many tales to tell and so little time to tell them.
What do you view to be your strengths when it comes to writing?
I’ve been told I do action well, and that I’m versatile, capable of writing a story in one style and shifting completely for the next.
Tell us a little about your path to becoming a writer, including when you decided to pursue writing with a goal of becoming published and what initially drew you toward writing and storytelling.
It’s a long, winding path. I had some difficulty getting my imagination under rein in the early days, but writing provided an outlet. I enjoyed reading, having access to a dusty utility room full of books. The world seemed a place of vivid colors and possibilities. Life happened, though, and my stories tilted in a grayer, darker direction over the years.
I’ve written sporadically throughout the decades. I had many people offer discouraging words early on, but I eventually reasoned the chances of having my work published were nil if I didn’t give it my best effort. During a time of transition, around 2005, I committed to writing a batch of short stories with the intent of selling them to markets. The first story I wrote at that time was “Patient #37.” Also among those stories were “Mechanized” and “Agony of Being,” all of which have been reprinted and collected in Pieces of Chaos.
What do you find to be some of the biggest hurdles in being a writer today?
The emergence of self-publishing has opened the floodgates for many aspiring writers, but unfortunately, the market has become saturated. Building one’s brand requires steady dedication and work. Time spent on promotion means less time to write, yet it’s now more necessary than ever. Even then, there are no guarantees it will produce a satisfactory result. Across the years I’ve seen many authors hang up their efforts and disappear, and numerous countless publishing houses crumble. It is work, make no mistake, and it’s easy to become discouraged. Many do. As an author in today’s world, my work is never done.
What do you see as the most important advice you could offer a new writer?
Learn to distinguish constructive criticism from destructive criticism. Beware of misleading advice. Be aware that, when used properly to one’s advantage, constructive criticism and objective editorial feedback can become valuable tools in a writer’s arsenal.
_____________________________________________
Connect with Tommy B. Smith online at the following links:
Website: http://www.tommybsmith.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authortommybsmith
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/penofchaos
Synopsis of Anybody Want to Play WAR?:
Brutal injuries can leave scars.
As the teenage survivor of a savage dog’s rampage, it’s a lesson Bryce Gallo will never forget.
Struggling to cope with his damaged appearance, along with a newfound fear of dogs and mounting anxieties at home and school, he flees his suburban home into the moonlit streets of St. Charles.
Along the roads of suburbia and through the shadowed heart of the city, he encounters Wheels, a maintenance worker for a series of apartment buildings; Paloma, known to some by the moniker of Lady Luck; and a woman in a dark house who is, as far as Bryce can fathom, like no one else he has met before.
His new life is not without obstacles or enemies, he learns. The future is a battlefield. Fire and smoke loom on the horizon, and his dangerous course may see the lives of his family and friends forever changed.