I'm
very honored to have author, Tommy B. Smith on my blog today. I've known Tommy
for a while, having met him at the Imaginarium Convention many years ago. He's
a great guy who always makes sure he takes time to visit as many of the attendees
at the convention as he can. Tommy is here today to promote his new book, Anybody Want to Play WAR. I'm looking forward to reading his book and already have it loaded onto my Kindle.
Carol
The Crossroads
Anybody Want to
Play WAR? This
is my latest novel, a coming of age tale, and at its core, a story of
transformation. Transformation is something we must all know, eventually, as
the universe slings its vicious curve balls.
The
story places us at a crossroads for the city of St. Charles and the character of
Bryce Gallo. As the city searches to heal from its deep scars, so must Bryce,
seeking an exit and a way forward.
When
it all comes down around you, but you’re still standing, what is left to do but
climb through the rubble and press onward?
Often
easier said than done.
Bryce
stumbles along the way. It’s a confusing time for a teenager, especially after
suffering the attack that mauls him and, for the first time, he learns what it
means to be marked as an outcast, unwanted. He finds himself at odds with
everyone around him, including his own family.
Life
has a way of interrupting carefully-laid plans. For a teen who has little in
the way of plans, it can be devastating. Nature, and this includes human
nature, may intervene and dismantle, but our method of coping may help to
determine the outcome.
It
isn’t an easy time to be an author. This is work, and can be discouraging. For
an individual to earn a living from creative exploits, no matter of efforts in
learning and fine-tuning the craft, can be extremely difficult. In a time of
corporate-owned creativity and massive-scale marketing budgets and agendas, I
remain an independent author in more ways than one. It requires a true amount
of dedication to push ahead despite the opposition, yet I’m undeterred,
recognizing the heft an individual may yield, and that there are others.
And
change, of course, is inevitable.
If
there is any productive way to address those distracting heavy bumps in the
road, it’s that we may learn from them. I understood long ago that, as a
writer, one’s life becomes a research project accompanied with a lot of
homework.
It
counts to be persistent in learning, creating, and remaining on course, even
while navigating a rocky, winding path. To overcome, proceed, and progress, and
hopefully become the better for it.
“Some
of the best writers never get published,” someone told me long ago, among all of
the discouragement heaped upon me before I ever sold my first short stories.
I
don’t doubt that’s true. I’ve watched many talented voices vanish under the
years, storytellers who one day stopped telling their stories, and that’s not
counting all of the might-have-been storytellers who never spoke up to begin
with.
Meanwhile,
the naysayers and the indifferent aren’t making any music worth listening to.
Where
I stand now, here at the crossroads, is something of an interesting position.
North, south, east, or west? Forward has many definitions, as does tomorrow,
but rest assured, there is much to come.
About
the author:
Tommy
B. Smith is a writer of dark fiction, author of The Mourner’s Cradle,
Poisonous, and the short story collection Pieces of Chaos, as well as works
appearing in numerous magazines and anthologies throughout the years. His
presence currently infests Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he resides with his wife
and cats. More information can be found on his website at http://www.tommybsmith.com
Links
for Anybody Want to Play WAR?
