Q1. Is "Stranger Among Us" your first published work? A1: My first published work is a short story titled Victim to Villain that debuted last month in Ink & Sword Magazine. As for my 1st book, yes it is. Q2. Based on the novel's synopsis and the author bio on the JSmith Publishing website, you and your character, Jean Stone, have very similar careers. Does Jean Stone reflect your own personality? A2: Definitely! There is a lot of my past, present, and future in these books. Jean Stone is named after my maternal grandmother, sadly she is no longer with us. My life, experiences, and family inspire me to write these stories. 

Question 1: Mr. Smith, you have recently decided to start your own publishing company. Do you have any published works yourself? A1: I do, yes. It is called "Heartfelt Words". It is a romance poetry collection, all written by myself. I published it in the fall of 2016, but since have taken it off the market.Question 2: Before you founded JSmith Publishing, what did you do? A2: Well, I was (and still currently am) a college student. Before I started JSmith Publishing, I was a part of a writing club, where I really discovered my interest in poetry and had two of my pieces even featured in their annual magazine. I would also post some of my work to a site called writerscafe.org. Other than that, I was just a college student who loves sports at that time.

Q1. How long have you been interested in historical fiction?A1. I’ve loved historical fiction since I can remember. I’ve always wanted to travel back in time. The Lilly Stars is set in the Gilded Age for many reasons but mostly because I personally would have liked to live during that period. History in general is a subject I find fascinating. The constant progression and regression of civilization throughout time is the best story you could ever read. Q2. Do you draw inspiration from your own life when writing your characters?A2. I don’t believe there’s a character in The Lilly Stars that isn’t based on someone in my life. Sometimes I draw a small characteristic from one person and create the character around that. In general, I find characters develop traits on their own. I start with a detail of a personality and from that the characters take over and manifest themselves. 

Q1: What is your favorite book and why? Oh, hard one! I read in many genres and I'm not sure I have one "absolute favorite." But as far as a fantasy series goes, I adore the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan. The world he created is so rich and imaginative and intricately detailed, the magic system is awesome, and the characters are people you love or hate passionately. I can just read those books again and again. They're a gold standard of world-building. Q2: What inspired you to write The Midnight Sea? I really wanted to try my hand at an epic fantasy series. Since my mom read me all the LoTR books out loud when I was just a kid, it's been one of my all-time favorite genres. And after researching the daevas, I just knew I had to set the first trilogy in