Author Ralph Smith Shares Their Story
Ralph Smith – was born in 1964, and grew up in Northport, NY.
I’ll never forget those days when we would walk to school, ride bikes to the beach, play stick ball in the street, and hang out under the street lights until well past dark. Life was simpler then and I learned something really important (although it took me many years to understand it).
Every day of your life is what you make of it. I’ve had my share of good and bad days. No matter what we face in life, how we face it is just as important as the outcome.
I like the current phrase “Be Present”, but I would take it one step further. Make the most out of every moment, so that if anyone is your last you can look back in pride at not having wasted it. How we touch the lives of those around us is far more important than what we’ve accomplished.
I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and three sons who fill my life with purpose every day.
Having traveled around the world for work (more places than some and a lot less than others) I have been blessed with friends all over the globe. I only hope that in some small way I have touched their lives as much as they have touched mine.
I found my faith late in life. For a long time I didn’t believe. Then one day, I knew without a doubt that God existed. I knew that he was working in my life in ways I can’t always see, but that he was there.
How I knew is one of the things I can’t put into words. It would be like trying to explain how I use the muscles in my hand. It is something that is beyond words.
Onto the topic at hand, writing. My sincerest thanks to anyone who reads my work. Writing is my passion, it always has been.
My college professor Judith Johnson wrote a poem, “the gift”.
what have i got for you?
only what i am,
and you are not.
More than thirty years later her words still resonate and inspire me.
About the Author
Ralph Smith – was born in 1964, and grew up in Northport, NY.
I’ll never forget those days when we would walk to school, ride bikes to the beach, play stick ball in the street, and hang out under the street lights until well past dark. Life was simpler then and I learned something really important (although it took me many years to understand it).
Every day of your life is what you make of it. I’ve had my share of good and bad days. No matter what we face in life, how we face it is just as important as the outcome.
I like the current phrase “Be Present”, but I would take it one step further. Make the most out of every moment, so that if anyone is your last you can look back in pride at not having wasted it. How we touch the lives of those around us is far more important than what we’ve accomplished.
I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and three sons who fill my life with purpose every day.
Having traveled around the world for work (more places than some and a lot less than others) I have been blessed with friends all over the globe. I only hope that in some small way I have touched their lives as much as they have touched mine.
I found my faith late in life. For a long time I didn’t believe. Then one day, I knew without a doubt that God existed. I knew that he was working in my life in ways I can’t always see, but that he was there.
How I knew is one of the things I can’t put into words. It would be like trying to explain how I use the muscles in my hand. It is something that is beyond words.
Onto the topic at hand, writing. My sincerest thanks to anyone who reads my work. Writing is my passion, it always has been.
My college professor Judith Johnson wrote a poem, “the gift”.
what have i got for you?
only what i am,
and you are not.
More than thirty years later her words still resonate and inspire me.
What inspires you to write romance books?
I wanted to write a different kind of love story. I think a good romance can add so much to any story. When you have a hero and heroine who have that passionate connection it helps increase the intensity of the story especially and adventure.
Where I departed from some of the current romance formula is the will she won’t she, will he won’t he or love triangle angst that too often feels contrived. Our couple has other barriers and challenges that that they have to overcome if they are going to have a future together. The longing and desire they feel for one another is a source of strength for them yearning to escape.
Tell us about how you write:
When I write I can see the story unfold in my minds eye as vividly a if I am there with them. I can hear every sound, see every detail even imagine the scents on the breeze. Although I have a general idea of where I am going it is the characters who take me there.
Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Absolutely I put myself inside each of the characters. I know them intimately, who they are and what they would do. As I said they write the story based on their decisions. It is really important to me that characters are true to who they are.
What advice would you give other writers?
For what it’s worth I have been told by everyone who read my book that the love story is very powerful and inspirational. I will let you be the judge of that. I avoided cheap tricks and gratuitous purple prose to excite the reader.
The feel of her warm breath on his lips just before an interrupted kiss or the tender gesture of moving a stray hair from her face. The paralyzing moment when you are standing so close to one another you are almost touching. These things can keep the reader wanting more.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Once I finished my book and had a number of people read it I felt I was ready to go. I decided to self publish because I did not want to wait endlessly for countless publishers to decide whether or not they were even going to look at it.
I believe in my book and with every new reader and review I am more confident as more and more people read it I made the right choice.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Publishing just as the music industry and probably film are going through a painful evolution. The challenge is that it is a lot easier now for anyone to write something so the volume of submissions is more than they can handle.
I think at some point publishing and self publishing will find some kind of hybrid state where self publishing becomes the entrance and publishers then pick up authors who show the ability to deliver marketable products.
What genres do you write?
Romance, fantasy, sci fi, suspense, business
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Author Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/sealoftheking
http://www.twitter.com/ralmart01
