About aUTHOR: A.C. Smith

I was born in Colorado and lived in several states before my parents settled in Kansas when I was just becoming a teenager. I attended a small, rural high school where I met and fell in love with Dianna, a farmer's daughter. We married our first year of college. We've now been together 43 years and live on 10 rural acres in a house we had built in 1999. We have a son we are extremely proud of, an amazing daughter-in-law, and two beautiful granddaughters. I worked in fire and emergency medical services until an injury forced a change in my career path. Now I'm a retired teacher, working in a medical field.
I was blessed with two loving parents who had expectations of me while I was growing up. They taught me my values and my work ethic, and I've always tried to stay true to their teaching. The most important things in life to me are my religious faith, my family, my friends, and my word.

photo by Sadie Sprinkle

From my early years I loved books, but struggles with reading comprehension dampened my enthusiasm for learning, and I grew content with being average. Then my family moved to Kansas, and in grades 8 thru 12, I had two amazing, caring, wonderfully demanding English teachers who offered their students the kind of tough love I responded well to. They made me want to learn and excel, and I wouldn't discover till many years later just what an incredible gift they had bestowed.
I always enjoyed medieval history and was artistic with an active imagination. So eventually, I started writing short stories in a private journal. The story that started the Companions of Fate series was conceived in the mid-90's, but it wasn't until 2005 that I began writing what would become Book I, A Perilous Road, and Book II, A Fighter's Destiny. I finished them in 2009, and while I was busy with my job, my family, and my life, they collected dust on a shelf for 13 years. Finally, after persistent encouragement from family and friends, I tried marketing the story. Now with Book I soon to be released, and Book II planned for next year, I've started penning Book III, A Relentless Enemy.

photo by Sadie Sprinkle

While the demands of life have always forced me to relegate my writing to the status of hobby, it is one of my two favorite forms of escape. I love to immerse myself in the imaginary worlds I write about. That's why fantasy is my favorite genre. While I like other genre's and some authors who write in them, fantasy is literally just that, an escape. It's a place where the writer can create tension and intrigue, yet mandate that good triumphs over evil, that altruism triumphs over apathy and greed. And it's a place where the reader can indulge their imagination while inexplicably connecting with the characters that only exist in that make believe world. No matter what happens in your life, when you open that book to continue reading, they're still there in that magical place waiting for you.

photo by Sadie Sprinkle

I'm sure it will take some time for me to reconcile the notion that people I've never met could care about me and my storytelling. No doubt some would crave the publicity, but not me. Whether true humility or just a lack of self-esteem, it's mind-boggling to be at this juncture where soon the whole world will have access to my stories and my imagination. I can only hope they survive the court of public opinion.
I welcome reader's inquiries and comments. Be honest but kind, and I will do the same. I want you to be entertained by my make believe worlds and characters. I will always strive to meet your needs in that regard. Since my writing is, at least for the present, a hobby, and I work a full-time job, please be patient as you await my response to any questions or comments you may pose. Although I am an intensely private person, if sharing my experiences can inspire readers, or other writers, then I'm glad to avail myself. I hope my writing provides many people with the hope, joy, and fulfillment we all desperately need in a tumultuous, uncertain world.

May we all chase our dreams and catch them. A.C. Smith

photo by Dianna Smith