Meet and Greet: Thomas Smith

Book Giveaway Drawing!!!
Read the details later in this post.


Thomas is an award winning writer, newspaper reporter, TV news producer, playwright and essayist. He writes The Writing Life column for The Christian Communicator magazine. He was named the American Christian Writers Association Writer of the Year in 2004, 2005, and again in 2006. He is a regular faculty member at American Christian Writers Association conferences and also teaches at other writers’ conferences. He was on the writing team responsible for Zondervan's New Men's Devotional Bible. He has written jokes for Joan Rivers, his comedy material has been used on The Tonight Show, and he was a comedy writer for the award-winning Steve & Kathy Show.

An ordained United Methodist Minister, Thomas is a contemporary worship leader/musician, and worship consultant. For 15 years he served churches in North Carolina and North Georgia. While in Georgia he taught a special section of Sermon Preparation and Delivery and co-taught Communication for Ministers at Emory University.

Welcome, Thomas! What brings you to Book Readers Central?

I am drawn to any place that begins with the words book readers.

What type of books do you write?

I have written academic study guides, a coffee table book on the city of Aiken, SC, A women’s Bible study (I’m not allowed to name the publisher because I’m the only male who has ever written for their Women’s Ministry Division), and have contributed to more fiction and non-fiction collections than I can remember. But I am currently writing Christian horror and loving it.

Why do you write?

I write because (1) I love the process of writing and (2) I want to. And please understand, with that second point I’m not being facetious or flippant. Often you’ll hear writers being overly dramatic and making grandiose statements like, “If I don’t write, I’ll explode.” “I need to write or I’ll die.” Fooey. I need to eat. I need to breathe. I need shelter, love, water and sanitary living conditions. Those are necessary for our survival. But I don’t need to write.

However … if I don’t write, I feel like a part of me is not functioning properly. I get a nagging feeling that all is not right, sort of like the feeling you get when you leave for a vacation and are sure you forgot something. Why? Because the desire to write, whether it is an article on my trip through the jungle searching for Mayan ruins, a dry press release for a PR company, or my current novel, is strong.

I also love the physical act of writing. I love the research, the thinking process, the market research and the hours sitting behind a keyboard. It is a part of what I am. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was in the third grade. And I am indeed blessed because God has given me the opportunity to do something I love.

Well put! How would you describe your newest release?

Something Stirs is a Christian horror novel. And as far as I have seen, it is the first haunted house novel for the Christian market. Granted, Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti wrote HOUSE, but that house magnified the sins of those trapped within it, and the action is driven by an outside force. And other Christian authors have written about houses or other buildings in which strange things happen. But in Something Stirs, there is something in the house itself. Something trapped within the very stone and wood of the house. An evil entity that wants the family dead and has the ability to manipulate the house to get what it wants.

What do you hope the reader takes away after reading it?

Two things actually. One, sometimes a “Sunday School” faith is not enough. Faith is often refined and strengthened in the fires of adversity. And two, the love of Christ can heal the broken places in any life if He is allowed to do so.

Which is your favorite character from your book?

Stacy Chalmers. She is Ben and Rachel Chalmers’ five year old daughter and that little girl is a hoot. She is funny without being disrespectful and she has an absolute zest for life. Plus, she has some of the funniest lines in the book.

Do you have a funny or touching story that relates to your book?

The publisher had six different people read the manuscript before they made an offer. At one point the office manager said she had read part of it while she was making copies and was getting hooked. So, they told her to make another copy and let them know what she thought.

About two-thirds of the way through she said she couldn’t finish it because she was an animal lover and I killed a dog in the story (it is an integral part of the plot … sorry). When the editor e-mailed that bit of information to me, I responded, “If it is any consolation, I am a dog lover and while I was writing that scene, my two Springer Spaniels were looking at me as if to say, ‘You could have killed a canary you know.’”

When the editor told the office manager about the email, the editor finally had to forward a copy of it to her to convince her that “someone who writes something scary really does have a sense of humor.”

Tell us about your writing process.

I get up, go to the gym, come home, put on a pot of coffee, and park myself behind my desk until anywhere between noon and 2:00 in the afternoon. Then after lunch I’m back at my desk until at least 5:00. I start by editing whatever I did the day before. Then, I work on whatever projects are on deadline. Then I spend an hour or so sending out query letters and proposals. After that I work on my novel. I usually update my social networking sites and write blog entries while I’m working on my first cup of coffee 2-3 days a week.

That sounds like a productive day. What will you write next?

I am working on a book titled, Stranger. And while I can’t say much about the plot without giving away some really important information, think about this question. What would you do if you suddenly realized the stranger sitting next to you was Satan?

Which books do you recommend to readers?

A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz. Deception by Randy Alcorn. A Disciple’s Profile of Jesus by William R. Cannon. The Doc Savage novels by Kenneth Robeson (actually ghostwritten by Lester Dent and a couple of other folks). Admission by Travis Thrasher. Boy’s Life and any of the Matthew Corbett series books by Robert McCammon. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  Letting Go by Michelle Sutton. Any book by Charles L. Grant or Mike Dellosso. The Travis McGee novels by John D. McDonald.

That's quite a list. Thanks. Where can readers find you online?

My website:  www.thomassmithonline.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tsmithwriting
Facebook: http://profile.to/thomassmithwriting
Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/thomass_41

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Book Giveaway Drawing: 

Thomas Smith will give away a free copy of Something Stirs, available upon release. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this coming Sunday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central next Monday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.


Note: Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.