In 1989 Stephen Smoke wrote the novel Trick of the Light (published by Beyond Words, the same company that published The Secret). At that time he released an album with the same title. It included such well known and respected musicians as Garth Hudson (keyboard player for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group, The Band, David Vaught (bass player for The Flying Burrito Brothers and other famous groups), popular artist/producer, Barry Keenan, and several other well known studio musicians. While the book was never made into a movie, it was optioned by Hemdale (the company that won Best Picture Academy Awards for "Platoon" and "The Last Emperor of China"). Most of Stephen's novels (19 and counting) have been optioned for film, and he has written and directed several feature films, including Street Crimes, starring Dennis Farina, and Final Impact.

Twenty years after Trick of the Light was published he has written a sequel: Cathedral of the Senses. While most of his novels are psychological thrillers or mysteries, these two books fall under the category of inspirational or metaphysical fiction and have the same detective protagonist, Nick Sands.

Again Stephen has written a companion music album. However, this time he has made the songs available to contemporary artists who will record the songs in their own styles. When the book is released this spring a companion music album will be released at the same time. (Click here to hear Stephen's versions of the songs on the Cathedral of the Senses website.)

The songs are published by East of Sideways Music (ASCAP). On January 14, 2010, Stephen signed a publishing contract with East of Sideways Music. (Stephen and Barry Keenan, the president of East of Sideways, are pictured below left).

The signing took place at the Santa Monica offices of attorney Michael Blaha. East of Sideways will assist Stephen in promoting the songs to quality artists and will administer the Cathedral of the Senses Project. The Project consists of various artists recording and submitting their versions of the songs to East of Sideways Music, which will then, along with Stephen, decide which songs to include on the album.

Regardless of the final cut, most versions of the Cathedral of the Senses songs recorded by all participating artists, will be streamed on the Cathedral of the Senses website and/or on other participating affiliate sites when the book is published.

For more information on the Cathedral of the Senses Project.

Companies of all sizes have a social, economic, and environmental impact on their communities. It's easy to see that employees and stockholders are directly and negatively impacted when corporations and their executives are not held accountable for their actions. At the same time Corporate America creates jobs, provides benefits, and produces goods and services this country cannot do without. When people lose faith in Corporate America, every American is hurt.

Author Stephen Smoke has written a business book that is different from any other book of its kind. Corporate Bill of Responsibilities (Jodere Group, ISBN 1-58872-080-2, $12.00) is an interactive experience that offers employers, employees, and the general public a template for being part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Using the Socratic Method and Guided Discussion techniques, the book provides a process that employees and employers can use to experience their own revelations about responsibility and values in the workplace and in their personal lives.

When all employees, from the CEO to the person running the mailroom, understand and adopt quality corporate values, and are able to use those values to make decisions in their own spheres of responsibility, then a thousand employees become one entity moving in the same direction. The traditional vertical company becomes more horizontal. Satisfaction and reward are more evenly distributed, and a company has the potential to grow and not just change.

CEOs: Learn how to lead by example, inspire others, increase morale and minimize company politics. Learn how to determine, then publish and effectively implement corporate values and ethical standards.

Managers: Learn how best to motivate employees and create an atmosphere of "fairness, not fear" in the workplace. 

Employees: Clarify your rights and responsibilities at work. Discover how to achieve personally and professionally at work, and how to communicate openly without fear of recrimination.

The Corporate Bill of Responsibilities gives readers a unique and no-nonsense guide to balancing corporate rights with corporate responsibilities, and individual rights with individual responsibilities. It is the author's hope that corporations, employees and the community will understand the important synergies they share, and that they will all act on that knowledge in a more responsible manner that benefits them all.

Torrance, California - The Bill of Responsibilities In-School Program was rolled out for the second school year in a row on December 7th, at the First Lutheran Church and (Middle) School in Torrance, California.
 
"This is very gratifying," said Stephen Smoke, author of the Teen Bill of Responsibilities. "This school was the first to do the program (January '03) and the fact that they're doing it again, I believe, shows that it works. In fact, I know it works because I attended more than a dozen of the classes last year and watched the course in action.

"The thing that makes the Teen Bill of Responsibilities different from all other 'character-type courses,' is that this course doesn't try to superimpose a template of the author's ideas onto students. Instead the course uses the Socratic Method and Guided Discussion techniques.

"I realized early on when I was putting the course together that teenagers were not at all interested in my experiences about personal responsibility. But they were very interested in their own experiences. And they were also 'experts' on themselves.

"Therefore, the course is a series of questions asked of the students, who then answer the questions in their own words, citing their own experiences. This way they end up having their own realizations about personal responsibility and what it means in their own lives."

Teachers talking about the course:

Susan Brooks, former Palos Verdes, Ca. mayor and current special education teacher: I highly recommend the book and the course. It's a soul-searching, educational tool.

Susan Beisel, teacher, Torrance (California) First Lutheran Church and School: What I notice most is that students who ordinarily don’t participate, actively participate with this course. They may not be confident they know the right math answer, but this course is all about them, and they’re experts on themselves. And: Some very positive things come out of it. It leads to a comfort zone to talk about teenage pregnancy, STD's and peer pressure.

Stephen's newest novel, The Prince of Palos Verdes, was featured at the Concours de Elegance's 2008 Tour d’Epicure Road Rallye in Palos Verdes, California. This year's event had a mystery motiff and each participant received a copy of The Prince of Palos Verdes. Stephen is seen below getting ready to sign books at Trump International after the rallye.

The following week Stephen signed copies of The Prince of Palos Verdes and read from the book. He also read some recent poetry and excerpts from his upcoming novel, Cathedral of the Senses. (Pictures below.)

Justin Wright is a collector…of things and people. Nothing in his multi-billion dollar empire was more precious to him than his wife, Judy. And nothing
had ever threatened that empire…until the night he discovered Judy’s dead body in the foyer of their Palos Verdes mansion.

Sawyer Black is a retired LAPD homicide detective who now writes crime novels, some of which have been made into feature films. He leads an idyllic life in Palos Verdes and spends most evenings sipping brandy while petting fish in his koi pond and watching the sun melt into the Pacific. But his life, not unlike the lives of the characters in his novels,
is not always what it seems. His marriage is in trouble, he’s drinking too much…and his friend’s wife has just been murdered.

When Justin Wright becomes the prime suspect in his wife’s murder, and his life and freedom hang in the balance, he turns to Sawyer for help.

But Sawyer is not sure he can save his friend…until he saves himself.

TO BUY The Prince of Palos Verdes, CLICK HERE.

Quotes about The Prince of Palos Verdes

“A combination of Ross MacDonald and Stuart Woods. Murder, money and sex all wrapped up in a real page-turner by a proven master storyteller.” – John Knoerle, author of The Violin Player.

“For years I have enjoyed Stephen Smoke’s books. His latest, The Prince of Palos Verdes, keeps you turning pages. But this book also contains considerable insight not found in standard whodunits. All set against the beautiful backdrop of Palos Verdes, a city you can tell the author has grown quite fond of.” – Lili Miura, publisher of Palos Verdes Style Magazine.

“After having written major series set in Brentwood and Pasadena, this talented author adds Palos Verdes to the list of cities inhabited by his compelling and unforgettable characters.” – Stan Corwin, former publisher of Prentice-Hall, and author of Writing the Bestseller.

TO BUY The Prince of Palos Verdes, CLICK HERE.