On Saturday night, May 22nd, I performed two songs from Cathedral of the Senses ("Diamond Mind" and "Amsterdam") as well as two new songs ("I Will Wait for You" and "Beggar's Cup/I Miss You, Cora Lee") performed for the first time anywhere.

The event was "Salon: An Evening of Art and Music," hosted by Ildy Lee at her beautiful mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Bernadette Shih, K.C. Johnson and Alan Cook read poetry, and Ildy sang several songs in French, Hungarian and English. She even played a country and western song ("We Make Do") that was included in a feature film.

"I Will Wait for You" is a song about one lover or spouse preceding the other in death. The older you get, the more you see people die and couples separated by death. I've seen it with people I know and it is one of life's most poignant acts. I've also seen people experience a lot of guilt as the process unfolds, particularly toward the end. The last verse of the song addresses that.

The lyrics to "I Will Wait for You":

We always knew this day would come

(One of us) goin’ on before

But it's hard to let go of your hand

And walk on through that door

Is there another side

I am a little scared

But if love endures

I will see you there

And I…must go

And you…must know

That I will wait for you

What is right and what is wrong

Seemed to keep me hypnotized

But it’s not important to me now

As I look into your eyes 

Mysteries of life

Seem to go unsolved

While the weight of sin

Is not absolved

But there’s nothing...you could have done

To convince me...you're not the one

So I will wait for you

 © 2010 Stephen Smoke. All Rights Reserved. 

Author, singer, songwriter and poet Stephen Smoke addressed the Southwest Manuscripters on March 15, 2010. A tall man in a black suit and t-shirt, Smoke's direct but easygoing speaking style is as gentle as, well, a puff of smoke.

Smoke has written nineteen novels and eight nonfiction books. His upcoming novel, Cathedral of the Senses, is a sequel to Trick of the Light.  Trick of the Light begins when a private detective is hired by a beautiful, suicidal young woman to find God. The detective's spiritual journey spirals upward in Cathedral of the Senses.

Smoke began his presentation by reading from "The Gravity of Tears," a poem he wrote for his deceased dog, Ace. The poem ends with the line "I could not have loved you more." It was a touching and heartfelt way to begin a presentation.

Smoke was born and raised in Ohio, where he opened a coffee house and published a newsletter (in Toledo). After writing a rock opera called "White Light Train," Smoke moved to Los Angeles to become a rock and roll star, but succeeded in becoming (to paraphrase from Bob Dylan) "a complete unknown." All that changed when a Chinese acupuncturist paid him two hundred dollars per chapter to write a novel called The Atlantean Document, and Smoke realized he had a talent for writing. Smoke modestly claims that he finished eight novels before developing his own style, and his immense body of work (which includes psychological thrillers as well as inspirational mysteries) suggests that he chose the correct vocation.

Proving that he is a true Renaissance man, Smoke concluded his presentation by sharing his music with us. Acoustic guitar in hand, he performed two of the sixteen songs that comprise the soundtrack to Cathedral of the Senses. Yes, Stephen Smoke's novels have soundtracks. This is a cutting-edge concept that combines fiction and music in delightful ways. His song "Now and Zen" indicates that Smoke is a man on a spiritual journey: "Living life from the inside out, equal parts of now and Zen."

Thank you, Stephen Smoke, for visiting the Southwest Manuscripters once again. To learn more about Stephen Smoke, check out his website for more information.

--Dan Lambert www.homestead.com/dan_lambert