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