Showing results by author "Dean Smith" in All Categories

In a series of blog posts, Smith chronicled his process toward ghost writing a 70,000-word novel for a traditional publisher in just 10 days. He wrote about his progress, his feelings about the writing, and how he approached and overcame obstacles. This book takes readers on a journey that demonstrates that writing fast, and writing well, comes from motivation and practice.

The publishing world continues to evolve, but myths about who can make a living as a fiction writer maintain a life of their own. Whether you pursue traditional or indie publishing success, you need to know the pitfalls and traps that undermine many writers' careers. In this WMG Writer's Guide, USA Today best-selling author and former publisher Dean Wesley Smith addresses the ten most damaging myths that writers believe in modern publishing.

"A sweeping, breathless romance" and "deliciously twisty" ~Jennifer deBie of Rosie's Book Review Team General Bakr, a half-human djinn warrior, has always felt like an outsider in the magical land of Qaf. Torn from his first love by war, he yearns to feel her touch—to hear her voice and kiss her lips. But the only reason he survived the searing scar across his torso was because a lilith demon made him her pet, and she doesn't like to share. Back at home in the magical kingdom of Shihala, Sheikha Sezan, a djinn princess, is just starting her war. Determined to be more than a marriage token...

Strange things happen when you make friends with Evil. "Masterfully told, beautifully written, dreamlike world to submerge your senses." - Amazon Review Princess Serap is the only frail human seeking courtship in Qaf, a magical world full of long-lived djinn. Sure that her shorter life span is the reason her romances fail, Serap runs away from the palace to find the secret to eternal life said to be held by the terrifying Immortal Killer. But if there's a forbidden box, Serap can't help but open it--and in the end, her hapless curiosity enrages the very one she sought for help. Locked in a ...

"A flawless fusion of fantasy and romance..." - Amazon Review Mirri is desperate for approval. The new Anis na Righ of the kingdom of Fyre, solemn Mirri Naga has a lot to prove--to her father, her people, and herself, and she's determined to be the best queen possible. But her best laid plans go awry when a hapless, sarcastic, silly stranger drops in from out of the sky--literally--and is bound to her in marriage by her land's Eternal Sacred Flame. Izkander, honored prince of a nearby djinn Kingdom, is none too thrilled with the arrangement either. A known philanderer, he's bored with the ...

I cannot live like this forever. Someday, everything will end and I will have no reason to exist. My eyes have seen every place, every form, every dimension. My purpose is constant and eternal. Or so I thought. There is a way out for me and I have found it. In her. It was said long ago, before I was created, that death will come from above. I must save myself from this torment that I know is coming when this all ends. When the skies of madness return.

Magic had at last returned to Caithe - though hardly in the form that the princess Athaya Trelane had imagined. The Sage, the wizard leader of the ice-bound island of Sare, was poised on Caithe's shores. No longer would wizards be persecuted by Church and State. No longer would the Tribunal dare root out and exterminate them. And those Caithans who were struck with the madness of untrained magic would no longer need to flock to Athaya's secret schools to learn control. The promises he made to Caithe's wizards were grand....

Belle returns to her old hometown, looking for clues as to what happened to her great-great-grandmother 100 years in the past. Zane, on a secret mission into the past, never expects to meet the woman of his dreams. A complex time travel novel that explores alternate realities, a future no one wants to face, and sets the Thunder Mountain universe going into the future.

A science fiction tale of love and survival of two modern professors dealing with the past they both love and study. Offered a free trip into a remote Idaho wilderness that she loves and studies, Professor Dawn Edwards can't refuse. On the trip she meets Professor Madison Rogers, and they fall for each other before they even reach their destination. But living in the Old West proves to be a brutal task at times. Somehow, Dawn must survive to rescue herself, her friends, and the man she loves. A science fiction novel of the old west and true love

Frank, unsparing, often violent, and disturbing, these poems speak in the voice of a young man trying to navigate the city he loves as he lives in the long shadow of its decline with a sense of grace and hope. With the city of Baltimore as his backdrop, accomplished poet, author, and editor Dean Bartoli Smith offers a wrenching examination of our troubled attachments to place and the deepest wounds of the American psyche.

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had made a different decision? A bar napkin with a strange saying and a dragon gives Richard Cone just that: a second chance. Bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith returns to his popular Jukebox series with the origin story of the new owner of the Garden Lounge.

From fairy tales fractured into unrecognizability to Russian mobsters hanging out with zombies, from New World slavery to modern Alaskan cruise ships, the stories in Fantasy Adrift sail across the genre. Two writers make their fiction debuts next to best sellers Steve Perry and Dean Wesley Smith to take listeners on a journey of the imagination - as only Fiction River can do.

Poker: a high-stakes, deadly serious professional sport. Doc Hill knows all too well the risks involved. Or so he thinks. But when one of the greatest poker players of all time dies, the stakes rise even higher. Doc must solve an increasingly frightening series of murders - and win the biggest tournament of his career - before he finds himself forced to fold his cards for good.

When Richard’s boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with him, Richard is given one week to move out and is left to explore the belongings of a person he devoted two years of his life to. A simple discovery leads to a spiral of memories and unexplained truths that Richard records in the voice notes on his phone, as he tries to unravel who his ex really is and make sense of a man he thought he knew.

Sometimes very special friends, even friends you can't remember, give you a chance to change your past by following the memory of a special song. Should you take the special Christmas gift, take the trip, and change your own history? Or maybe take a look at tomorrow and change that instead.

Leading people is the most important responsibility in the world, yet, alarmingly, 60% of first-time leaders fail.With over 4 decades of experience in leader development and culture improvement, I created this podcast to help you solve 3 critical and costly people problems: 1. Endangered People Skills: The Communication Paradox 2. Peer to Leader, Now What? 3. Sunday Feelings About Monday Mornings If you’re a first-time leader, someone who hires or promotes first-time leaders or a solopreneur building your first team, this is your podcast. I’m Timothy Dean ...

For a vampire, saying goodbye to your mortal lover can be the hardest thing you ever have to do.

Sometimes a lost gold mine offers up more than just gold. And sometimes a secret should remain a secret. A generational science fiction story from USA Today best-selling writer Dean Wesley Smith. A version of this story by Dean Wesley Smith first appeared in The Secret Prophecies of Nostradamus edited by Cynthia Sternau and Martin H. Greenberg.

Sometimes, when a fella gets to help out with fightin' a war between two alien races, it's just not such a good idea to tell your wife. Sometimes the truth just isn't good enough. A really fun short story by USA Today best-selling writer Dean Wesley Smith. Best-selling author Dean Wesley Smith has written more than one hundred popular novels and hundreds published short stories. His novels include the science fiction novel Laying the Music to Rest and the thriller The Hunted as D.W. Smith.

When men start getting run over by slow-moving train cars in a gold rush town in the mountains of Idaho, Marshal Duster Kendal must solve the murders. But there might not be a motive besides the fact that Duster Kendal lives. Duster knows exactly what to do about that. And he needs to do it fast before things get much, much worse.