“My dad was a school administrator,” Smith said. “Though I was born in Middletown, I grew up around Cleveland because my dad moved there for a job.”
After graduating from high school in Amherst, Ohio in 1973, Smith went to Ohio University and majored in music education. He played trumpet in high school and with the Ohio University Marching 110 band.
“I really did want to follow along in my dad’s footsteps,” Smith said. “I did work in education for three years but decided that there ought to be a better way to make a living.”
Smith worked his way into a human services career as a case manager for adults with developmental disabilities. He had not spent a lot of time in the Dayton area but ended up moving here in 1980, thinking it would be temporary.
But 44 years later, Smith is still in Dayton. Eventually he found his way to Goodwill Easter Seals (formerly Goodwill Industries) and worked in job placement and case management. From there he moved on to working for the Ohio Department of Development Disabilities.
And all along the way, he was thinking about writing.
“I did a lot of writing in high school, especially,” Smith said. “I enjoyed it then and when I started teaching, it was in the back of my mind. But it wasn’t until I was in my mid-40′s that I had an idea for a character.”
By that time, Smith had been married and divorced and had some other major life changes happen, and writing came back to the forefront. He visited the Florida Keys and fell in love with that part of the country and his character — a former CIA agent living in the Keys, started to come to life in his head.
“I didn’t want to put this character in Dayton, Ohio,” Smith said. “I wanted my character to be able to hide in plain sight.”
In 2001, Smith began writing his first book, featuring the character that would end up being the focus of several books in the future — Nick Seven.
“After I finished my first book, I wasn’t thinking I’d do anything with it, but a friend read it and suggested I look into publishing,” Smith said. “I found a publisher who liked it and signed a contract with him in the spring of 2002.”
That first book, “Memories Die Last,” ended up garnering awards and good reviews. He followed that one up with “Never Trust Your Dreams,” and “The Vendetta Factor.” Throughout the series of novels, Nick Seven’s relationship with former coworker Felicia features prominently.
“I knew there were other adventures out there or Nick and Felicia,” Smith said. “But after meeting with other authors I decided I would do the unheard of and try my hand at contemporary romance stories.”
Smith’s romance novels differ from most in that he tells his stories from the man’s point of view. He decided to change publishers and signed with a new one in 2009. That same year, he published “Anywhere the Heart Goes, centered around his character, Sam Diamond, who has sworn off relationships for good.
“Once people got over the fact that a man had written this book, they liked it,” Smith said. “It did well enough that I decided to keep going with romance books.”
He published a new book about every two years and in 2011, he created another private investigator character working out of Sandusky, Ohio and decided he was going to stay with the Nick Seven character going forward.
“I write romance stories when I want a break from writing mystery thrillers,” Smith said. “It’s something different and keeps my mind sharp.”
Meanwhile, Nick Seven has been Smith’s focus over the past five years and the last four books in the series have also garnered good reviews. The 9th Nick Seven Book was published as an eBook in April of this year.
Smith also worked for a time as a feature writer for the Dayton City Paper before it closed up shop and was the managing editor for nine months before the paper closed. He also writes blogs and works as a freelance writer and book editor.
“I took forced retirement from the State seven years ago and now am writing full time,” Smith said. “I’m enjoying writing the Nick Seven spy thrillers and there’s a lot more stories to tell. I’m having fun with this.”
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