I. Graham Smith
What made you decide to become a writer?
At a high level, I grew up without television and spent a lot of time reading and in my imagination. I read so many classic science-fiction books, and I think all of that created a continual questioning and wondering about what could be. Writing seemed to be an approachable outlet. The direct cause would be a story that I couldn’t get out of my head, and I just thought: ‘why not now?’
How do you decide your plots? Are they taken from events that have happened to you? Do you base your characters on real people – or do you prefer to be fully creative and make them up?
I’m always turning scenarios over in my head, and these turn into plots once I find something interesting or unique enough. My characters are not based on real people.
What comes first for you – the plot or the characters? And why?
I like plots to have a message and overarching idea, and I’m not fond of meandering stories with no point. Because of this, the plot comes first, and I feel like the characters should serve the plot. However, once I get into the writing, the characters usually influence the plot and I have to adjust.
How many books have you written and/or published, and which is your favourite?
Three books. My first novel was Forsaking Home. It was the story that I couldn’t get out of my head, but it was going to be too long, so I decided to split it into a trilogy. While I was finishing that, I started The Builder Awakens and when it was almost done I wrote a related children’s book. Zara the Protector was released in 2023, and The Builder Awakens was released in the summer of 2024. Now I’m two-thirds of the way through the first sequel to Forsaking Home while I finish The Builder’s Wrath. Things have not gone to plan, but I am adapting.
The Builder Awakens is my favorite book so far.
Tell me more about your favourite book – the plot, characters, setting, POV, tense…
The Builder Awakens is a non-traditional fantasy story about the dumbest caveman, Kpleeb. He is adbucted by an alien race that rules the galaxy. Along his journey, his intelligence is altered, he meets another of his kind, has a child and regains a freedom of sorts. What he doesn’t know is that his family plays a leading role in an ancient prophecy.
Kpleeb is a basic guy who doesn’t have big dreams or a desire to be heroic. His wife, Thoka, is clever, caring and driven. Their daughter, Zara, is a mixture of these two cavepeople combined with the changes made by their captors. She is sweet and so much smarter than anyone else. She also has the ability to perceive and control certain unseen forces in the world.
In my books so far, I have tried to keep the POV to primarily the main characters and mostly use past tense.
What is your favourite genre to write in? Tell me why.
I prefer science fiction because I like the idea that the future will be contain new, wild things and that there are scientific explanations for them. If I deal with the past and wish to be realistic, I’m limited to the technology of the past… or magic. Fantasy is great, but I still like the idea that technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic. I think sci-fi is also fantasy in some ways.
Did you need to do research for your book? If so, how much did you do, how did you do it?
Most of the reach I’ve done has been to bring a fantasy device or scenario closer to the plausibility of science fiction. Example: how to shield an interstellar vessel from radiation or how to hide a whole planet. This research is mostly in the form of internet searches and some calculations (e.g. time dilation).
Would you travel to the area where your book is set? Do you already know the area? Have you written about that area because it’s a place you know? Have you used the original name of the area or manipulated place names?
In my first book, I did use Flagstaff Arizona, USA as the place where the protagonist grew up. It’s beautiful there and that inspired me.
How do you feel about killing off popular characters? Is it something you enjoy doing in your own books? Have you done it?
I have killed off characters, including main characters. I don’t enjoy it, but I do think that sometimes it creates needed space and motivations.
Would you write any genre or do you stick to one?
Some genres, like non-fiction, are intimidating. Others, like romance or mystery, I’m just not interested in. I’ll probably stick to what I’m doing.
Do you write under a pseudonym or your own name?
I like privacy, and I use my own name in a way I’ve not done previously so as to create a little distance between the author me and the private me.
Does your family read your work? If not, would you like them to? Are your books their thing? Would it bother you if they weren’t interested in reading any of them?
My family has read my work. My wife isn’t in to my kind of writing, but she has read and provided valuable feedback when I asked. Constructive criticism is helpful, but it would make me proud to know that someone was entertained or inspired.
Or does your family help you when writing your book – how much do they support you?
When I wrote Zara the Protector, I spent a Christmas with my family and we all helped hone the core story. It was a fun time full of goofiness and cool ideas. This is where the taco recipe came from.
How many hours a day or week would you say you spend writing? Is it a potential career for you, is it something you do outside your day job?
If I made good money at writing, I’d love a career doing that. As it stands, I have a busy and somewhat stressful job and a family I love, so I don’t write as much as I would prefer. I am lucky if I get 30 minutes a day. I do take days off just to write, and I make most progress at a coffee shop or sitting in a car alone. I am learning to write now so I can be somewhat proficient when I finally have the time.
Is writing therapeutic for you, or does it cause you to stress out?
Writing is therapeutic because it requires focus time, which I do not get enough of.
How do you market your books?
I’m terrible at marketing, and it feels like dark magic. I just do my best to be visible, try to mimic others, and grow my fan base.
I’m not sure it helps, but I don’t have the time to spend on being good at marketing. Probably the best solution is to spend money with someone who knows what they’re doing, but I feel like the cost is high and the return is uncertain.
How do you react to reviews? Would you prefer just good ones or are you okay to receive a bad one occasionally? How does this make you feel?
I haven’t had very many reviews, but I am pragmatic. I don’t see myself as the greatest writer, so I expect that some portion of readers will either dislike my writing for a reason I can understand or because people are sometimes irrational. In both cases, I’ll try to learn and improve.
You can find I. Graham Smith on his website at TheGSmith.com
and on X https://x.com/IGSmithAuthor
